When you hear airline pilots talk, they seem to speak in code.

But the code has a specific purpose.

The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet assigns a specific word to each letter of the English alphabet. Each word and number has a pronunciation that is distinct from the other words in order to avoid confusion when used by airline pilots. The system that was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization used the following words:

A – Alfa
B – Bravo
C – Charlie
D – Delta
E – Echo
F – Foxtrot
G – Golf
H – Hotel
I – India
J – Juliett
K – Kilo
L – Lima
M – Mike
N – November
O – Oscar
P – Papa
Q – Quebec
R – Romeo
S – Sierra
T – Tango
U – Uniform
V – Victor
W – Whiskey
X – Xray
Y – Yankee
Z – Zulu
1 – One
2 – Two
3 – Tree
4 – Flower
5 – Fife
6 – Six
7 – Seven
8 – Eight
9 – Niner

But what if the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet was used in the open water swimming community? This is our ideas of what words might be used:

A – Aqua
B – Butterfly
C – Crossing
D – Dolphin
E – Escort
F – Freestyle
G – Goggles
H – Hypothermia
I – Ironman
J – Jelly
K – Kilo
L – Landmark
M – Mile
N – Night
O – OTL
P – Pilot
Q – Quatro
R – Rough
S – Sighting
T – Turn
U – Ultra
V – Venom
W – Wave
X – Xifaxan
Y – Yacker
Z – Zinc
1 – Orca
2 – Twofer
3 – Tide
4 – Feeding
5 – Flag
6 – Swell
7 – Shark
8 – Eddy
9 – Neap

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