There was a very large number of people who seem to want to write C for Sierra and it’s really concerning.

Not only does it mean they’ve never heard of Sierra Leone which shows a distinct lack of geopolitical knowledge, but they’ve also never heard of Sierra software which shows that they’re not worth talking to.

I prefer the android phonetic alphabet

Alpha
Baklava
Cupcake
Donut
Eclair
Froyo
Gingerbread
Honeycomb
Ice cream
Jelly bean
Kit kat
Lollipop
Marshmallow
Nougat
Oreo
Pie
Quince
Red velvet cheesecake
Snow cone
Tiramisu
Upside down cake
Vanilla
Waffle

I try to stay away from life events requiring x-z

M as in Mancy. You would know!

I use a different phonetic alphabet:

M like in Mancy

personally, I’ve always preferred this version:

I’ve always enjoyed playing with folks who actually know this by giving them intentionally misleading cues. Instead of “E as in Echo”, say “G as in Gecko”. That sort of thing. Cuneiform, Frisky, Mango, Oubliette, Zima…

These guides always misspell Alfa

Alpha is confusing for not native English speakers, so it’s supposed to be spelt with an F.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet#Alfa

It’s ALFA https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_136216.htm

Don’t ask me how I know. It’s annoying.

There are also a few relevant programs:

• Phonetize, for which I can’t find the actual program or the source
• QueTango a little GUI which gives the alphabet output

They really missed an opportunity to get the semaphore to look like the letters they represent. At least get the I, K, and T to line up (V gets a pass because at least that pattern goes to the U).

I appreciate the Archer reference

I remember someone screaming for a code down a phone line once and my mate started with the whole “G for gnome” , “P for pterodactyl” etc.

I laughed.

I know these… And for 20 years I refuse to use any, its way funnier to hear the cringe on the other side.

Bonus points to use things that sound like other things for example: “K as in Knife”

For something so commonly used, it’s got some pretty glaring flaws. Most critically, ‘golf’ and ‘mike’ - single syllable, which over radio comms often doesn’t sound like shit. Compare to something like ‘oscar’, which even if either half of it gets all staticky you still hear “osc–” or “–car” which is enough to still receive an accurate exchange of info.

My more whiny complaints are that the number of syllables are inconsistent, F and X use compound words instead of one single complete word which feels… icky… x gets a pass cuz x is always janky and x-ray is perfect. Some of the entries rhyme with commonly used words that could confuse someone who’s either inexperienced or in a stressful situation like being shot at. For example, “echo” could be misheard as “gecko” and even though “gecko” isn’t on the list, our brains do stupid shit when they’re saturated with adrenaline, so something like this should be as absolutely idiot-proof as possible.

If I could magic that fucker into something new, I’d shoot for:

• every entry is exactly three syllables.

• no two of the same syllables in any entry can rhyme with those two syllables of another entry. I.E., “Uniform” and “Chloroform” are not compatible because syllables 2 and 3 are too similar.

• Each entry should be as common a word as possible, in as low/unspecialized a reading level as possible. I.E., “November” is recognizable by nearly everyone; vs something like “Ganglia” which is gibberish to anyone without specialty knowledge requiring them to be familiar with ganglia.

• No compound or multiple word entries.

• X gets a pass cuz x is always janky and x-ray is perfect.

• Prototype phonetic alphabet must be first scrutinized by a panel consisting of a linguist, a speech pathologist, an English teacher, a 7 year old, a highschooler, a geriatric with severe hearing loss, and a junior enlisted US Marine. Their job is to find any potential for confusion.