Do you know the nato phonetic thread and do you use it?

[Nailest]

Just wondering - I had to learn it for work but don’t use it often, and there are a couple of letters that always get me.

Yankee Echo Sierra.

It’s used all the time in aviation, unsurprisingly.

I said “my surname is Wren, which is spelt whiskey Romeo echo november” but I still think if you work in a call centre that someone firing off 4 letters (with a bit of warning) should be doable.
(not my real name obvs)

That was to @CoalTit

I use it daily at work therefore know it off by heart.

No, I don't use it. I have an S and a F in my postcode, so I use sugar and freddie :)

Yes. Had to learn it years ago when I had a job that involved speaking to police.
Now I find it funny when others try to use it but just come up with random words, like “the address is 85 Mossfield - that’s M for mother, O for orange, S for spatula….”

@Benedictcucumber

I said “my surname is Wren, which is spelt whiskey Romeo echo november” but I still think if you work in a call centre that someone firing off 4 letters (with a bit of warning) should be doable. (not my real name obvs)

Should be I can translate drunken scouser standing next to a speaker in a nightclub ambulance service

Yes I do use a form of it on occasion. Have a mental block for N though. Every single time I say N for nuts

Yep I use it at work on a regular basis.
First used it 30 years ago ( air travel). I always find it bemusing when someone uses it and sounds all smug, then when I do it back they sound deflated as if they bought they had invented it or something.

Yes although I was once reading my registration number on the phone and absent-mindedly reeled off wankey for W which was a bit embarrassing.

I learnt it at brownies years ago and still remember it

Our surname is not English (and not even common in the country it is from!) so I always need to spell it. However it begins with two of the “name” letters so if I start saying “Mike Oscar…”* when spelling my son’s surname they think I am giving them his middle names…
*not the actual first two letters of our surname

Sorry for random bolding there!

Yes, yes, and this is a fabulous response

I learned it for a job (car number plates) and use it now sometimes to clarify things.

It's great. The amount of people who say, 'B for Bob' and I think lob, cob, dob, fob, knob, you plonker. B for Bravo is never mistaken.

And this. MoD for 20 years, Brownies/Guides /Scout /Outdoor ed leader for 30 years.
Use it all the time. Often met with bafflement 👀

Lots of words could be a C or an S, or some other letters, 'ch' starts with c, always.

If it was 'C for cake' then it could be heard as 'wake' or 'sake'. The words chosen are words that are not easy to mishear.

Used to work at the DVLA so had to use them for reg plates.

I still use them now but so surprise how many people including call centres have no idea what you are talking about

"Yes my post code is Echo, Charlie forty four"
"Sorry what?"
"E for echo"
"Right so E for elephant"
"Err, yes, C for Charlie"
"B?"
"No C! For Charlie"
"D?"

I use it at work, there used to be a couple where I’d go completely blank but one day it clicks.
Taking down info over the phone and the lady was from Spain, she said E for Yankee but I understood it was her Spanish pronunciation. Took me a moment though.

Another one who used it all the time at work, so can remember it all.

I know it and use it if I need to spell something out.

Incidentally, a few people have mentioned that they use M for Mother. IIRC, that was the standard RAF version during WW2, so it could be that you've picked that up somewhere.

I used to work in the motor trade and it got ised a lot. I know it but found it confusing and much rather the just used the proper letter

I know it. When I was a teenager I had a weekend job in the local shop that was also a car mechanic's garage and we had to take calls from breakdown companies that used the phonetic alphabet for spelling out everything.

I still use it. I have a bit of a tricky name to hear over the phone, so I always spell it out phonetically. Postcode as well, because of the S/F issue.

@bruffin

I used to work in the motor trade and it got ised a lot. I know it but found it confusing and much rather the just used the proper letter

But B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V all rhyme! So using the actual letters does not help!

Use it a bit but always forget U

End up saying u for umbrella which then makes me say inside my head Ella Ella Ella which then distracts me from spelling the rest