How to practice spelling your name in English on the phone

Write the exact spelling you intend to use on the call. Keep separate parts of the name visible so you can pause between them. If the call concerns an existing reservation, have its recorded spelling in front of you too.

Try this opening: "My name is Mina Bell. I can spell that for you."

Then spell each part separately: "M-I-N-A. My last name is B-E-L-L."

You do not need to adopt a different name for an English conversation. Practice the English letter names you need to communicate your own spelling. If your name uses another writing system, prepare the written version required for that particular record rather than inventing a new version during the call.

The British Council's spelling-names lesson provides a short audio conversation, transcript and listening exercises. Its exchange includes spelling a surname and checking repeated letters. Use the audio to hear an example; the partner activity here is a separate suggested exercise.

Write three fictional names on separate cards. You can use Mina Bell, Tomas Reed and Nila Moss, or make your own. Your partner should have blank paper and should not see the card you choose.

Sit facing away from each other to remove the visual clue of your mouth. You do not need to make a real phone call or introduce background noise for the first attempt.

Say the whole name, spell it, then ask: "Could you read the letters back to me?"

Wait until your partner has read the complete spelling before showing the card. Compare the written versions. If your partner guessed the name from its pronunciation but wrote a different spelling, the exercise is not finished yet.

When you switch roles, resist correcting your partner's intended name to a more familiar one. Write the letters they give you, then check anything unclear.

Suppose your partner writes "Mina Dell." Repeating the entire introduction may leave the same uncertainty. Try a correction that tells them where to change the record:

"The first letter of the last name is B, as in book. Then E-L-L."

Here, "book" is an ordinary example word beginning with B. It is not being presented as a standard radio spelling code. Choose a word you can pronounce and the listener recognizes. If that example does not help, try a different one or use an available written channel.

Ask for the surname again after the correction. A polite "yes" from the listener does not tell you which letter they wrote.

What needs checking	A line you can practice
The first letter	The first letter is M, as in mother.
A repeated letter	There are two Ls at the end. L, then L again.
The boundary between names	That is the end of my first name. Now my last name.
A missed section	I'll start the last name again.

These are examples to adapt. In ordinary calls, you can also ask the other person which part they need repeated instead of spelling everything again automatically.

For a second round, use a fictional name with a hyphen, such as Lina Moss-Reed. Say "hyphen" at the relevant point. Ask your partner to describe where they put it when reading the name back.

If a form will not accept a character in your name, ask the person handling the record how they need it entered. This exercise cannot determine a company's form rules, and removing a character without checking may create a mismatch with another record.

Keep practice separate from important bookings. Do not experiment with alternative spellings on a real record just to make the spoken exchange easier.

Your own spelling may become familiar quickly. Ask your partner to choose a new fictional name you have not seen, then write what you hear. You can request a pause, another spelling or a particular letter.

Afterward, note the point that needed repair. "Missed the second L" is a useful practice note. On the next round, include another repeated letter and check it deliberately. This measures whether that exchange ended accurately; it does not establish a pronunciation level.

If you practice alone, record yourself spelling a fictional name and listen later while writing it down. Knowing the original may help you fill in sounds you did not hear clearly, so treat this as rehearsal rather than an independent test.

Explore Yapr for speaking practice. Check important names and details with the person responsible for the actual record.