English Phonetic Spelling

Sometimes wrongly called the
International Phonetic Alphabet

When speaking on the telephone, it is sometimes useful to spell a word using English Phonetic Spelling. To spell "Club", for example, you would say: "C for Charlie, L for Lima, U for Uniform, B for Bravo."

It is very easy to learn English Phonetic Spelling. Start by spelling your name, then your company or address. Soon, you will know the whole alphabet. It also helps to remember that there are several groups of words that go together:

• Dances: Foxtrot, Tango
• Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet
• Men's first names: Charlie, Mike, Oscar, Victor
• Cities: Lima, Quebec

A Alpha B Bravo C Charlie D Delta E Echo F Foxtrot G Golf H Hotel I India J Juliet K Kilo L Lima M Mike

N November O Oscar P Papa Q Quebec R Romeo S Sierra T Tango U Uniform V Victor W Whisky X X-ray Y Yankee Z Zulu

According to the International Phonetic Association, the above list is sometimes wrongly called the "International Phonetic Alphabet".