Phonetic Alphabet History Pack

A phonetic alphabet history pack for ages 9+: a timeline from 1921 to 1956, the ITU city alphabets of 1927 and 1932, the RAF alphabet of 1921–42, Able Baker, the 1951 IATA alphabet, Nectar or November?, six alphabets side by side and a history quiz.

What’s inside:

- Start here (with adult notes)

- Timeline from 1921 to 1956

- The ITU city alphabets of 1927 and 1932

- The RAF alphabet of 1921–42 and Able Baker (1941)

- Nectar or November? IATA 1951 against today

- Six alphabets side by side

- Why use code words at all?

- History quiz

- Make your own alphabet

- Answer key

- Credits, licence & sources

Pages: 12 (including cover and credits). Sizes: A4 (210 × 297 mm) and US Letter (8.5 × 11 in), both PDFs included in one zip.

Who it’s for: Ages 9+ · history lessons, families and clubs.

Printing: Print at 100% / actual size on A4 or US Letter. Inside pages use light backgrounds and print well in black and white; covers are dark, so start from page 2 to save ink.

Where the alphabet comes from: the code words and their “spoken as” guides were copied from Appendix 14 of the ITU Radio Regulations; aviation numbers and number rules from the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP 413 radiotelephony manual, with the FAA’s list as a cross-check; numbers at sea from the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases; and history from NATO’s own history of the alphabet and Alistair Edwards’s study at the University of York. All checked on 31 October 2026, and listed on each pack’s credits page. Drawings, puzzles and layouts are REALLYBYTE’s own work. phonetics.languages.im and REALLYBYTE are independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by NATO, ICAO, the ITU, the IMO, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the FAA or any government body or armed force.

Licence: personal and single-classroom use. You may print as many copies as you need for your own family or your own class, and share it with your class through a password-protected platform. Please don’t resell, re-upload or share it publicly. For school-wide use, please email info@reallybyte.com.

Made by REALLYBYTE, the team behind phonetics.languages.im. Questions: info@reallybyte.com

This is a digital download: no physical item will be shipped.