• 48 cards

Phonetic Alphabet Flash Cards, Alfa to Zulu, to Print

Read the letter, say its code word, then turn the card: A is Alfa, B is Bravo.

Phonetic Alphabet Flash Cards, Alfa to Zulu, to Print

Letter H

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How to practise

Next step Back to basics: the alphabet cards, A a to Z z

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A to I 9

  • Letter A A is Alfa, said AL-FAH. Spelled with f, not ph.
  • Letter B B is Bravo, said BRAH-VOH.
  • Letter C C is Charlie, said CHAR-LEE or SHAR-LEE.
  • Letter D D is Delta, said DELL-TAH.
  • Letter E E is Echo, said ECK-OH.
  • Letter F F is Foxtrot, said FOKS-TROT.
  • Letter G G is Golf, said GOLF.
  • Letter H H is Hotel, said HOH-TEL.
  • Letter I I is India, said IN-DEE-AH.

J to R 9

  • Letter J J is Juliett, said JEW-LEE-ETT. Spelled with a double t.
  • Letter K K is Kilo, said KEY-LOH.
  • Letter L L is Lima, said LEE-MAH.
  • Letter M M is Mike, said MIKE.
  • Letter N N is November, said NO-VEM-BER.
  • Letter O O is Oscar, said OSS-CAH.
  • Letter P P is Papa, said PAH-PAH.
  • Letter Q Q is Quebec, said KEH-BECK.
  • Letter R R is Romeo, said ROW-ME-OH.

S to Z 8

  • Letter S S is Sierra, said SEE-AIR-RAH.
  • Letter T T is Tango, said TANG-GO.
  • Letter U U is Uniform, said YOU-NEE-FORM or OO-NEE-FORM.
  • Letter V V is Victor, said VIK-TAH.
  • Letter W W is Whiskey, said WISS-KEY.
  • Letter X X is Xray, said ECKS-RAY. One word, with no hyphen.
  • Letter Y Y is Yankee, said YANG-KEY.
  • Letter Z Z is Zulu, said ZOO-LOO.
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Numbers 0 to 9 10

  • Number 0 0 is spoken ZEE-RO.
  • Number 1 1 is spoken WUN.
  • Number 2 2 is spoken TOO.
  • Number 3 3 is spoken TREE. Tree, so nobody says sri.
  • Number 4 4 is spoken FOW-ER. Fower keeps it apart from for.
  • Number 5 5 is spoken FIFE. Five with a v sounds like fire.
  • Number 6 6 is spoken SIX.
  • Number 7 7 is spoken SEV-EN.
  • Number 8 8 is spoken AIT.
  • Number 9 9 is spoken NIN-ER. The extra syllable keeps it apart from nein.

Spell a word 12

  • Spell BUS BUS is Bravo Uniform Sierra: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell CAT CAT is Charlie Alfa Tango: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell DOG DOG is Delta Oscar Golf: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell FOX FOX is Foxtrot Oscar Xray: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell HELP HELP is Hotel Echo Lima Papa: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell JET JET is Juliett Echo Tango: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell KEY KEY is Kilo Echo Yankee: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell MAP MAP is Mike Alfa Papa: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell QUIZ QUIZ is Quebec Uniform India Zulu: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell SUN SUN is Sierra Uniform November: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell WAX WAX is Whiskey Alfa Xray: one code word for each letter.
  • Spell ZIP ZIP is Zulu India Papa: one code word for each letter.

How this list was compiled: The code words are a published standard no one owns; the sets, the spelling cards and every line under an answer are our own. Checked on 2026-09-30. The 26 code words with their official spellings (Alfa, Juliett, Xray), the pronunciation printed beside each, and the spoken forms of the numbers 0 to 9 were read from the Phonetic Alphabet and Morse Code table in the Federal Aviation Administration's Aeronautical Information Manual, chapter 4, section 2, https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim_html/chap4_section_2.html. The same 26 words in the same order, tree, fower, fife and niner for 3, 4, 5 and 9, the reasons for the spellings Alfa and Juliett, and the years the alphabet was defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet. Licence: own work

How it works

These phonetic alphabet flash cards teach the spelling alphabet used on radio and phone: one code word for each letter, Alfa to Zulu. The back shows the word and how to say it. Two sets add numbers and spelling.

Read the full guide

Five sets: three runs of letters, numbers, spelling

Show only has A to I, J to R and S to Z, then Numbers 0 to 9, where 3, 4, 5 and 9 are said tree, fower, fife and niner. Spell a word asks for a whole word, one code word a letter: CAT is Charlie Alfa Tango. All deals the 36 letter and number cards.

Print 12 cards to a sheet

Pick a set, turn a card and press the print button under the card. Each set fits one sheet of Letter or A4, and the 36 letters and numbers take three. Print double-sided and flip on the long edge, so Alfa lands behind A.

  • Alfa and Juliett are the official spellings. Quiz mode also marks alpha and juliet right.
  • Xray is one word in the official list. Typing x-ray works too, because quiz mode ignores the hyphen.
  • Practice on real things: spell your name, a car license plate or a street name aloud.

Questions and answers

Is this the phonics alphabet or the radio alphabet?

The radio one: a set of code words, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, used to spell a word aloud so no letter is misheard. For the sounds letters make in reading, use the phonics flashcards.

Why is it spelled Alfa and not Alpha?

So that speakers of other languages say it right: some would not know that ph sounds like f. Juliett has a double t because French speakers might treat a single final t as silent.

Who uses the phonetic alphabet?

Pilots and air traffic controllers, among others. The Federal Aviation Administration tells pilots to use it when they identify their aircraft, and to spell out groups of letters or difficult words when the radio is hard to hear.

Why do pilots say niner and tree?

To keep numbers from being confused. Fife is said with a second f because five sounds like fire, fower is kept distinct from for, and niner has an extra syllable so it is not taken for the German nein, which means no.

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