The Etymological Evolution of the International NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Lori Dorn
October 15, 2025

Linguist Rob Watts of RobWords wandered around the planes of Derby Airfield as he recounted the etymological evolution of what is now known to be the NATO phonetic alphabet, noting how the final iteration is neither created by NATO nor is it a phonetic alphabet.

Instead, he explains, it was actually a collaboration between the International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAO ) and Jean-Paul Vinay, a professor of linguistics at the Université de Montréal in Canada, to devise a new spelling alphabet that would work with most languages.

The NATO phonetic alphabet is not a phonetic alphabet and wasn’t invented by NATO. However, it has a fascinating story to tell. It is the result of years of linguistic experimentation in the wake of the violence of World War II.

The Origins of the International NATO Phonetic Alphabet

The Origins of the International NATO Phonetic Spelling Alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta)

Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.