On a crackly radio channel, “B” and “D” sound exactly the same — which is why officers never spell a name or a plate with plain letters. Type any word into the converter below and see how it is actually said on the radio, in both the NATO alphabet and the traditional police APCO alphabet.
Note: There are two alphabets in use. Many departments now use the NATO alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie); others still teach the older APCO words (Adam, Boy, Charles). This converter does both — if you are preparing for a specific department’s test, check which one they use and practise that one.
Phonetic Alphabet Converter
Type a name, a license plate or any word, and hear how an officer would spell it on the radio. Pick the NATO alphabet (used by the military and many agencies) or the traditional police APCO alphabet (Adam, Boy, Charles…). Digits are read one at a time, and 9 is “Niner” so it is never confused with “five”.
The NATO alphabet
Departments vary: many agencies now use the NATO alphabet, others still teach the APCO words. If you are testing for a specific department, learn the alphabet that department uses.
How to Use This Converter
Pick an alphabet, then type or paste anything: a surname, a street name, a license plate. The converter spells it out word for word, reading digits one at a time — 204 becomes "Two Zero Four", never "two hundred four". The full A–Z table under the converter updates with the alphabet you choose, so you can learn the whole list in one place.
Why Officers Spell on the Radio
A misheard letter is not a small mistake. A dispatcher running a plate or a name with one wrong letter may get the wrong person — or miss a warrant on the right one. Phonetic words were chosen so that no two sound alike even through static, sirens and a cheap speaker, which is why the same idea is used by pilots, soldiers and emergency services worldwide.
NATO vs APCO: Which One Will You Hear?
Listen to a big-city department and you will often hear the APCO words their academy has taught for decades; listen to agencies that work closely with federal or military partners and NATO is more common. Some letters never change — Victor and X-ray are the same in both — but most differ, so recruits learn their own department's list by heart before they ever hold a radio.
Practise with the names and plates you would actually say: your own surname, your street, your car. A week of spelling them out loud and the alphabet stops being a list and becomes a reflex — which is exactly what the radio demands.
Phonetic alphabet questions, answered
Why do police spell names and plates on the radio?
Radio audio is noisy, and many letters sound alike — B, D, E and P, or M and N, are easy to confuse. Spelling a name or plate with phonetic words ("Smith: Sierra, Mike, India, Tango, Hotel") makes every letter unmistakable, which matters when a dispatcher is running a warrant check on exactly the right person.
What is the difference between the NATO and police APCO alphabets?
They do the same job with different words. The NATO alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie) is the international military standard, and many US departments now use it. The older APCO alphabet (Adam, Boy, Charles) is the traditional law-enforcement one and is still taught by many agencies. A few words are identical in both, such as Victor and X-ray.
Which alphabet should I learn for the police exam or academy?
The one your department uses. Ask the recruiter or check the department's hiring materials — some test the NATO alphabet, others the APCO words. Learning both is safest, and this converter lets you practise with either.
Why is 9 called "Niner"?
So it can never be mistaken for "five" on a bad channel — and, historically, so it was not confused with the German word "nein". Digits on the radio are always read one at a time: a plate ending in 204 is "Two Zero Four", never "two hundred four".
Is 10-4 part of the phonetic alphabet?
No — 10-4 belongs to the separate 10-codes system, where whole phrases are shortened to number codes. The phonetic alphabet only spells individual letters and digits. You can learn the codes with our 10-Codes Lookup & Quiz.
Keep reading on Police Pathfinder
- Police 10-Codes Lookup & Quiz — search all 100 codes and test yourself
- Police codes list — the codes and signals officers use, explained
- Most common police 10-codes — the handful of codes you will hear every day
- What does 10-4 mean? — the most famous code of all, explained