6 Easy Ways To Memorize The Military Alphabet (With Pictures)

Whether you as a student, wish to become a pilot, a firefighter, or a military officer, one of the basic things you will be required to learn is the military alphabet.

Even if you don't plan joining the armed forces in the future, memorizing the military alphabet could also be of help to you someday. It could be when trying to send out vital information or trying to decode one as a matter of urgency.

So in this post, I'll be sharing with you six of my practical and effective tips you can use to memorize the military alphabet in a really simple and fun way.

To be more specific, the methods am about to show you are methods that will help you recall each code words in the alphabet list easily without having to look it up when the need arises.

But firstly, I'll like to give you some basic information about the Military Alphabet. I bet you'll want to know how it came into existence and why.

What Is The Military Alphabet

The military alphabet is simply a language system that consist of 26 distinct code words that are used for spelling instead of the traditional English alphabets.

It is a mode of communication that was adopted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) in the 1950s and 1970s.

The military alphabet is often referred to as the spelling alphabet. This is because it is formed in such a way that, every English alphabet is represented with a unique and unmistakable word.

You can think of it as when you say A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat or D for Dog.... but in this case we say A for Alpha, B for Bravo,  C for Charlie and D for Delta.

So instead of we writing BALL as "B – A – L – L" we write it as "Bravo – Alpha – Lima – Lima". Cool, isn't it? Yea!

But why do you think NATO choose to spell words this way?

Well, the reason why NATO chose this system of spelling over the common way is to help military and non-military officers transmit information accurately via the radio and in like manner, receive clear messages orally, without a sense of ambiguity.

Take for instance, you can imagine a Nigerian soldier in an undercover transmitting from the war front or somewhere noisy saying;

This is unit A 206. Target acquired in a minivan ABE264XS currently off to the map grid 784538.

But because of his accent, the receiver decoded ABC264SX as the number of the minivan.

Obviously, you can see there's a miscommunication here because what should have been decoded as an Abuja registered minivan was recorded as Cross Rivers'.

This of course, can lead to a failed invasion or even greater catastrophe which could have been avoided if the soldier had made use of the military alphabet i.e

This is Alpha 206. Target acquired in a minivan Alpha, Bravo, Echo, 264 X-ray, Sierra. Currently moving to the map grid 784538

Tracing The Origin Of Military Alphabet

Fine, you already know that the military alphabet came into existence because the military needed a way to send and receive signals without confusion. But when and where do this spelling system actually come from?

Well, the origin of the military alphabet can be traced back to the first radiotelephone spelling alphabets used in the military before the first and second world war.

And according to history, this spelling alphabet was what was later modified by the United States armed forces to be their Joint Army–Navy alphabet (JAN).

And at this same period, the United Kingdom also adopted the same spelling alphabet and modified it to be their RAF alphabet.

So, it happened that both the United Kingdom and the United States modified this spelling alphabets and made use of their separate versions until 1956, when both finally adopted the ICAO/ITU Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet (otherwise known as the NATO Alphabet) as the universal Military Spelling Alphabet.

But wait, I’ve been mentioning the word “NATO” over and over…..  Do you know what it is? I bet you must heard about it but in case you've not, NATO means North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

It was an intergovernmental military alliance formed by the American and European government in 1949 to defend themselves against possible attacks from the Soviet Union.

The Use Of Military Alphabet Today

Although the military alphabet was initially designed by and for the military. But after some years, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) adopted it as a Universal Spelling Alphabet.

This was done in a bid to resolve pronunciation issues associated with dialect among English speaking countries who are non-native speakers in other to ensure effective communication.

 

So it happened that, the military alphabet became more of general use after it’s adoption by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Hence, making its usage possible not only in the military, but also in aviation, police forces, emergency agencies, semi-military, and even by civilians and amateur communicators.

And according to Wikihow, the military alphabets are not secret codes or mode of communication but simply a means of avoiding confusion when communicating, especially when dealing with similar sounding letters such as B and D, M and N, S and X etc. So it's no crime you knowing and using it for whatever purpose you want to.

Importance And Benefits Of The Military Alphabet

Here are few reasons why you should learn the military alphabets.

1: Knowing the military alphabet will help you to quickly clear off confusions when sending out or receiving vital information especially in a case of emergency (i.e. when it’s a matter of urgency or of life and death). It could also be useful when there’s a poor connection or when you’re in a noisy area.

2: It prevent you from getting lost when its used in a conversation. In other words, it help you to better understand any conversation/message/information containing them.

3: It helps spice up your daily conversation and allow you speak like a pro.

4: It allows you send secret or private information even though the military alphabet in itself is not a secret code.

Want to know how to send private information using the military alphabet? Well, its simple. Just play around the code words and add some extra meanings to it – meanings that are only understood by your recipient.

Got it? Winks.

OK now, let's go back to business. Remember we gat a list of 26 code words to learn by heart? Yea, so let's begin with the learning process.....

I know you're already familiar with a few of the spelling code words, of course,  have mentioned Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo and I think Lima.  but do you know the word standing for  F, I, M, P, X, U, Y, or Z? I guess you  have no idea.

So, the first thing I think you need right now, is to know the code word that represents each English alphabet.

So, here we go!

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– Whiskey   X– X-ray   Y– Yankee   Z– Zulu.

List of NATO alphabets with pronunciation

Learn military alphabet from A to Z

Six Methods You Can Use To Memorize The Military Alphabets

To master a long list like the military alphabet really depends on your learning style. So to be honest with you, there's nothing new in the methods am about to show you because they are probably the same methods you’ve been using to memorize new things.... But anyways, am not going to be wasting you time reading this article because I, will be adding a few tweaks.

So let’s dive in!

1. RECITE IT

Starting with the method you're probably most familiar with......

Since recitation has been one of the simplest ways we gain new information and hold onto it like forever, we can also use the same method to learn the military alphabet. How?

By simply reading out each code words slowly and consciously with full concentration in a repetitive manner till they stick somewhere in the brain.

This method is highly effective especially if you’re an auditory learner. And why am so positive about this method is that it been really effective in time past.

Take for instance, most of us learned our phone numbers and even the multiplication tables by recite. And of course, you'll agree with me that they still stick in our mind till date and we go about everywhere with them like a shadow, applying them when the need arises – even "without thinking".

Military or NATO Alphabet Chart Just Like The ABCDs

But to apply this method effectively, you’ll need to break the list of the 26 code words above into five groups and learn each group per day. That is, you learn 5 words each day except the fifth day when you have to learn 6 words. 

If you can apply this method and practice it well, am very positive that you'll definitely get a lead because repetition tends to improves our memory and make us more familiar with things.

2. TRY USING MNEMONICS

Here's another method you can use to master the military alphabet better if you find recitation boring. So if you're looking for a fancy way to learn the military alphabet then this one is for you. 

Though this method is of two ways.....

One is by forming a tune by yourself using the military code words and then sing it over and over. The second way however, is to listening to the tune either the composed by you or by someone else.

This method really work faster because our brain loves good music just the way it loves pictures and videos. No wonder we all love music, at least most of us do.

Take for instance: when I was still in secondary school, aside the use of acronyms and acrostics, singing poems and rhythms was one of the few ways I do use when studying for tests or exams.

And till today, I still remember virtually all those songs like the first twenty elements, the rivers in Africa, the seven continents of the world, the list of Nigerian leaders (both past and present...), the list of youth empowerment programs in Nigeria and so many others.

So if this really worked for me, it can also work for you. Just come up with a tune like the popular alphabet song (A B C D, E F G H, ...) and rehearse it until you get familiar with them.

But if you can't come up with a poem of your own, you can just check out this radio alphabet song by Rohit Iyenga.

Either you're coming up with a song or listening to Rohit's, am very confident that you'll be able to remember the military alphabets if you can practice the song and pay much attention to it.

3. VISUALIZE IT

Visualization is really a good method for memorizing a long list of words like the military alphabet, especially if you're a visual learner.

To use this method, all you have to do is to know the meaning of each of the words representing each alphabet. Afterwards, you can then proceed to give each word a colorful picture related to their meaning.

You can do this by either tagging each word with a picture on a big board or wall. Or you can just take a mental picture of them – whichever you prefer.

Still don't understand? Don't worry I'll explain better.

What am trying to say is that, you can represent Alpha with an alpha sign (on a board or in your mind) or even with a picture of a male wolf; Bravo with a picture clapping hands, Charlie with Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin's picture; Delta with the mathematical symbol (∆ or d), Echo with sound waves....and so on like that.

Visual Representation Of Military Or NATO Alphabets

Meanwhile, you don’t have to represent each code word exactly the way it is in the picture above. You can just come up with something more interesting that you can easily remember. It can be an object, a character or even a storyline

However, here is a warning. Always make sure that whatever it is you're using to represent these code words are related to them and is something you can easily remember, else, you'll be creating more of a problem than solution.

4. CONSCIOUSLY WRITE IT DOWN REPEATEDLY

This is old fashion but trust me, a mindful and repetitive writing can also help you to memorize and master the military alphabet. All you just need to do is to make it more of a mental exercise than physical.

To achieve this, you'll have to write out the military alphabets, get a glimpse of each code words and memorize them. Afterwards, test yourself by scribbling them on a blank sheet while covering the other sheet.

However, for this method to be effective, you'll have to resist the temptation of checking out the code words while testing yourself. If you can't remember a code word, don't worry, just write down the ones you can remember and score yourself. Afterwards, you can go back to study the full list and test yourself again.

You can repeat this process for like 4 to 5 times or even more to make it stick to your brain, but you just have to be honest with yourself.

5. PRACTICE IT WITH FRIENDS

Learning alone can be boring at times but practicing with friends is always interesting, helpful and stress-free (that's if you know how to make it work anyway).

Whether your friend(s) is also interested in learning the military alphabet or not, you can always find someone who's ready to help, motivate and support you.

To make this work, you guys can just recite the military alphabet interchangeably such that, when you say "A for alpha", "he or she will then say "B for bravo"..... in a subsequent manner.

Meanwhile, you can also practice with your friend(s) on a social medium like your WhatsApp by simply charting with them using the military alphabets.

However, you can also get creative and play games with the military alphabets or do some other task with it.

6. USE IT IN YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES

According to the popular believe that we tend to remember things more easily when they're connected with some part of our life.

The same way, military alphabets can also be remembered if you can connect it with your surroundings and daily life, such that you learn codes and abbreviations using the military alphabets.

I believe the more you use the military code words in your day-to-day activities, the more likely you are to remember them. And like Wikihow suggested, you can always master them by memorizing the license plate of vehicles especially the once you see when stuck in a traffic jam.

Final Thought

Now that you have all the tips and guides you need to learn the military alphabet. I think you should let me know in the comment section, the method you think will work best for you and the reason why.

Kindly drop your comment below.

Meanwhile, you can equally combine two to three methods for this same purpose like reciting it, practicing it with friends and applying it to daily activities.

Yo fans, this is Echo Victor Echo Romeo Golf Romeo Echo Echo November Golf Uniform Indian Delta Echo Sierra, can you read me?

Not yet? Don't worry, you'll soon be able...

Anyways, I just finish spelling this blog's name – Evergreen Guides in a different way using the military alphabet (winks).

That was quite intriguing right? Yea, it was kind of a show.

So now, can you read me!

Roger. Out.

Resources:

1: Wikipedia: The Allied Military Phonetic Spelling Alphabets

2: Wikihow: Understand And Use The NATO Phonetic Alphabet