Communicate Passwords Verbally
Spell out one-time passwords or temporary credentials to colleagues over the phone.
Used by aviation, military, and international communication. Standard since 1956.
Spoken form
Hotel Echo Lima Lima Oscar (dash) Whiskey Oscar Romeo Lima Delta
Full NATO (ICAO) alphabet
💡 Use cases: clearly communicating confirmation codes over the phone, spelling out passwords in customer service, reading license plates over radio, pilot communications, and any voice channel where letter confusion (B vs D vs P) is costly.
Passwords tips
For initial setup credentials, spelling out the password using NATO avoids transcription errors.
For passwords with special characters, you'll need to also add "exclamation mark", "at sign", etc. by voice.
Better practice: use a password manager and share via a temporary secure link instead of voice.
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Also check out…
Spell Out Confirmation Codes on the Phone
Avoid letter confusion (B/D/P/T) when reading code
Read License Plates Clearly
Spelling out a license plate (e.g., for a witness
Aviation and Pilot Communication
NATO alphabet is the universal standard for aircra
Amateur Radio Communications
HAM radio operators use phonetic alphabets for cal