Spell out text using the NATO/ICAO phonetic alphabet

Spell Latin letters with the official ICAO radiotelephony words so similar-sounding characters are easier to distinguish.

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ToolNATO Alphabet
Input
Output
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Preview

How it works

Letters are uppercased and replaced by the ICAO table, digits receive stored spoken-number words, ordinary spaces become the literal marker (space), and unsupported punctuation remains visible. The official written forms are Alfa, Juliett, and Whisky.

  • One output space separates every source character so adjacent code words remain unambiguous.
  • This is a written spelling aid, so it does not attempt the Annex 10 pronunciations.

Worked example

Spell Out Word
Convert 'SOS' to NATO phonetic alphabet
Input
											SOS
Output
												Sierra Oscar Sierra

When to use this

Aviation radio spells call signs, maritime and emergency voice links clarify letters, and telephone support agents read serial numbers aloud.

Edge cases

  • AJW becomes Alfa Juliett Whisky; Alpha, Juliet, and Whiskey are not the international ICAO spellings.
  • Accented letters and hyphens have no table entry and remain literal.
  • (space) describes a source gap but is not an ICAO spoken code word.

References