Have you ever struggled with spelling things over the phone to people in call centres? If you have, you’re not alone. Many of the people in call centres in locations such as India, the Phillipines or South Africa either speak English as a second language or speak with a strong accent. You may struggle to understand them and, if you have an accent, they may have difficulty understanding you. What makes it more difficult is that some letters, such as M and N, sound very similar.
The solution is to use the phonetic alphabet, which simply means using a fixed and standard word for every letter, as follows:
| A | Alpha |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliet |
| 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 |
Whenever you are needing to spell out any words over the phone, we recommend you use this. We are sure you will find it very helpful!
Good luck!