The phonetic alphabet assigns code words to the letters of the English alphabet (Alfa for A, Bravo for B, etc.) so that critical combinations of letters (and numbers) can be pronounced and understood by those who transmit and receive voice messages by radio or telephone regardless of their native language, especially when the safety of , Useful for spelling words and names over the phone. I printed this page, cut out the table containing the NATO phonetic alphabet (below), and taped it to the side of my computer monitor when I was a call center help desk technician., The NATO alphabet became effective in 1956 and, a few years later, turned into the established universal phonetic alphabet for all military, civilian and amateur radio communications., Use the alphabet chart below to see what each letter and number is in the phonetic alphabet: In addition to the letters, the phonetic alphabet also includes numbers, each with its own pronunciation to provide clarity., The purpose of the phonetic alphabet is to ensure letters are clearly understood—even when speech is distorted or hard to hear—by assigning distinct code words to each letter of the alphabet., .