ICAO spelling alphabet
Radio & navigation
The ICAO spelling alphabet assigns an internationally agreed codeword to each letter. Pilots and controllers use it to make callsigns, reporting points and other letter groups unambiguous over the radio.
- German term
- ICAO-Alphabet (Buchstabieralphabet)
Example
D-EXYZ → Delta Echo X-ray Yankee Zulu
The table lists all 26 official codewords. The spellings are Alfa and Juliett, not Alpha and Juliet. The alphabet helps distinguish similar-sounding letters in noisy transmissions; it does not replace standard radiotelephony phraseology or the separate conventions for saying numbers.
| Letter | ICAO codeword |
|---|---|
| A | Alfa |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliett |
| 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 | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee |
| Z | Zulu |
In practice
Practise spelling your full aircraft registration and the reporting points for your next flight. Use an abbreviated callsign only after the ground station has first addressed you that way and confusion is unlikely.
Related terms
Official sources
Content reviewed: 2026-11
For general information only. Always use official sources, your aircraft's flight manual and current national rules for flight decisions.