#WordNerdWednesday
If you have a unique or frequently misspelled name, you’re probably an expert “spelling alphabet” user. To avoid getting an extra H or EA added to my name I use some variation of the following – “M as in Mary, E as in Elizabeth, G as in Girl, A as in Apple, N as in Nancy.”
I never gave much thought much to which words I use in this exercise. It’s usually whatever comes to mind. There is, however, an “official” spelling alphabet – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, etc.
After living with a military veteran for 5+ years I know more of those mappings than I used to, but some still make no sense.
“Lima” for L? Wouldn’t “love” be a more recognized option?
“Zulu” for Z? What’s wrong with our good friend the zebra?
Most of the time it doesn’t matter. Unless you’re in a high stakes, standardized domain like aviation or the military, all that matters is what makes sense to the person you’re talking with.
That said, I am curious about the words other people use to spell things out, especially if English isn’t your first language.
What are your go-to spelling alphabet entries?
