SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 87: Learn the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

When you’re outdoors, clear communication can make a real difference. Background noise, wind, poor phone reception and unfamiliar place names can make ordinary spelling difficult to understand, particularly when you’re sharing a location or passing important information to another person.

The NATO phonetic alphabet helps solve this problem by giving each letter a distinctive spoken word. Instead of saying a letter that might be mistaken for another, you use a standard word such as Alpha, Bravo or Charlie.

Although it is commonly associated with military and radio communications, the alphabet is useful for anyone who needs to communicate letters accurately. In this challenge, you’ll learn the complete alphabet, practise spelling words aloud and test how well you can communicate information without relying on written notes.

Your Challenge

Learn all 26 words in the NATO phonetic alphabet and use them to spell at least five words or short pieces of information accurately.

You will practise converting ordinary words into phonetic words, communicating them aloud and checking that another person can write down the original spelling correctly.

If you’re completing the challenge alone, you can record yourself speaking the words and then listen back, or use a written self-test with the answers hidden until you’ve finished.

Your aim is to become comfortable enough with the alphabet that you can use it without needing to look up every letter.

What You’ll Need

• A copy of the NATO phonetic alphabet, which you can write in a notebook.
• A pen and paper, or a phone for recording your practice.
• A timer, if you want to measure your progress.
• A partner who can listen and write down the words, if available.
• Five or more words to practise spelling.

You do not need a radio or specialist communication equipment. The challenge focuses on learning and speaking the alphabet correctly.

Choose words that are useful for outdoor communication, such as place names, equipment names and simple location descriptions. Avoid sharing personal information publicly when recording or submitting your evidence.

Take the Challenge

1. Learn the complete alphabet

Start by familiarising yourself with all 26 standard words. Each one represents a letter, and the words are designed to be more distinguishable when spoken over radio or in noisy conditions.

Letter	Code word
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	Whisky
X	X-ray
Y	Yankee
Z	Zulu

Two spellings are worth noting. The standard code words are Alfa, with one ph, and Juliett, with two ts. These spellings are intentional and form part of the standard.

Read through the table slowly, saying each letter followed by its code word. For example, say “A, Alfa” and then “B, Bravo”.

Work through the whole alphabet once or twice before testing yourself. You do not need to memorise everything immediately; repeated short practice sessions are often more useful than trying to learn the entire list in one sitting.

2. Practise in alphabetical order

Once you have read through the table, cover the code-word columns and try to recall each word from its letter.

Start with A and work through to Z. If you get stuck, check the answer and repeat that letter before continuing.

Pay particular attention to letters whose code words you tend to forget. You might find that Quebec, Uniform or X-ray takes longer to remember than some of the more familiar words.

After completing the alphabet forwards, try going backwards from Z to A. This prevents you from relying entirely on memorising the sequence and helps you retrieve individual code words when needed.

Your target is to recall all 26 code words correctly without looking at the table.

If you make a mistake, do not simply restart the whole exercise. Practise the difficult letter several times, then return to it later to check that you can still remember it.

3. Spell simple words

Now put the alphabet into practice by spelling ordinary words one letter at a time.

For example, the word CAMP becomes:

• C — Charlie
• A — Alfa
• M — Mike
• P — Papa

The word TENT becomes:

• T — Tango
• E — Echo
• N — November
• T — Tango

Say the original word first, then spell it using the code words. Finally, repeat the original word so the listener knows where the sequence ends.

Practise with at least five words. Useful choices include boots, shelter, compass, water and torch.

Try some longer words once you become more confident. Place names, trail names and equipment labels can be particularly useful because they reflect the kinds of information you might need to communicate outdoors.

Do not rush. Accuracy matters more than speed, especially when the information relates to navigation or safety.

4. Practise spelling a location

The phonetic alphabet is particularly useful when sharing names that another person may not know how to spell.

Choose a fictional campsite name, a local place name or another non-sensitive location. Spell it aloud using the code words, making each word clear and distinct.

For example, if your fictional campsite were called PINE, you would say:

“Papa, India, November, Echo.”

A listener should be able to write down PINE without needing to see the original word.

If you’re practising with a partner, ask them to write down the letters as they hear them. Once you finish, compare their answer with your original.

If they make a mistake, identify which code word was unclear. Repeat that letter slowly and try again.

Remember that a phonetic spelling communicates the letters of a name; it does not establish your actual location. For an emergency, use an accurate grid reference, coordinates or another appropriate location-sharing method as well.

5. Practise communicating numbers and important details

The NATO phonetic alphabet represents letters, not numbers. However, clear communication often involves both, particularly when sharing a grid reference, route description or equipment identifier.

Practise saying a short fictional identifier that contains both letters and numbers. For example, you could use a made-up equipment label such as SGUK27.

Spell the letters using the NATO words, then state the numbers clearly according to the communication procedure you are using.

Do not assume that saying a phonetic word automatically makes a number unambiguous. Numbers may need to be repeated or communicated according to an established radio procedure, especially in professional or emergency settings.

If you’re practising navigation information, use a fictional grid reference rather than publishing a private address or sensitive location.

The purpose of this exercise is to recognise where the alphabet helps and where additional communication methods are required.

6. Complete a listening test

Now test how well you can understand the alphabet when somebody else speaks it.

If you have a partner, ask them to spell five words using the NATO code words while you write down the letters. They should speak at a natural pace, with a short pause between each word.

If you’re working alone, record yourself spelling a word, wait a short while, then listen back and write down what you hear without looking at your original notes.

Check your transcription against the original spelling. Record how many words you got completely correct and which letters caused difficulty.

For an additional test, ask your partner to include words with repeated letters, such as TENT, or unfamiliar combinations such as COMPASS. These can reveal whether you are listening carefully to each code word.

Do not make the exercise deliberately confusing by speaking too quickly or mumbling. The aim is to practise clear communication rather than to catch someone out.

7. Practise using the alphabet naturally

Once you know the code words, use them in short everyday exercises.

Spell the names of outdoor equipment, describe a fictional route identifier or practise communicating a place name to someone who cannot see what you are writing.

Try to speak clearly at a steady pace. Pause briefly between letters and make sure the listener knows when you have finished spelling the word.

If the listener misunderstands a letter, repeat that part rather than starting the whole message again unnecessarily.

For actual radio use, follow the procedures and training relevant to the service or activity. The NATO phonetic alphabet is a standard spelling aid, but it does not replace radio discipline, correct equipment use or any licensing requirements that may apply.

Check Your Results

Test your knowledge without looking at the alphabet table.

1. Can you recall the code word for every letter from A to Z?
2. Can you spell five ordinary words correctly using the code words?
3. Can you communicate a place name so that another person can write it down accurately?
4. Can you recognise the code words when somebody else speaks them?
5. Can you identify the correct spellings of Alfa and Juliett?
6. Do you understand that the alphabet represents letters rather than numbers?
7. Can you explain why clear location information may require more than phonetic spelling?

For a measurable result, aim to recall all 26 code words correctly and communicate at least five words without a spelling error.

If you make mistakes, revisit those letters and repeat the test later. You will become more fluent through practice, particularly when you use the alphabet to communicate real words rather than reciting the table from memory.

Complete the Challenge

To complete this challenge, learn all 26 NATO phonetic code words, practise spelling at least five words and complete a listening or self-checking exercise.

You should be able to explain why the alphabet improves spoken communication and recognise that it does not replace accurate coordinates, grid references or other essential information when sharing a location.

How to Submit Your Challenge

Submit your evidence

Take a photograph of your handwritten phonetic alphabet, your completed spelling exercise or your listening-test results.

Your evidence should show that you have practised using the alphabet rather than simply copied the table. You could include five words that you successfully spelled and a note about which letters you found hardest to remember.

Then follow these steps:

1. Go to your SGUK member profile.
2. Open Social Activity.
3. Upload your photograph of your practice sheet or results.
4. Add the hashtag #SGUKChallenge87 to your post.
5. Share it for verification.

Do not include private addresses, sensitive location details or personal information in your evidence. Fictional words and example identifiers are sufficient.

Challenge 87 Checklist

Want to Push Yourself?

Try learning the alphabet well enough to recall every code word in a random order, rather than only from A to Z.

Ask a partner to call out ten random letters and respond with the correct code words. Then reverse the exercise: have them say ten code words while you identify the letters.

You could also practise communicating a short fictional route name or equipment identifier over a basic voice call, with one person writing down the information. Compare the result with the original and note where clarity could be improved.

For a more advanced exercise, research how emergency services and outdoor organisations communicate location information. Compare the role of the NATO phonetic alphabet with grid references, latitude and longitude, and established radio procedures.

The goal is to make clear spelling feel natural, so you can communicate accurately when conditions are noisy, information is unfamiliar or mistakes could matter.

What’s Next?

Continue developing your emergency communication skills with SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 86: Learn to Make a Smoke Signal. That challenge explores visual signalling, the limitations of different methods and safer ways to attract attention during an outdoor emergency.

You can complete SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenges in any order, so feel free to explore other skills or return to earlier challenges whenever you want more practice.

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 87 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.