Bravo — NATO Phonetic Alphabet for B

Shouted in a concert hall, Bravo is applause; keyed over a radio, the identical word — pronounced "BRAH-voh" — spells the letter B. It's one of the few phonetic-alphabet words that crossed over into everyday English on its own, independent of its radio role.

Usage Notes

Bravo is used to spell any word or callsign containing the letter B, and shows up constantly in real aviation and military callsigns — a "Bravo Zulu" signal flag hoist or radio phrase, for instance, is naval and military shorthand for "well done," borrowing directly from the phonetic alphabet's B and Z.

Related Letters

• Delta (D) and Bravo (B) are sometimes mixed up by new learners simply because both start with a hard consonant, though the words themselves sound nothing alike once spoken.
• Victor (V) is the other NATO word most often confused with Bravo in noisy radio conditions, since both begin with a similar plosive/fricative sound.