German Phonetic Spelling Code

Spelling Your Name on the Phone - in German English-speaking expats or business people in German-speaking countries often run into the problem of spelling their non-German name or other words on the phone. Using the English/international phonetic code, the familiar "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie..." used by the military and airline pilots isn't any help. (But that's how Berlin's famous "Checkpoint Charlie" got its name; it was one of three U.S. checkpoints: A, B, C.) German-speakers are used to their own Funkalphabet or Buchstabiertafel for spelling on the phone or in radio communications. Germans use their own spelling code for foreign words, names, or other unusual spelling needs. The first "official" German spelling code was introduced in Prussia in 1890 - for the newly invented telephone and the Berlin telephone book. That first code used numbers (A=1, B=2, C=3, etc.). Words were introduced in 1903 ("A wie Anton" = "A as in Anton"). Over the years some of the words used for the German phonetic spelling code have changed. Even today the words used can vary from country to country in the German-speaking region. K wie... Here are the German 'K' words used in... Austria: K wie Konrad Germany: K wie Kaufmann Switzerland K wie Kaiser But most of the time the words used for spelling German are the same. Here's a small sample: A wie Anton (Alpha) B wie Bertha (Bravo) C wie Csar (Charlie) H wie Heinrich (Hotel) Z wie Zeppelin (Zulu) (You can see the full chart on the next page.) If you also need help in learning how to pronounce the German letters of the alphabet (A, B, C...), see the German Alphabet Lesson of German for Beginners. Before we move on to the full German chart, a few words about the history of phonetic alphabets. As mentioned before, the Germans were among the first (in 1890) to develop a spelling aid. In the U.S. the Western Union telegraph company developed its own code (Adams, Boston, Chicago...). Similar codes were developed by American police departments, most of them similar to Western Union (some still in use today). With the advent of aviation, pilots and air

controllers needed to a code for clarity in communication. The 1932 version (Amsterdam, Baltimore, Casablanca...) was used until World War II. The armed forces and international civil aviation used Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog... until 1951, when a new IATA code was introduced: Alfa, Bravo, Coca, Delta, Echo, etc. But some of those letter codes presented problems for nonEnglish speakers. The amendments resulted in the NATO/ICAO international code in use today.

This phonetic spelling guide shows the German equivalent of the English/international (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie...) phonetic spelling used to avoid confusion when spelling words on the phone or in radio communication. It can be helpful when you need to spell your non-German name on the phone or in other situations where spelling confusion may arise. PRACTICE: Use the chart below to spell your name (first and last names) in German, using the German alphabet and the German spelling code (Buchstabiertafel). Remember that the German formula is A wie Anton. German Alphabet with audio - if you need help with pronouncing the letters of the German alphabet.

Das Funkalphabet - German Phonetic Spelling Code compared to the international ICAO/NATO code Listen to AUDIO for this chart! (below) Germany* A wie Anton wie rger B wie Berta C wie Csar Ch wie Charlotte D wie Dora E wie Emil F wie Friedrich G wie Gustav H wie Heinrich I wie Ida J wie Julius K wie Kaufmann L wie Ludwig AUDIO 1 > Listen to mp3 for A-L M wie Martha N wie Nordpol O wie Otto wie konom (2) P wie Paula Q wie Quelle R wie Richard S wie Siegfried (3) Sch wie Schule (Eszett) T wie Theodor U wie Ulrich wie bermut V wie Viktor W wie Wilhelm X wie Xanthippe Y wie Ypsilon Z wie Zeppelin

Phonetic Guide AHN-tone AIR-gehr BARE-tuh SAY-zar shar-LOT-tuh DORE-uh ay-MEAL FREED-reech GOOS-tahf HINE-reech EED-uh YUL-ee-oos KOWF-mann LOOD-vig MAR-tuh NORT-pole AHT-toe UEH-ko-nome POW-luh KVEL-uh REE-shart SEEG-freed SHOO-luh ES-TSET TAY-oh-dore OOL-reech UEH-ber-moot VICK-tor VIL-helm KSAN-tipp-uh IPP-see-lohn TSEP-puh-leen

ICAO/NATO** Alfa/Alpha -1 Bravo Charlie -1 Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India/Indigo Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar -1 Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra -1 -1 Tango Uniform -1 Victor Whiskey X-Ray Yankee Zulu

For a full explanation of German phonetic spelling code and its history, see Part 1. Notes: 1. Germany and some other NATO countries add codes for their unique letters of the alphabet.

2. In Austria the German word for that country (sterreich) replaces the official "konom." See more variations in the chart below. 3. "Siegfried" is widely used instead of the more official "Samuel." *Austria and Switzerland have some variations of the German code. See below. **The IACO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) spelling code is used internationally (in English) by pilots, radio operators, and others who need to clearly communicate information.