# Alphabet words, or word-alphabets

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 30, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782 "2003-07-30T00:23:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782/1 "2003-07-30T00:23:08Z")

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I’m curious about alphabet words, you know, the names of letters that people have come up with in special work contexts. I know that one such begins _Abel, Baker_ and another one begins with _Alpha, Bravo_ I’m pretty sure that the name Charlie in the old Checkpoint Charlie was the third letter in one of these two, but I’m not sure which one.

From what I’ve seen of the TV show JAG, the Judge Advocate General offices always seem to have “Zulu” in their names; I know this is “Z” but again, I don’t know which alphabet it belongs to.

So…where do these two different word-alphabets come from, and can anyone provide a complete list for each one?

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782/2 "2003-07-30T00:49:53Z")

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The [ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) code](http://www.ee.pdx.edu/~sheaj/icao.html) is the most commonly used and is the one that begins “Alpha, Bravo, Charlie.” It also has Zulu for Z. The ICAO is part of the UN.

Before the ICAO version, the US military used the “Able Baker” alphabet, which is listed as the second example on [this page](http://www.ee.pdx.edu/~sheaj/icao.html), which also has some even earlier ones.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782/3 "2003-07-30T01:24:44Z")

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The “Zulu” in JAG refers to the time given, and indicates it is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

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**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-words-or-word-alphabets/191782/4 "2003-07-30T01:43:09Z")

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I think you’ll like [this page](http://www.columbia.edu/~fuat/cuarc/phonetic.html). It has the two you asked about and many, many more, with dates of use. Both use Charlie; the second has been in use since about 1955.

Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George How Item Jig King  
Love Mike Nan Oboe Peter Queen Roger Sugar Tare Uncle Victor  
William X-ray Yoke Zebra

Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India  
Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo  
Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu