While the history above is valid for Germany and regulated by DIN (German Institute for Standardization), the Austrian spelling alphabet is regulated by ÖNORM, and Switzerland also has its own words.

You also have to pay attention to which German-speaking country the person at the other end of the line is from. Since the spelling tables in many phone books weren’t updated until the fall of the Berlin Wall, many Germans from older generations still (unknowingly) use words from the previously revised version. In 1948, after the fall of the Third Reich, many of the names were changed back, but some remained. Albert became Anton, David became Dora, Nathan became Nordpol, and the Jewish population became invisible. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the spelling alphabet was updated again and “cleansed” of Jewish names. Instead, words were introduced in 1903: Albert for A, Berta for B, Citrone for C. The name “Maier” would be spelled like this: 13, 1, 9, 5, 18. In 1890, the Berlin phone book included a spelling table for the first time that - surprise - replaced each letter with a number. Spelling tables have origins that date back to the beginning of telecommunication, when connectivity was poor and it was difficult to understand the person on the other line.

Let’s go into detail on who decides which words go with which letter, and what the spelling alphabet looks like in different languages. But for many, it leads to utter confusion. The spelling alphabet is designed to prevent misunderstandings and mistakes. But in some languages such as German, there is an established protocol: the spelling alphabet. It would be nice if everyone could come up with their own words for each letter. The person at the other end of the line asks you to spell your name. Here’s a familiar scenario: You’re on the phone and just want to reserve a table, but you can’t manage to get your name across.

Italian spelling alphabet