phonetic alphabet

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of phonetic alphabet

1 : a set of symbols (such as the IPA) used for phonetic transcription

2 : any of various systems of identifying letters of the alphabet by means of code words in voice communication

Recent Examples of phonetic alphabet from the Web

Fun fact: Spirits are named following the military phonetic alphabet — Romeo Rum, Victor Vodka, Golf Gin and more.

— sarah bahr, Indianapolis Star, "Ultimate Indiana bucket list: 50+ things to do in Indianapolis and around the state," 11 July 2018
However, in the Atlantic Basin the practice of naming tropical cyclones did not begin until 1950 when the previously anonymous storms were named using a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie, etc.).

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: When did weather experts begin naming tropical storms?," 5 June 2018
Storms were originally identified through a phonetic alphabet, like Adam, Baker, Charlie, and the same names were used for each hurricane season.

— cydney henderson, USA TODAY, "How do hurricanes get their names?," 7 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phonetic alphabet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.