The Phonetic Alphabet is the primary naming system used for small vessels. The UNSC's alphabet is largely derived from the 20th Century NATO Phonetic Alphabet, albeit with "Golf" replaced with "Gamma."
| Letter | Code word | Pronunciation | IPA from ICAO |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alfa (ICAO, ITU, IMO, FAA) Alpha (ANSI) |
AL FAH | pronounced ˈælfɑ |
| B | Bravo | BRAH VOE | pronounced ˈbrɑːˈvo
(sic) |
| C | Charlie | CHAR LEE or SHAR LEE |
pronounced ˈtʃɑːli
(sic) or |
| D | Delta | DELL TAH | pronounced ˈdeltɑ |
| E | Echo | ECK OH | pronounced ˈeko |
| F | Foxtrot | FOKS TROT | pronounced ˈfɔkstrɔt |
| G | Gamma | GAM MAH | |
| H | Hotel | HO TELL (ICAO) HOH TELL (ITU, IMO, FAA) |
pronounced hoːˈtel |
| I | India | IN DEE AH | pronounced ˈindiˑɑ |
| J | Juliett (ICAO, ITU, IMO, FAA) Juliet (ANSI) |
JEW LEE ETT | pronounced ˈdʒuːliˑˈet |
| K | Kilo | KEY LOH | pronounced ˈkiːlo |
| L | Lima | LEE MAH | pronounced ˈliːmɑ |
| M | Mike | MIKE | pronounced mɑik |
| N | November | NO VEM BER | pronounced noˈvembə
(sic) |
| O | Oscar | OSS CAR | pronounced ˈɔskɑ |
| P | Papa | PAH PAH | pronounced pəˈpɑ |
| Q | Quebec | KEH BECK | pronounced keˈbek |
| R | Romeo | ROW ME OH | pronounced ˈroːmiˑo |
| S | Sierra | SEE AIR RAH (ICAO, ITU, IMO) SEE AIR AH (FAA) |
pronounced siˈerɑ |
| T | Tango | TANG GO | pronounced ˈtængo
(sic) |
| U | Uniform | YOU NEE FORM or OO NEE FORM |
pronounced ˈjuːnifɔːm
(sic) or |
| V | Victor | VIK TAH | pronounced ˈviktɑ |
| W | Whiskey | WISS KEY | pronounced ˈwiski |
| X | X-ray or Xray |
ECKS RAY (ICAO, ITU) ECKS RAY (IMO, FAA) |
pronounced ˈeksˈrei |
| Y | Yankee | YANG KEY | pronounced ˈjænki
(sic) |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO LOO | pronounced ˈzuːluː |
| 0 | Zero (FAA) Nadazero (ITU, IMO) |
ZE RO (ICAO, FAA) NAH-DAH-ZAY-ROH (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 1 | One (FAA) Unaone (ITU, IMO) |
WUN (ICAO, FAA) OO-NAH-WUN (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 2 | Two (FAA) Bissotwo (ITU, IMO) |
TOO (ICAO, FAA) BEES-SOH-TOO (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 3 | Three (FAA) Terrathree (ITU, IMO) |
TREE (ICAO, FAA) TAY-RAH-TREE (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 4 | Four (FAA) Kartefour (ITU, IMO) |
FOW ER (ICAO, FAA) KAR-TAY-FOWER (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 5 | Five (FAA) Pantafive (ITU, IMO) |
FIFE (ICAO, FAA) PAN-TAH-FIVE (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 6 | Six (FAA) Soxisix (ITU, IMO) |
SIX (ICAO, FAA) SOK-SEE-SIX (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 7 | Seven (FAA) Setteseven (ITU, IMO) |
SEV EN (ICAO, FAA) SAY-TAY-SEVEN (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 8 | Eight (FAA) Oktoeight (ITU, IMO) |
AIT (ICAO, FAA) OK-TOH-AIT (ITU, IMO) |
— |
| 9 | Nine (FAA) Novenine (ITU, IMO) No 'r' in spellings |
NIN ER (ICAO, FAA) NO-VAY-NINER (ITU, IMO) |
— |
Uses in Halo[]
- Pelican dropships are identified by a serial number consisting of one letter from the Phonetic Alphabet and three numbers. Examples: Echo 419, Victor 933, Bravo 022, Kilo 023 (Pelican).
- The Halos are identified by Phonetic letters. Examples: Alpha Halo, Delta Halo.
- Bumblebee lifepods have serial numbers using three letters from the Phonetic alphabet.
- Marines use them in place of abbreviations in the field for weapons, vehicles, units, enemies and sometimes common sayings.
- A nickname for Brutes on the field is "Baby Kong." Marines often say "Bravo-Kilo" instead, usually in interviews or testimonials.
- The saying "Echo-Tango" meaning ET (Extraterrasterial), is often used to describe Elites.
- Dutch uses "Oscar-Mike," meaning "on the move." Also he is often heard using "Mike-Foxtrot" as self-imposed censorship for "mother fucker." in Halo 3: ODST
- Spartans have used "Sierra" as part of their codename.
- John-117 is often referred to as Sierra-117 in Halo 3.
- Carter-A259 refers to himself as "Sierra-259" and Kat-B320 refers to herself as "Sierra-320" in the Halo: Reach announcement trailer.
- Dr. Catherine Halsey used the Phonetic alphabet to construct an alias matching her initials ("Charlie Hotel") in the epilogue of Halo: Contact Harvest.