Military Alphabet · Letter V
V in the Military Alphabet: Victor
Code word, pronunciation, history, and how to use it when spelling out loud
In the military alphabet, the letter V is Victor, pronounced VIK-tah. Victor has stood for V since the US-UK Able Baker alphabet of 1943 and carried straight through into the NATO alphabet that replaced it in 1956.
ICAO's pronunciation guide renders the word as VIK-TAH, without the final r sound.
Why "Victor"?
Victor is the Latin word for winner or conqueror, and it survives as a given name in English, French, and Spanish — exactly what ICAO's researchers wanted: a short word, familiar on three continents, unlikely to be confused with any other code word. Unlike most of the alphabet, Victor never needed replacing. It appeared in the 1943 Able Baker alphabet, was kept in ICAO's 1951 draft, and passed the final round of testing unchanged, giving it an unbroken service record stretching back to the Second World War.
V Across Spelling Alphabets
| Alphabet | Word for V |
|---|---|
| NATO/ICAO | Victor |
| LAPD | Victor |
| Western Union | Victor |
| German (Classic) | Viktor |
| German (DIN 5009:2022) | Völklingen |
| French | Victor |
| Spanish | Valencia |
| Italian | Venezia |
| Able Baker (WWII, historical) | Victor |
| RAF 1924 (historical) | Vic |
British WWI signalese already used Vic for V, and the RAF kept Vic in its 1924 alphabet. The US Joint Army/Navy alphabet of 1941 used Victor, the combined US-UK Able Baker alphabet of 1943 adopted it, and it has held ever since.
Victor in the Field
Victor is built into the structure of US airspace: the low-altitude airways that run between VOR radio beacons are called Victor airways and carry V-numbers such as V1. Military aircrews also use Victor as shorthand for the VHF radio — 'go Victor' — the counterpart to Uniform for UHF. During the Cold War, NATO assigned Victor as the reporting name for a class of Soviet nuclear attack submarines. And on any phone line, Victor still does the plain work of pinning down a V in a name or serial number.
"V as in Victor" on the Phone
My surname is Vance: V as in Victor, A as in Alpha, N as in November, C as in Charlie, E as in Echo.
More on spelling out names and codes call-side in the phone spelling guide, and every letter's "as in" word is on the letters-as-words page. To convert whole words instantly, use the free military alphabet translator.
ONE TO REMEMBER
The V-shaped 'vic formation' flown by aircraft takes its name from Vic, the RAF's old phonetic word for V — a code word that left the alphabet in 1943 but lives on in the formation's name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is V in the military alphabet?
V is Victor in the NATO phonetic alphabet, the international spelling alphabet used in military, aviation, and marine radio communication.
How do you pronounce Victor?
ICAO respells it VIK-TAH, with the stress on the first syllable and no final r sound. The everyday English pronunciation VIK-ter is universally understood.
What came before Victor?
Vic — used in British WWI signalese and kept in the RAF's 1924 alphabet. The US-UK Able Baker alphabet of 1943 adopted Victor, already in use in the 1941 US Joint Army/Navy alphabet, and it has not changed since.
What are Victor airways?
US low-altitude air routes defined by VOR radio beacons, used below 18,000 feet. They are designated V plus a number, and the V is spoken as Victor — hence the name.
Every Letter A–Z
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