A

What does "Alfa" mean?

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter A is represented by the codeword Alfa, pronounced AL-fah. When spelling over radio, phone, or in person in noisy environments, you say "Alfa" to unambiguously indicate the letter A.

History & etymology

ICAO deliberately spells 'Alfa' with an 'f' instead of 'ph' so non-English speakers pronounce it correctly — an 'f' is unambiguous, 'ph' is not.

How to use it

Say "Alfa" whenever you need to specify the letter A aloud. Common situations: dictating an email address or license plate over the phone, reading a serial number to technical support, making a radio call in aviation or maritime contexts, or simply avoiding the common confusion between similar-sounding letters (B/D/P/T, M/N, F/S).

Example

If your name starts with A, you might say "Alfa as in Alfa" when spelling it out — or use the NATO alphabet for your whole name using our translator.

Neighboring letters

Explore the codewords for the letters before and after A below. For the full 26-letter chart with pronunciation and history, visit the NATO alphabet reference page. Prefer to memorize it? Try our flashcards.