The reference desk — standardized codes, filed & searchableN° 2,372 entries · 11 collections ·
DirectoryCodes
The directory of the world’s codes

Front desk · NATO Phonetic Alphabet

ICAO spelling alphabet

Z Zulu

In the NATO/ICAO spelling alphabet, Z is spoken as “Zulu”. Its Morse code is −−··.

The code words were chosen so no two sound alike over bad radio — which is why pilots, sailors, and call-center agents all spell with the same 26 words, unchanged since 1956.