#Phonetics

Phonetics in amateur radio means spelling letters with standard words such as Alfa, Bravo and Charlie so that a callsign can be understood on a noisy or weak channel. The ICAO alphabet is the most widely recognised and works well across languages. In contests, phonetics are used selectively, for example for the suffix of a call or when a repeat is requested. Non-standard words may confuse listeners from other countries. The articles under this tag explain when to use phonetics, which letters need extra care and how to confirm callsigns quickly without losing rate.