Echo
NATO Phonetic Alphabet — Letter E
In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter E is represented by the code word Echo. Pronounced ECK-oh, it takes its name from the phenomenon of sound bouncing back from a surface, and ultimately from a figure in Greek mythology.
Quick Facts
Why Echo for the Letter E?
The word Echo has its roots in Greek mythology. Echo was a mountain nymph who was cursed by the goddess Hera to only be able to repeat the last words spoken to her. This myth gave us the English word "echo," meaning a reflected sound. The word was chosen for the NATO phonetic alphabet because its two syllables are crisp and clear, and the hard "ck" sound in the middle makes it impossible to confuse with other code words, even over degraded radio connections.
The letter E is the most commonly used letter in the English language, appearing in roughly 13 percent of all words. This made finding the right phonetic code word for it especially important. During World War II, the letter E was represented by "Easy" in the Joint Army/Navy alphabet. While "Easy" worked adequately, the word "Echo" tested better with international speakers during the ICAO evaluation program because its vowel-consonant-vowel pattern is naturally clear in most of the world's major languages.
In modern aviation, Echo is heard constantly in communications. Many airports designate taxiways with the letter E, so pilots regularly receive instructions like "Taxi to runway via Echo." In the maritime world, the Echo signal flag is divided into two horizontal halves - blue on top and red on the bottom - and when flown it means "I am altering my course to starboard." The word also appears in medical and scientific contexts: echocardiograms use sound echoes to create images of the heart, and echolocation is the method bats and dolphins use to navigate by sound.
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