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Military & Defence vocabulary · Command, Orders & Communication

Phonetic alphabet

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/fəˌnetɪk ˈælfəbet/nounCommon term

In military & defence, phonetic alphabet means: A set of code words used on the radio and telephone to spell letters clearly, such as Alfa for A, Bravo for B and Charlie for C.

In Turkish: fonetik alfabe, NATO fonetik alfabesi

How it is used

Its full name is the NATO phonetic alphabet, used by armed forces, aviation and shipping. Personnel use it to spell names, call signs and map references. The official spellings are 'Alfa' and 'Juliett', and 9 is said 'niner'.

Example sentences

  1. Use the phonetic alphabet when you spell your surname on the radio.

  2. New staff learn the phonetic alphabet in their first week.

Common collocations

  • NATO phonetic alphabet
  • use the phonetic alphabet
  • spell in the phonetic alphabet
  • call signA short name or code that identifies a person, unit, vehicle or aircraft on the radio instead of their real name.
  • situation report (SITREP)A short, regular report that tells a higher headquarters the current status of a unit: where it is, what it is doing, its problems and its needs.
  • NATOShort for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a political and military alliance founded in 1949 whose members agree to defend one another.
  • orderAn official instruction from a superior that must be carried out; also a formal written document that sets out a plan or task.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Command, Orders & Communication

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