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NATO Military Alphabet

In the military, each letter is given a code. For example, B = Bravo. Do you know the codes for the other letters?
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: September 4, 2018
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First submittedDecember 17, 2012
Times taken411,818
Average score61.5%
Rating4.97
5:00
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 / 26 guessed
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Letter
Code
A
Alfa
B
Bravo
C
Charlie
D
Delta
E
Echo
F
Foxtrot
G
Golf
Letter
Code
H
Hotel
I
India
J
Juliet
K
Kilo
L
Lima
M
Mike
N
November
Letter
Code
O
Oscar
P
Papa
Q
Quebec
R
Romeo
S
Sierra
T
Tango
Letter
Code
U
Uniform
V
Victor
W
Whiskey
X
Xray
Y
Yankee
Z
Zulu
+6
Level 48
May 1, 2011
missed Quebec and Whiskey because I spelled them wrong
+9
Level 20
Jul 9, 2022
I only got "bravo" because it was in the quiz instructions!
+15
Level 20
Jun 9, 2011
been out of military for too long!!!
+4
Level 37
Nov 14, 2012
Been out of the Navy 21 years... but I also used the letters alot on my job.
+9
Level 65
Jan 9, 2020
I use the letters nearly everyday! Some less than others though, but I ve been known to use all 26 of them! Isnt that something :)
+16
Level 28
Jul 6, 2011
26/26: Thanks Dad!
+1
Level 31
Aug 25, 2021
same!
+7
Level 28
Sep 25, 2011
I only knew the first four because I worked as a mall cop and these represented the four sections of the mall. It was (and still is) all new to me.
+8
Level 33
Jan 10, 2020
epic
+22
Level 37
Oct 27, 2011
Did anyone else think of the Bloodhound Gang song Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo - THE most unsubtle song EVER!
+1
Level 67
Aug 1, 2012
Hell yeah!
+7
Level 76
Oct 4, 2018
Subtle as sierra hotel india tango.
+3
Level 66
Dec 17, 2018
Bloodhound Gang has never been subtle, that's for sure.
+3
Level 66
Nov 10, 2021
well, delta alfa mike november!
+1
Level 19
Nov 27, 2011
theLAYTshow, Yes I did! 4 of the few I got right XD
+1
Level 15
Mar 29, 2012
26/26 :)
+2
Level 16
May 8, 2012
I only got the handful I did because Atlanta airport used to rattle off where everyone's connecting flights were and say things like "the flight to dulles is at gate E-echo 4 or the flight to tuscon is at B-Bravo 15"
+1
Level 38
Apr 9, 2022
Except I is Indigo, not India, in flying
+1
Level 46
Nov 13, 2022
never heard indigo during my 30 plus airline years?
+2
Level 65
Nov 8, 2022
Out of all the places to randomly say a flight is going, Tucson . . .
+1
Level 14
May 9, 2012
haha nice one Charon
+1
Level 54
May 13, 2012
apparently (YOLO) is in correct for letter (Y)
+8
Level 80
Dec 22, 2018
And for a lot of other things as well
+3
Level 47
Aug 9, 2012
micheal should be accepted for M
+5
Level 71
Dec 22, 2018
it's spelled Michael
+17
Level 67
Dec 29, 2018
Why? It's Mike, not Michael.
+1
Level 29
Oct 27, 2021
damn near 3 years late but I think it's because almost all of the other ones are 2 syllables or more. Makes the flow better I guess
+4
Level 72
Sep 11, 2022
"Flow" is really not the point here. The letters are meant to be distinct enough that they can be recognized even with some amount of interference. Michael has the disadvantage of sounding more like Hotel, which is better avoided when feasible.
+5
Level 58
Jan 23, 2022
No, it is Mike, and not Michael. M would never be said as Michael
+12
Level 28
Sep 10, 2012
this might be picky but its alPHa not alfa
+2
Level 33
Oct 15, 2012
Yes it is.
+6
Level 44
Nov 21, 2012
No offence, but it IS alpha, as in the Greek letter, not Alfa, as in Alfa Romeo.
+5
Level 45
May 10, 2013
Are you sure it's not named after the Italian car manufacturer?
+7
Level 68
Jan 1, 2016
The phonetic letter is definitely spelled "Alfa" with an f. As mentioned above, this has roots in both the British and American military, but it is now codified as the "International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet." It is used by NATO, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), and ITU (International Telecommunication Union), and probably a lot of other organizations. Basically, anyone who needs to spell things out aloud in English.
+7
Level 65
Mar 4, 2018
This is just nitpicking. Since both are pronounced the same, the spelling doesn't really matter - it's not intended to be written so spelling is moot. Both forms of Whiskey/Whisky would work too.
+5
Level 52
Apr 19, 2021
According to Wikipedia it should be Alfa to avoid potential mispronunciation by non-English speakers. Similarly, the spelling should be "Juliett" with the double T to avoid mispronunciation by French speakers.
+4
Level 20
Oct 13, 2012
Thank you Bloodhound Gang.
+4
Level 37
Dec 17, 2012
Indeed
+2
Level 17
Dec 17, 2012
My IPS (Advanced 8th grade science) teacher makes us used these when answering multiple choice test questions. Thanks to all in the armed forces for your service!!
+3
Level 7
Dec 18, 2012
Great Quiz! Although, could you accept "Lemur" for "Lima". They sound exactly the same and that's how most people know them: from hearing not from sight. I was so sure it was lemur I only got it from trying loads of different 'mispellings'.
+14
Level 45
Sep 10, 2014
Well, it depends on where you're from. Where I live, lemur and Lima don't sound the same, as lemur has the 'er' sound and Lima has the 'uh' sound.
+16
Level 69
May 18, 2016
You're kidding, right?
+11
Level 69
Dec 16, 2016
I get what you're saying, being that I'm Aussie and we have a non-rhotic accent - we say them the same, too. But, those in NZ's South Island, Scotland, USA, etc, who have rhotic accents, the two are completely separate sounding words. So, while I STRONGLY disagree with your claim of 'most people' knowing them without knowing how to spell them, let's leave it in hopes that people might learn a thing or two from this site.
+4
Level 84
Jan 4, 2013
Blanked on Hotel.

I thought "I" was Indigo not India?

+5
Level 41
Jul 28, 2015
I believe I learned it "indigo", too. I don't know if only HAMs use that, or if people forget the correct one, so people started using "india" as well.
+2
Level 53
Feb 12, 2021
Hams use the ITU alphabet, which has India. Indigo might have been part of an earlier alphabet, e.g. one like Able, Baker, Charlie, David, Easy, etc. By the way, "ham" is not all caps when refering to licensed operators in the Radio Amateur Service. I see that error a lot.
+1
Level 35
Jan 5, 2013
all with 2.15 left!
+3
Level 70
Feb 17, 2013
Oh, Z isn't Zebra?
+3
Level 15
Apr 3, 2013
Learned this in the Army. Never forgot it.
+6
Level 16
Jan 17, 2017
learned this at IT Helpdesk, never forgot it... :D
+3
Level 28
Apr 24, 2013
You really should limit this quiz to one minute. And how did only 91% get Bravo?
+2
Level 75
Dec 16, 2016
Because 9% of us didn't read the directions. I only scored six and yet I got five points. I'm not complaining, just awed by the wonder of it.
+1
Level 63
Apr 4, 2022
@ander217, Oh my god, I got 14 and I got 1 star
+5
Level 54
Apr 6, 2020
After I hear Alpha, I want to sat Beta. When I finally got it, I said to myself: "Bravo!"
+4
Level 40
Jun 7, 2013
I always remember Romeo and Juliet together. lol
+2
Level 85
Nov 6, 2023
Well, I would HOPE so. Otherwise, it's just Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter.
+3
Level 36
Sep 10, 2013
Only got through echo, guess that's because it only goes to echo in COD
+1
Level 23
Sep 13, 2013
Reply to this with your remaining time

3:27

+1
Level 42
Dec 17, 2016
4:24, my best is three seconds faster...
+1
Level 60
Jun 4, 2017
4:09
+1
Level 40
Jun 6, 2017
4:30 oooo tf rah
+1
Level 88
Jun 14, 2018
4:31
+1
Level 42
Nov 8, 2020
4:29, 26/26
+1
Level 21
Nov 8, 2022
4:33
+1
Level 28
Oct 18, 2013
Got it first try, 4.03 is my best. Used to take 3 hour drives every couple weeks so we killed time by reading the number plates in phonetic. Weirdly enough I first learnt it from a wordsearch XD
+2
Level 11
Nov 20, 2013
It's 'Alpha' not 'Alfa'...
+1
Level 7
Dec 22, 2013
I just happened to see the instructions when the page opened.
+1
Level 56
Jan 17, 2014
100% with 4:10 remaining
+1
Level 57
Jan 22, 2014
Got 19 and I'm in the 54 percentile
+1
Level 82
Apr 2, 2014
26/26 with 4:09 left! XD
+4
Level 39
Apr 27, 2014
For everyone complaining about it being "alfa" and not "alpha"--QM is correct.

As wikipedia explains "In the official[5] version of the alphabet, the non-English spellings Alfa and Juliett are used. Alfa is spelled with an f as it is in most European languages because the English and French spelling alpha would not be pronounced properly by native speakers of some other languages – who may not know that ph should be pronounced as f. Juliett is spelled with a tt for French speakers, because they may otherwise treat a single final t as silent. In some English versions of the alphabet, one or both of these may have their standard English spelling.[6]"

(Which points out that QM has the wrong spelling for Juliett. ;) )

+12
Level 63
Oct 25, 2017
why not just spell it άλφα, and be done with it?
+1
Level 75
Feb 16, 2018
But, if the t sound were dropped from the end of the word, the first letter would still be pronounced the same, as is also true for alpha. Therefore, either would be correct because the first letter sound is the only one of importance.
+2
Level 88
Jun 14, 2018
It's spelled "A". It's spoken as "Alfa / alpha".
+1
Level 39
Jan 10, 2020
It's 'Juliette' in french, not 'Juliett'.
+1
Level 66
Apr 16, 2021

In the official[5] version of the alphabet, ... Alfa is spelled with an f ... because ... alpha would not be pronounced properly by native speakers of some other languages

Yet they are fine with not calling it the alfabet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

+1
Level 80
Aug 23, 2022
Koreans say alpabet. No /f/ sound in Korean. Or a lot of other languages, ironically, many of which are spoken in the Philippines.
+1
Level 28
May 15, 2014
4:29
+1
Level 50
Jun 24, 2014
4:14 left...
+1
Level 32
Aug 31, 2014
I got most of them, and used to know them all, until I started working in law enforcement where we use an entirely different set of alphas. Too many choices in my head now! :)
+1
Level 83
Sep 9, 2014
Even after working in a hospital ER for 2 years where we used these every day... things started to unravel after I got to H. (maybe because in the hospital we used igloo instead of whatever they've got here, it messed up my groove)
+2
Level 83
Sep 9, 2014
Looking over the ones I missed... we also did not use Mike or Oscar because the codes were frequently used for "John and Jane Does" and we wouldn't want someone to get confused and think it was the person's actual name.
+1
Level 50
Sep 9, 2014
Never forgot these. Spent too much time on the military "net". 100% with 3:51 left.
+1
Level 29
Sep 9, 2014
Wow I didn't know Quebec was in the military code... Love it!
+1
Level 15
Sep 12, 2014
Thank you Navy lolol
+1
Level 31
Sep 13, 2014
I'm in the process of memorizing these for my air traffic control class. Came in handy to test my knowledge. Missed three of them. For some reason I can never remember Sierra and Tango. And for some reason I forgot Romeo.
+1
Level 9
Oct 5, 2014
My boyfriend taught me this..So proud that I can know recognise 24 of them..Always forgetting sierra though :(
+2
Level 21
Feb 10, 2015
My brother and I learned it for our grand father, a WWII veteran. We made him proud.
+1
Level 28
May 21, 2015
First try and 3:52 remaining :)
+1
Level 41
Jul 28, 2015
Helps to have an avid HAM as a father while I was growing up. Been awhile, though, I blanked on a couple.
+1
Level 12
Nov 28, 2015
I: Indigo. It may have been India at one point. Indigo should be accepted.
+3
Level 48
Oct 13, 2016
No. It is still India.
+2
Level 71
Feb 26, 2017
In some versions it used to be Indigo, that was later changed to India.
+3
Level 75
Jan 24, 2016
In the NATO phonetic alphabet, Juliett has two t's.
+1
Level 71
Feb 26, 2017
How do you pronounce two 'T's different to one 'T'?
+7
Level 74
Oct 3, 2017
If you're French
+3
Level 94
Mar 8, 2019
Like this:

Juliet...

Juliett...

Juliet...

Juliett...

+1
Level 70
May 2, 2016
We used Zebra instead of Zulu in the Navy
+2
Level 24
May 3, 2016
I can't believe i forgot how to spell lima - I tried spelling it lemur

Still 3:32 isn't that bad

+5
Level 69
Feb 27, 2017
I like lemur much better :-)
+1
Level 28
May 31, 2016
I play too much murder mystery
+1
Level 60
Oct 13, 2020
That's how I did well on this.
+2
Level 36
Jul 19, 2016
Can you accept Mic for M?

I mean, I got 100%, but I tried Mic first.

+3
Level 81
Sep 9, 2016
So ... what are you complaining about? Come on!
+3
Level 74
Oct 3, 2017
The whole idea is it should be unambiguous (see earlier comments re alfa, etc.). Mic says "Mick" to me
+4
Level 57
Mar 3, 2019
"Mic" is short for microphone, hence the pronunciation of "mike"
+1
Level 42
Sep 8, 2016
Erm, it's alpha, not alfa. Just thought I'd point that out :)
+4
Level 89
Sep 27, 2016
Not according to the people who are the governing body.

http://www.icao.int/Pages/AlphabetRadiotelephony.aspx

+1
Level 48
Oct 13, 2016
Sort of moot since it's never written, just for radio telephony.
+1
Level 13
Oct 5, 2016
Easy
+1
Level 31
Oct 13, 2016
Nice quiz, but I think with just 1 minute the quiz can be more exciting. I finished it with 4:21 to go.
+4
Level 71
Feb 26, 2017
Try the Chinese version smarty.
+8
Level 13
Oct 16, 2016
As a wwe fan i know Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta S.H.I.E.L.D
+2
Level 68
Nov 17, 2016
Sixth time taking this quiz and I finally remembered them all! I love learning new things like that :).
+3
Level 55
Nov 22, 2016
Bravo is given in the description, yet 8% missed it
+1
Level 50
Dec 15, 2016
I know this as I have family in the police force
+4
Level 71
Jan 20, 2018
I knew this because my cat was chased by next door's dog and his owners wife was once rescued by a helicopter belonging to coastal command.
+2
Level 65
Jan 9, 2020
Owners wife?? So it was only hís pet? (Or only when the dog got in trouble? No its your dog, you are the one that always let him sit on the couch next to you.)
+1
Level 61
Dec 16, 2016
If you miss B you should rethink your life...
+6
Level 65
Jun 10, 2019
If your life depends on a quiz, you have even more issues
+1
Level 35
Dec 16, 2016
All with 4:27 left
+3
Level 54
Dec 16, 2016
How could anyone miss Bravo? It's given in the description of the quiz lol.
+1
Level 23
Dec 17, 2016
Damn U!!
+1
Level 44
Mar 3, 2017
You know what that sounds like, right?
+1
Level 32
Dec 19, 2016
Bravo was in the description and only 92% got it?

No words.......

+2
Level 65
Jun 10, 2019
Just letters... specifically the letter B
+1
Level 21
Feb 13, 2017
Your high score is 26

Your best time is 4:09 remaining

+3
Level 69
Mar 30, 2017
This is the NATO phonetic alphabet (or the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet if you want to be specific)...
+1
Level 61
Jun 7, 2017
I remember because nearly all of these names are in GMOD murder except for Mike which is replaced by Miko.
+1
Level 37
Jun 7, 2017
I love how 8% didn't get bravo even though it's in the description
+1
Level 70
Jun 7, 2017
The Navy uses zebra instead of zulu, although the time in official logs is written in zulu time.
+1
Level 51
Jul 15, 2017
Years of watching The Bill made this very easy!
+3
Level 9
Jul 21, 2017
Victor Echo Romeo Yankee

Golf Oscar Oscar Delta

Quebec Uniform India Zulu

+1
Level 74
Oct 3, 2017
A-F all in the top 6. Must be a lot of Finders Keepers fans doing this quiz
+1
Level 61
Nov 4, 2017
Why didn't the most people get B? THEY SAY IT IN THE INSTRUCTIONS!
+3
Level 71
Jan 20, 2018
Most people don't read the 'Instructions'
+1
Level 25
Nov 7, 2017
All correct with 3:37 to spare.

I've nothing to do with neither military nor law inforcement, and English is only my third language. I wanted to learn these when I was a teenager and still remember them. Being an all-around mom ;) I also taught these to my children when they were young. Here in Finland we call this 'Nato alphabet', but we naturally have our own version (mostly consisting of Finnish first names), too.

+1
Level 71
Jan 20, 2018
Wonderful command of English 'flavia' as it is your third language. I wish I could use another language as well as you do.
+1
Level 13
Nov 29, 2017
As an Australian Air Force Cadet, I found this a breeze
+1
Level 61
Jan 10, 2018
Got it with 4:11 left
+1
Level 68
Feb 10, 2018
100% with 4:15 left because I got bored one day and memorized all of them
+1
Level 63
Feb 16, 2018
Wasn't xylophone used for 'x' at some point in time? Or am I thinking of something else?
+1
Level 78
Feb 16, 2018
Working at an airport, I could name them all easily. Here in Germany, aviation (and probably the military) is the only environment in which I've heard it being used. In everyday life we use first names and other nouns to spell out words (e.g. O = Otto, N = North pole).
+2
Level 65
Mar 4, 2018
100% with 4:04 remaining. But I worked in a few call centres over the years.
+2
Level 29
May 29, 2018
I got 100% with 4 minutes remaining.
+2
Level 64
Apr 26, 2018
Take your military knowdlege, and see if you can ace the 50 Most Powerful Military Nations Quiz
+4
Level 66
May 29, 2018
Never been in the military, but I've picked up some of these in various places. From WWE, I know Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta. From the Bloodhound Gang I know Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo. From the TV show Dollhouse I knew random ones like Echo, Alpha, Whiskey, Victor, and one or two more.
+1
Level 78
May 29, 2018
Working at an airport, it would have been a shame if I had gotten any of these wrong...
+2
Level 26
Aug 21, 2018
work in a call centre - i have to use these daily
+1
Level 25
Nov 3, 2018
I know the military alphabet just because on a roblox game... and it was been a while.
+1
Level 46
Nov 22, 2018
This doesn't need more than a minute.
+1
Level 43
Dec 17, 2018
Easy
+1
Level 43
Dec 17, 2018
DewgongFTW could the Roblox game be Murder Mystery 2?
+1
Level 44
Dec 22, 2018
26/26, all those years of hearing my mum give our names and postcodes this way on the phone - she was a military brat growing up :)
+1
Level 54
Feb 10, 2019
Woo 4:29 left
+1
Level 78
Mar 10, 2019
Can’t believe Bravo doesn’t have 100% with the answer in the title!
+1
Level 61
Mar 10, 2019
Agreed; just as I was about to say ^
+1
Level 53
Apr 9, 2019
It should say X-RAY in box, not XRAY.
+1
Level 50
Apr 17, 2019
Nearly 40yo and still not gay enough. I forgot Mike, Oscar and Victor
+2
Level 65
Jun 10, 2019
It is a miracle this hasnt been made into a 1 minute quiz....
+1
Level 41
Jun 20, 2019
only got the first three thanks to Domination in Call of DUTY LOOL
+1
Level 75
Jun 21, 2019
Might want to consider changing the instructions so people don't automatically get B?
+1
Level 35
Sep 11, 2019
6 years of Army cadets in highschool and I've only just now learned that it's "Lima" and not Lemur
+2
Level 51
Dec 28, 2019
sierra hotel india echo lima delta SHIELD
+1
Level 37
Apr 22, 2020
I may be no military expert, but this was simply easy. Aviation uses the phonetic alphabet for taxiway names.
+1
Level 51
Apr 28, 2020
21/26 good because I hardly know anything about the army.
+1
Level 44
May 6, 2020
Had to cheat for Uniform. Kept trying umbrella and unicorn, and it was so close to uniform that it threw the real answer outta my head.
+2
Level 37
May 6, 2020
Kilo and Sierra almost got me. I'm lucky to work at a Laser Skirmish Arena where our 26 vests are named after the military alphabet
+1
Level 67
May 22, 2020
I just guessed India and it worked
+3
Level 25
Jun 3, 2020
Who else here just took this quiz over and over so that they could learn the NATO military alphabet?
+3
Level 54
Jul 5, 2020
A-J from playing Battleship as a kid, lol.
+1
Level 77
Oct 24, 2020
When 8% miss "Bravo", even when it was in the description.
+1
Level 46
Nov 8, 2020
Always get P and U wrong. Put Polo and Umbrella can never get the right answer for just these two like mental block.
+2
Level 58
Dec 2, 2020
Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta

Someone will get the reference.

+1
Level 60
Apr 19, 2021
I love the SHIELD
+1
Level 24
Jan 2, 2021
We pilots use the same alphabet it’s not exclusive to NATO or the military.
+1
Level 33
Jan 15, 2021
Didn't know how to spell zulu kept putting zolo, zulo, zoulo, zooloo
+1
Level 65
Jan 25, 2021
Hey, great quiz, but you can gray out 'Bravo' so that people can't use it for a freebee.
+1
Level 34
Feb 10, 2021
Only knew the famous Alfa, Bravo, Delta and ofc Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kilo.
+1
Level 35
Feb 11, 2021
Ah, missed Xray and Papa
+2
Level 58
Feb 12, 2021
Lol anyone remember the old Sheild intro from wwe... no, just me... ok
+1
Level 23
Mar 5, 2021
i got 25/26 literally from scrolling through the comments DONT GIVE STUFF AWAY
+4
Level 88
Apr 16, 2021
DON'T SCROLL THROUGH THE COMMENTS UNTIL AFTER TAKING THE QUIZ! ;)
+1
Level 76
Apr 16, 2021
Yeah, if you're going to cheat you can just google it... or just open the quiz in a second browser window.
+1
Level 84
Mar 14, 2021
Thank you Wilco for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
+2
Level 84
Oct 17, 2021
Also always remember Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
+4
Level 46
Apr 16, 2021
How did only 92% get Bravo? It is literally in the description.....
+1
Level 74
Nov 8, 2022
I for one very rarely read the descriptions...
+2
Level 60
Apr 19, 2021
Sierra! Hotel! India! Echo! Lima! Delta! SHIELD.
+1
Level 28
Jul 13, 2021
kdldlska i was trying to do October instead of November
+1
Level 22
Sep 4, 2021
Easy
+2
Level 55
Mar 4, 2022
Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta S.H.I.E.L.D
+1
Level 59
Mar 24, 2022
funny how 9% of test takers didnt read the example
+2
Level 41
Aug 23, 2022
Isn't it Juliett instead of Juliet
+1
Level 70
Nov 8, 2022
US Air Force, 1980-1987 :)
+1
Level 32
Nov 9, 2022
Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta....
+1
Level 73
Nov 15, 2022
Am I the only one who thinks Golf and Mike could be improved for better clarity? I mean, I've never had to use these, but I can imagine on a fuzzy radio connection that those ending consonants just get lost. Two syllables would be better.
+1
Level 21
Jan 16, 2023
I just remember the NATO reporting names for Russian submarine classes, It gets me halfway through and then I just remember the rest
+1
Level 46
Feb 15, 2023
i got X, G, and S from microsoft flight simulator and i got ABC from Call of Duty Black Ops 2, and the rest i got from the comments 😂
+1
Level 37
Mar 24, 2023
Got 'em all! I'm in flight school right now so I've been practicing them quite a lot!