![]() ![]() You probably already spell stuff phonetically over the phone. While an A might be confused for a K, Alpha is never going to be confused with Kilo. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between the sounds of B, V, T, and P F and S and M and N. Your voice can sometimes sound garbled to the listener on the other end of the line. Second, it can come in handy when you’re talking on the phone and need to make sure something gets spelled correctly. Also, you see the phonetic alphabet pop up in your favorite war movies and military-themed video games, and it’s fun to be able to follow along. ![]() So why should civilians know the military phonetic spelling alphabet? Most of us probably aren’t radioing in the coordinates of enemy combatants while gunfire erupts in the background.įirst, knowing military jargon and contexts like slang and ranks is just cool. Why Civilians Should Know the Military Phonetic Alphabet This phonetic spelling alphabet is not only used in the military, but sometimes in the realms of aviation, medicine, and amateur radio as well. ![]() (Some of the words are spelled a little differently in the US military, e.g., it uses “Alpha” rather than “Alfa.”) There are also phonetic alphabet numbers a phonetic word represents each number, and some have distinctive pronunciations. In 1956, all NATO countries adopted a universal phonetic spelling alphabet, known as the ICAO International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet or just the NATO phonetic alphabet. During this time, extensive research was conducted in which various possible words for each letter were tested to determine which offered maximum intelligibility under the intensely cacophonous conditions of battle. While the American and British militaries had each developed different phonetic spelling alphabets, during WWII they began to combine and standardize their independent versions to streamline communication during joint operations. The Joint Army/Navy alphabet of this era was different than the modern military’s version for example, Alpha, Bravo, Echo, Romeo, and Sierra, which today respectively represent the letters A, B, E, R, and S, were rendered as Able, Baker, Easy, Roger, and Sugar back then. During WWII, the military developed the “Joint Army/Navy radiotelephony spelling alphabet” so that the forces could communicate smoothly when working together. In World War I, each branch of the US military had its own code. To ensure that messages got through clearly, signalmen developed a system of words that represented each letter of the alphabet. ![]()
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