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3rd June 2022
In contact centres we get used to using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
This was originally designed for radio operators both in the military and in air traffic control.
It is based on English words, which is fine if you are dealing with English speakers but is not so good in a French or a multilingual contact centre.
In other countries, including France, however, there is no “standard” phonetic alphabet. Instead, French contact centres often use names that are appropriate for their customer base.
For example, a French contact centre could use the following names as a phonetic alphabet when dealing with customers.
| Letter | Word |
|---|---|
| A | Alain |
| B | Bernard |
| C | Céleste |
| D | Didier |
| E | Émile |
| F | François |
| G | Gaston |
| H | Henri |
| I | Isabelle |
| J | Jean |
| K | Kylian |
| L | Louis |
| M | Michel |
| N | Nicolas |
| O | Olivier |
| P | Pierre |
| Q | Quentin |
| R | René |
| S | Stéphane |
| T | Thierry |
| U | Ursule |
| V | Valérie |
| W | William |
| X | Xavier |
| Y | Yvonne |
| Z | Zoé |
Do you want to download this to share with your team?
Get your free download of the French Phonetic Alphabet now:
Download Free French Phonetic Alphabet in Editable Word Format
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To discover more about the phonetic alphabet, read these articles next:
Jonty Pearce walked into his first call centre in 1989 and has been hooked ever since. He founded Call Centre Helper in 1989.
He is an Engineering Graduate with a background in marketing and publishing. In 2020 he won the AOP Digital Publishing Award for The Best Use of Data.
He writes and speaks on a wide variety of subjects - particularly around forecasting and scheduling. His in depth knowledge of forecasting algorithms has earned him the nickname "Mr Erlang."
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Read more by Jonty PearceReviewed by: Hannah Swankie
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24th September 2025
From Insight to Impact: The Next Era of CX and AI Leadership – Webinar
