Phonetic Alphabet

1. in linguistics it refers to a standardized set of symbols used in phonetic transcription.
2. any of various systems of code words for identifying letters in voice communication.

i.e. used often in telephons conversations to clearly identify: part numbers, strings of computer language code, Email addresses, etc. so as to not confuse similiar sounding letters or homonyms.

ex.: "... my Email address is IanC@123.com..."
ex. con't: could be misundertood as: ENC@123.com
ex. still con't: so to clarify, one could say: "... that's India Alpha November Charlie, at; numbers one, two, three, dot, Charlie Oscar Mike..."

There are numerous variations of Phonetic Alphabets. The official versions include:
English, American (ex-military), International, International (ex-aero), NATO & International Aviation, American (police), Italian and German.

Most comonly used is the NATO & International Aviation tabled here:

A - Alpha
B - Beta or Bravo
C - Charlie
D - Delta
E - Echo
F - Foxtrot
G - Golf
H - Hotel
I - India
J - Juliet
K - Kilo
L - Lima
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P - Papa
Q - Quebec
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whisky
X - X-ray
Y - Yankee
Z - Zulu

_{Thanks to NotFabio for the correction re fife.}

A: Alpha
B: Bravo
C: Charlie
D: Delta
E: Echo
F: Foxtrot
G: Golf
H: Hotel
I: India
J: Juliet
K: Kilo
L: Lima
M: Mike
N: November
O: Oscar
P: Papa
Q: Quebec
R: Romeo
S: Sierra
T: Tango
U: Uniform
V: Victor
W: Whiskey
X: Xray
Y: Yankee
Z: Zulu

The NATO Phonetic Alphabet dates back to 1955, and is appoved by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), the FAA and the ITU amongst others. Its been noted that the british police use I:"indigo" instead of "india". "Beta" is only used within a Indonesian phrasebook. Other versions of the examples used in other countries and/or previous versions in no specific order can include such words as:
Beta, Ultra, Volvo, Alfa, Coca, Metro, Nectar, Siera, Union, Whisky and Extra et al.

(src: updated oct. 2000 - Columbia.edu)

Æ - Ærlig ("Honest")
Ø - Østen ("The East")
Å - Åse (a name)