When spelling out letters over the radio, you cannot rely on the letter alone. An "A" sounds like "A," but distorted by static or accent, it becomes ambiguous. The International Civil Aviation Organization standardized the phonetic alphabet in 1955, and it has remained unchanged worldwide. Every pilot, every controller, every mechanic in aviation speaks the same phonetic alphabet. This is your first power tool.

The ICAO phonetic alphabet consists of 26 words, one for each letter. Each word is designed to be distinctive and pronounced clearly, even over poor radio connections. Some letters have special emphasis marks in aviation radiotelephony—these marks indicate which syllable you stress when you speak.

Here is the complete alphabet:

Note the emphasis marks. These are not arbitrary. "Alfa" is stressed on the first syllable to distinguish it from other words. "November" is stressed on the middle syllable to make it memorable and distinct. When you transmit the phonetic alphabet, you must pronounce these with the correct emphasis. This is a skill; it takes practice.