My last name is Hosier.  As my mom would always say on the phone, "That's H, O, S as in Sam, I, E, R."  People with an F in their name say, "F as in Frank."  I've always wondered if there's some sort of international code that determines what simple English word should be used to clarify letters that aren't transmitted clearly over the phone or radio. 

It turns out there is.  Actually, there are a bunch of different international, national, and local codes, all of which serve the same purpose of clarifying unclear letters and numbers while using the phone or radio.  The police in New York City use the one I'm familiar with: 

Adam Boy Charlie David Edward Frank George Henry Ida John
King Lincoln Mary Nora Ocean Peter Queen Robert Sam Tom
Union Victor William X-ray Young Zebra

NATO uses another familiar one: 

Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India
Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo
Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey Xray Yankee Zulu

There's also a phonetic alphabet for numbers, used in aviation and radio: 

zero one two tree fower fife six seven eight niner

I've never heard anyone say "fower" in reference to the number 4, but I guess I just don't pay attention. 

That's Hotel, Oscar, Sierra, India, Echo, Romeo. #language