NATO Alphabet Converter

About NATO alphabet converter

This converter spells out text letter by letter using a radio spelling alphabet, such as turning Flight 9A into Foxtrot Lima India Golf Hotel Tango / Niner Alfa. It also decodes a run of code words back into text. Pilots, radio operators, call-center staff and anyone reading a reference number over a noisy phone line will find it useful.

How to use it

1. Choose Text → phonetic to spell out, or Phonetic → text to decode.
2. Pick a Spelling alphabet: NATO / ICAO, Joint Army/Navy (Able Baker) or LAPD / APCO.
3. Type or paste your input, then set options such as Digits, Separator and Word break.
4. Copy the result or download it. When decoding, any words that were not recognized are reported to you.

Spelling a flight code

Flight 9A

Foxtrot Lima India Golf Hotel Tango / Niner Alfa

When to use it

• Reading out a confirmation code, license plate or password reset code clearly over the phone.
• Preparing radio or aviation practice scripts that use the standard ICAO spellings.
• Decoding a message that was transmitted as code words back to letters and digits.
• Comparing the modern NATO code with older military and police alphabets for history or fiction.

Questions about NATO alphabet converter

Why are the words Alfa and Juliett spelled that way?

They are the official ICAO spellings, chosen so speakers of different languages pronounce them correctly. When decoding, the common variants alpha, juliet and xray are accepted as well.

How are numbers spoken?

ICAO style says Tree, Fower and Niner for 3, 4 and 9, which reduces confusion on the radio. You can switch to ordinary English digits or leave the numbers as they are.

What happens to punctuation and accented letters?

They have no code word, so they are kept as typed by default. Switch off Keep characters with no code word to drop them, and note that spaces are shown by a slash unless you change the Word break.

Can it decode words from a different alphabet?

Yes. With Accept code words from any bundled alphabet on, the decoder understands all three, with the selected one taking priority for shared words such as Charlie.

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