Find solution
What is called a hyperlink?

What is it called when police (etc) associate each letter with a word (A for Alpha, etc)?

  • I have always wondered what it's called when a police officer reads a tag # over their radio to check it. I believe the same method is used by customer service / tech support people. So, what is that "language" called? I try to associate a letter with whatever word that comes to mind so the person I'm talking to knows exactly which letter I'm saying, like when I'm giving them my email address for example. Like A for Apple (or Alpha), B for Boy (or Bravo), etc. but it would be especially helpful to know the same language/code (whatever it's called) that they know so we can be on the same page. It has a lot to do with my hearing loss which is why I'm asking. I assume this (code?) is a standard that's used worldwide (police, tech support, etc) so what's it called and can you please provide me a link to get a copy of this for myself? If no link, no biggie, knowing what it's called will allow me to google it and find it for myself. :) Thank you!

  • Answer:

    It's not universal, and as far as I know its referred to as an "Alpha-Numeric Code". Here's what we used to help the dispatchers understand spellings of names, license plate numbers, etc.; A - Adam B- Boy C-Charlie D-David E-Edward F-Frank G-George H-Henry I-Ida J-John K-King L-Lincoln M-Mary N-Nora O-Ocean P-Paul Q-Queen R-Robert S-Stanley T-Tom U-Union V-Victor W-William X-XRay Y-Young Z-Zebra Hope this helps you my friend.

Larry at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

Using a word that starts with the letter is called the phonetic alphabet. It's widely used in military and paramilitary organizations such as law enforcement to minimize confusion over poorly-received transmissions. There are multiple phonetic alphabets. Here's a listing of the one most likely to be used in the US: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/a/alphabet.htm

S.K.

That's the phonetic alphabet

Excuse Me

It's called the Phonetic Alphabet. Best bet is to Google it.

Claire

What you are referring to is called the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) code or the International Communication Alphabet (ICA). We call it a spelling alphabet. Used by the military and in aviation worldwide. Believing that all police use the same is incorrect. both the largest and second largest department do not use the alphabet because they felt it sounded to military to the public. Apple, boy, delta and zebra are used as an example instead of Alpha, bravo, David, Zulu

Les S

Phonetic alphabet. There is a very widely adopted set used worldwide in aviation, by amateur radio operators, and by NATO military forces. That one is largely based on the WW2 US Navy phonetic alphabet. More commonly used in US law enforcement is a different set based largely on the WW2 US Army phonetic alphabet.

Neil

It is called the PHONETIC ALPHABET. Not all departments use the same words though. Ours starts with Adam, Boy, Charles, David, Edward...

silvercharm516

You mean like when they say, "T as in tsunami" or "P" as in pneumonia" ? The phonetic alphabet.

Yo!

BadWolf63

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.