# The phonetic Spanish alphabet



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I'm learning the Spanish alphabet, and using a great source here: BBC - Languages - Spanish - A Guide to Spanish - The Spanish alphabet

My question is if there a phonetic Spanish alphabet. What I mean is that each letter has a word attached to it. When I ask people to spell something for me, they are using words for each letter. Because my Spanish isn't very good, I don't know the words used, so you can imagine the confusion.  So it occurred to me that there might be such a thing as a Spanish phonetic alphabet. 

We have one in Canada based on an army code. It's getting used less and less, but it's still used by many people. So here's our phonetic alphabet, so you know what I'm talking about:









So does anyone know if is there an equivalent in Spain? Thank you.


----------



## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

Try this:

Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation

Google is your friend... ;0)


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> I'm learning the Spanish alphabet, and using a great source here: BBC - Languages - Spanish - A Guide to Spanish - The Spanish alphabet
> 
> My question is if there a phonetic Spanish alphabet. What I mean is that each letter has a word attached to it. When I ask people to spell something for me, they are using words for each letter. Because my Spanish isn't very good, I don't know the words used, so you can imagine the confusion.  So it occurred to me that there might be such a thing as a Spanish phonetic alphabet.
> 
> ...


AFAIK there isn't an official one and most people use something like this (from a call centre) which is a mix of place names and every day words


A de Andalucía
B de Barcelona
C de Cádiz
D de Dinamarca o dedo
F de Francia
G de Grecia o Granada
H de Huelva
I de Italia
J de Jerusalén
K de Kilo
L de León
M de Madrid
N de Navarra
O de Oviedo
P de Pamplona
Q de Queso
R de Rioja
S de Sevilla
T de Tarragona
U de Ulises
V de Valencia
W (simplemente doble v) o de Washington
X de Xilófono
Y ( i griega) 
Z (zeta) de zoológico


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Dunpleecin said:


> Try this:
> 
> Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
> 
> Google is your friend... ;0)


 Hi Dunpleecin. Yes, at this point, Google and I are besties. 

That's so very helpful. I don't have that English analogy in the BBC link. I like that. Thank you.


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> AFAIK there isn't an official one and most people use something like this (from a call centre) which is a mix of place names and every day words
> 
> 
> A de Andalucía
> ...


 Hi Pesky Wesky. Thank you so very much for that. That's so very helpful. 

You can probably see when I don't know a word and then ask a person to spell it, then they throw me these other words.... Well, my head is just a-spinning!!  So thank you for once again helping out. 

I wonder if I'm coming off as a damsel in distress?


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Dunpleecin said:


> Try this:
> 
> Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
> 
> Google is your friend... ;0)


Don't think that's quite what AllHeart is after.

The alphabet you quote Allheart _should be_ international - it is the The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It is used by air and sea traffic control and police and armed services all over the world.

It is abused even in English with many variations so it doesn't surprise me at all that people in Spain don't use it properly. I used to use it daily as a Yachtie but I doubt even I would be fluent in it nowadays.

I have no idea if there is an official Spanish version but I would doubt it and, if there is one, I'm pretty sure the Spanish would be at least as likely to abuse it as the English.


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> AFAIK there isn't an official one and most people use something like this (from a call centre) which is a mix of place names and every day words
> 
> 
> A de Andalucía
> ...


Ah! Yes!! :doh: I have come across bits of that - I had no idea there was a proper list - very useful.


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

jimenato said:


> Don't think that's quite what AllHeart is after.
> 
> The alphabet you quote Allheart _should be_ international - it is the The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It is used by air and sea traffic control and police and armed services all over the world.
> 
> ...


Hi Jimenato. What Dunpleecin posted wasn't what I asked for, but it is extremely helpful nonetheless. Sometimes miscommunication can result in something good. 

I just looked up what you call the "NATO Phonetic Alphabet" and see that's what I posted. I didn't know that other countries use this too, and I didn't know that was the name for it. I thought it was just the States and Canada. Again, you guys open my eyes to a bigger world. 

So you're a Yachtie? As in yacht?


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Hi Jimenato. What Dunpleecin posted wasn't what I asked for, but it is extremely helpful nonetheless. Sometimes miscommunication can result in something good.
> 
> I just looked up what you call the "NATO Phonetic Alphabet" and see that's what I posted. I didn't know that other countries use this too, and I didn't know that was the name for it. I thought it was just the States and Canada. Again, you guys open my eyes to a bigger world.
> 
> So you're a Yachtie? As in yacht?


Was a Yachtie - it's how we ended up in Spain - we were just going from place to place with no plan and ended up there - that was in 2000. No longer a yachtie - been there done that - don't miss it.


----------



## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Hi Pesky Wesky. Thank you so very much for that. That's so very helpful.
> 
> You can probably see when I don't know a word and then ask a person to spell it, then they throw me these other words.... Well, my head is just a-spinning!!  So thank you for once again helping out.
> 
> I wonder if I'm coming off as a damsel in distress?


AllHeart, your writing style reminds me of Helene Hanff. This is a MASSIVE compliment. My wife is a writer. She's good but she ain't like HH.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

jimenato said:


> Don't think that's quite what AllHeart is after.
> 
> The alphabet you quote Allheart _should be_ international - it is the The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It is used by air and sea traffic control and police and armed services all over the world.
> 
> ...


A few weeks ago I heard a National police officer speaking on his radio in the street to check the personal ID details of someone he'd detained, and I was surprised to hear him using the NATO phonetic alphabet in English, eg November rather than Noviembre. I hadn't realised it was used even within a foreign country as I'd assumed it might just be used in English if working on an international basis.

AllHeart, my Spanish teacher taught us to how to say all the letters of the Spanish alphabet as per the list Dunpleecin posted and I still find that the easiest way to spell words out loud for people (I always have to do it for Spanish people when telling them my name, for example, which they pronounce Leeeen). For me at any rate, that's easier than trying to remember which word is associated with each letter of a phonetic alphabet.


----------



## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> AFAIK there isn't an official one and most people use something like this (from a call centre) which is a mix of place names and every day words
> 
> 
> A de Andalucía
> ...


What happened to E de España?


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Helenameva said:


> AllHeart, your writing style reminds me of Helene Hanff. This is a MASSIVE compliment. My wife is a writer. She's good but she ain't like HH.


 Hi Helenameva. I looked up Helene Hanff, and I am not familiar with her work. When someone compliments me, I have one of two approaches: Deny the compliment if it is undeserved, or graciously accept a deserved compliment. Since I don't know Helene Hanff's work, I cannot effectively argue with your compliment. So I can only blindly believe you when you say it's a huge compliment, and thank you graciously for your compliment. So, thank you. 

My writing style here is a result of three things going through my mind as I write:
1. How can I be the least offensive?
2. How can I help others?
3. How can I extract the maximum information, so that I can live in Spain?

This is all done in the midst of me feeling really, really uncomfortable on the forum, which may also come through in my writing. I think of the forum as a social place, and socially I always take my cues from body language, how a person looks and their tone - none of these being on the forum. But I persist even though I'm uncomfortable because I need to do #3. 

I hope you're okay with me asking... What kind of writing does your wife do?


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

anles said:


> What happened to E de España?


Oh - well spotted...


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

anles said:


> What happened to E de España?


 Hi Anles. You're much more astute than I am, as I totally missed that. This is for you


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> A few weeks ago I heard a National police officer speaking on his radio in the street to check the personal ID details of someone he'd detained, and I was surprised to hear him using the NATO phonetic alphabet in English, eg November rather than Noviembre. I hadn't realised it was used even within a foreign country as I'd assumed it might just be used in English if working on an international basis.


Hi Lynn. That gives me hope in surviving Spain if some people use it. Yay! That's what I call a transferrable skill. 



Lynn R said:


> AllHeart, my Spanish teacher taught us to how to say all the letters of the Spanish alphabet as per the list Dunpleecin posted and I still find that the easiest way to spell words out loud for people (I always have to do it for Spanish people when telling them my name, for example, which they pronounce Leeeen). For me at any rate, that's easier than trying to remember which word is associated with each letter of a phonetic alphabet.


I'm going to call you Leeeeen from now on. OMG that's hilarious! Spelled like that, I can just hear the Spaniards saying it. 

I didn't explain well enough what I mean... I'm learning the alphabet, but there are times when a person doesn't know what I'm saying or when I don't know what they're saying. So I ask them - or they ask me - to spell it out. When this happens, sometimes they use a word associated with the letter, and then I get even more confused. So I want to know the words associated with the alphabet so that I can spell and others can spell. 

This hasn't been too much of a problem until now because I have a pad and paper with me. But when I'm on the phone, it's very much a problem. 

Do you understand what I mean now? :fingerscrossed:


----------



## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Hi Helenameva. I looked up Helene Hanff, and I am not familiar with her work. When someone compliments me, I have one of two approaches: Deny the compliment if it is undeserved, or graciously accept a deserved compliment. Since I don't know Helene Hanff's work, I cannot effectively argue with your compliment. So I can only blindly believe you when you say it's a huge compliment, and thank you graciously for your compliment. So, thank you.
> 
> My writing style here is a result of three things going through my mind as I write:
> 1. How can I be the least offensive?
> ...


Helene Hanff is so funny, you must try and read some of her work, it's ace. In the meantime, you will have to accept the compliment!

My wife writes fanfiction mostly, usually to order.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jimenato said:


> Ah! Yes!! :doh: I have come across bits of that - I had no idea there was a proper list - very useful.


I don't think there is a "proper" list, but I remember that in the call centre that I worked in they had an alphabet that all agents had to adhere to and it was similar to the one I posted.
And I've certainly heard Spanish people say D de dedo y K de kilo in everyday conversations


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

watch La Rueda de la Suerte on Antena 3 at lunchtime - every contestant seems to use a different 'phonetic alphabet' & yet everyone knows which letter they mean

I really doubt it matters which words you use, & as Pesky says, I don't think that there's an 'official' Spanish version

wiki gives this Appendix:Spanish phonetic alphabet - Wiktionary


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

anles said:


> What happened to E de España?


Also, do they not do ñ and ll (or is that just two l's)?


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> watch La Rueda de la Suerte on Antena 3 at lunchtime - every contestant seems to use a different 'phonetic alphabet' & yet everyone knows which letter they mean
> 
> I really doubt it matters which words you use, & as Pesky says, I don't think that there's an 'official' Spanish version
> 
> wiki gives this Appendix:Spanish phonetic alphabet - Wiktionary


That's where I've come across it! I remember now.:doh:

By the way I find some quiz programs quite useful for learning Spanish. They speak clearly and often repeat the questions. Millionaire is the best because the questions and answers are also written down.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jimenato said:


> That's where I've come across it! I remember now.:doh:
> 
> By the way I find some quiz programs quite useful for learning Spanish. They speak clearly and often repeat the questions. Millionaire is the best because the questions and answers are also written down.


I have learned TONS of Spanish from gameshows - & the millionaire one is great, as you say

once you can understand the questions in the final round of Pasapalabra - the roscón - then you know you can speak Spanish!!!


& if you actually know some of the answers.....


----------



## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

Leeeneen - very good. You should hear what the Spanish do with my friend's name - Beverley!!


----------



## goingtobcn (Sep 9, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I have learned TONS of Spanish from gameshows - & the millionaire one is great, as you say
> 
> once you can understand the questions in the final round of Pasapalabra - the roscón - then you know you can speak Spanish!!!
> 
> ...


Yesss! I remember putting Pasapalabra on the TV when we first moved here and finding that he spoke so fast - now I can catch most of it  Even at the beginning it was good for listening and hubby learnt the alphabet from it as a complete beginner!


----------



## Brangus (May 1, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> there are times when a person doesn't know what I'm saying or when I don't know what they're saying. So I ask them - or they ask me - to spell it out.


This happens to me with English people.


----------



## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

Brangus said:


> This happens to me with English people.


 'England and America are two countries divided by a common language'


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Relyat said:


> 'England and America are two countries divided by a common language'


 Why does everyone always forget about Canada? It's a really big country, you know?


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Helenameva said:


> Helene Hanff is so funny, you must try and read some of her work, it's ace. In the meantime, you will have to accept the compliment!


 Again, thank you. 



Helenameva said:


> My wife writes fanfiction mostly, usually to order.


 To order, as in she gets paid? She must be very good to be paid for writing in these days. My hat goes off to her.


----------



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> AFAIK there isn't an official one and most people use something like this (from a call centre) which is a mix of place names and every day words
> 
> 
> A de Andalucía
> ...


 I just noticed... What happened to the Y, as in - Yikes, that makes two!?


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Helenameva said:


> Helene Hanff is so funny, you must try and read some of her work, it's ace. In the meantime, you will have to accept the compliment!



"84 Charing Cross Road" - one of my favourite books and also a very good film starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft.


----------

