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Published On: 5th Aug 2026 08:00
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?
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To discover more about the phonetic alphabet, read these articles next:
Reviewed by: Hannah Swankie
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