I had known of the phonetic alphabet when I lived in the USA of course, the military, police and aviation industry used them, we all saw it on TV and film. I had never before been asked to spell anything over the phone with this system, until I moved to the UK.

Every time I am prompted to attempt this, I fail miserably. "D for dog, A for Apple.. V for ... uhh, ummm... I'm sorry..." and I vow to learn this system before I have to do it again. But, I forget, until the next time and then I feel like an idiot all over again.

This video is a prank, but this is could be me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b290f4pWUbo

If you're in the same boat or just want to be ready when the time comes, here is the full NATO phonetic alphabet, also known as the NATO spelling alphabet:

Here is a useful converter tool:
http://www.toccionline.com/code/javascript/

Am I alone? Let us know in the comments!