A few years ago, I memorized the NATO phonetic alphabet so I could be more clear on the phone and over long distances. It’s been extremely useful at my current job where I field many support calls from users on spotty connections. I’m gradually compiling a list of alternatives to NATO words that people use when they don’t know the NATO alphabet. I’m not entirely sure why I’m doing this except that I’m fascinated by regional/cultural colloquialisms.

NATO phonetic alphabet “Alternative phonetic alphabet”
Alpha Apple
Bravo Boy
Charlie  
Delta Dog, David
Echo  
Foxtrot Frank
Golf George
Hotel  
India  
Juliett John
Kilo  
Lima  
Mike Michael
November Nancy
Oscar  
Papa  
Quebec  
Romeo  
Sierra Smith
Tango  
Uniform  
Victor  
Whiskey  
Xray  
Yankee Yoyo
Zulu  

Perhaps some of these alternatives are from other codified phonetic alphabets, but they seem pretty off-the-wall to me. I’ll try to update this table when I hear new ones.