Memorize English Phonetic Spelling With Me
When I’m listening to the radio, the hosts and advertisers often rattle off website addresses so quickly that I can’t figure out what they said.
You may have experienced the same problem during phone conversations, when spelling a name or address.
Whenever this happens to me, I guess at a word to substitute for the letter. And I end up sounding stupid when I say things like, “P is for… er… potato. Or is it panda?… or preposition?
I’ve decided it’s time to memorize the English Phonetic Spelling (also called the NATO Phonetic Alphabet). A phonetic alphabet is a list of spoken words substituted for letters of the English alphabet. It helps prevent confusion between similar-sounding letters (m and n) and to clarify potentially garbled transmission.
If you don’t already have this list memorized, I invite you to join me in this quest. Someone suggested to start by spelling your name, than your company or address. Soon, you’ll know the whole alphabet!
I’m starting with my first name, Laura: Lima Alpha Uniform Romeo Alpha
English Phonetic Spelling (Print and carry it with you)
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
Anyone have other great memory devices to share?
Thanks, Beth! I know “Roy G. Biv,” and my hubby is a math teacher, so I always hear him talking about “Please Excuse My Deal Aunt Sally,” but the others are new to me. I need to memorize the names of the Great Lakes in case I ever go to New York and end up on the “Cash Cab” game show!
In Seattle, we have a mnemonic for the order of the major streets downtown: Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine: “Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest.”
From 3rd Grade Science:
My Very Energetic Mother Just Serves Us Nine Pickles
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto (Which, sadly, is now just a big floating rock in space. Poor Pluto. I include him here for nostalgic reasons.)
Yea, Mrs. Walters!!
From 3rd Grade Science:
My Very Energetic Mother Just Serves Us Nine Pickles
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto (Which, sadly, is now just a big floating rock in space. Poor Pluto. I include him here for nostalgic reasons.)
Yea, Mrs. Walters!!
I wish everyone knew the phonetic alphabet because it's so easy to use when you're trying to spell something out with someone–like tech support! I know it from my experience as an Air Force officer and it makes things a lot easier.
The tricky one is Quebec for Q. It's actually pronounced, Kay-beck which brings a round of laughter to the uninitiated ones 🙂
Dennis Brooke. Blogging about Almost True Stories of Life at http://www.dennisbrooke.wordpress.com
I wish everyone knew the phonetic alphabet because it's so easy to use when you're trying to spell something out with someone–like tech support! I know it from my experience as an Air Force officer and it makes things a lot easier.
The tricky one is Quebec for Q. It's actually pronounced, Kay-beck which brings a round of laughter to the uninitiated ones 🙂
Dennis Brooke. Blogging about Almost True Stories of Life at http://www.dennisbrooke.wordpress.com