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Comment by throw0101c | Hacker News Reader

For more on 'pronunciation' see:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

IMHO it's very useful for IT/computer people to have this memorized as it is fairly common to have to spell something out to someone orally (over phone, video call, in office).

Even day-to-day life: to spell your personal name or street name.

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I don't know if it is just me, but it seems like english speakers have to spell out stuff a lot more than other languages (or at least my native language). I have never heard anyone having to spell out anything in f.ex a podcast in my native language, but it happens quite regular in english speaking shows. Is english more prone to have muted sounds/letters?

Yes, yes it is. My understanding is that it used to be spoken in a way closer to the written form, but it has drifted. And then there are all the loan words that retain at least some of their original pronunciation.

Here's a fun clip about it, focusing on British place names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNzqgU7na4

In my experience, normal people are quite confused by this. I've heard "Is that Juliette with a J?" and facepalmed.

In my experience people understand perfectly well but assume that you are ex-military.

> In my experience people understand perfectly well but assume that you are ex-military.

When I use phonetic alphabet on the phone, I preface it by saying, "Let me spell it in 'airline pilot': ...." (But yes, I learned it in the Navy.)

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