Aviators often speak “pilot English” to avoid miscommunications over radio transmission. “Tree” for instance, means three, “fife” is the number five and “niner” means nine, says Tom Zecha, a manager at AOPA. The variations stemmed from a desire to avoid confusion between similar-sounding numbers, he says.

Moreover,  What accent says three as tree?

It’s acceptable to pronounce three as tree. That’s how the Irish and Jamaicans pronounce it.

In respect to this, Why do they use Niner instead of nine?

Pilots and air traffic controllers say niner instead of nine to distinguish it from other numbers. Radio transmissions may not be crystal clear, and with any disturbances on the frequency, nine could be easily confused with five, given they are one-syllable and rhyme.

Why does the military say Niner?

“Niner” is how 9 is said as part of a phonetic alphabet. This is similar to how one might say “Bravo” for B. “Niner” was chosen especially for Civil Aviation as to help differentiate it from the German “Nein,” meaning “No”.

Furthermore, Why do pilots say Roger?

In 1915, pilots began making the switch over from morse code wireless telegraphy to voice commands. … “R” was already in place to mean “received,” something that aviators didn’t see a need to change. But just saying “r” could lead to communication errors. So they took “Roger” from the U.S. phonetic alphabet.


How do you say the word for the number 9 in aviation?

Several digits have their own distinct pronunciation in the aviation industry that differentiate them from the usual “zero” to “nine” used in everyday speech. Three is pronounced “tree”, four stretches into “fower”, five is “fife” or sometimes “fivah” and nine is “ninah”.

What does it mean roger that?

Roger that is a phrase used to affirm or acknowledge a statement or question.

How do you say tree vs three?

It’s acceptable to pronounce three as tree. That’s how the Irish and Jamaicans pronounce it. It’s close enough. Don’t pronounce it as chree or sree though.

Why do pilots say Niner?

Aviators often speak “pilot English” to avoid miscommunications over radio transmission. “Tree” for instance, means three, “fife” is the number five and “niner” means nine, says Tom Zecha, a manager at AOPA. The variations stemmed from a desire to avoid confusion between similar-sounding numbers, he says.

Why is it Niner instead of nine?

The reason for “Niner” is that “Nine” can be easily muffled, slurred, or confused with other words (particularly the number Five/Fife). That is all part of the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Why do I say tree instead of three?

The digit 3 is specified as tree so that it is not pronounced sri; the long pronunciation of 4 (still found in some English dialects) keeps it somewhat distinct from for; 5 is pronounced with a second “f” because the normal pronunciation with a “v” is easily confused with “fire” (a command to shoot); and 9 has an extra …

Why is 9 pronounced Niner?

Pilots and air traffic controllers say niner instead of nine to distinguish it from other numbers. Radio transmissions may not be crystal clear, and with any disturbances on the frequency, nine could be easily confused with five, given they are one-syllable and rhyme.

Is saying Roger that rude?

Roger that probably came from the military (he said without any research). So it would be like saying “Aye, aye, sir” — which you occasionally hear even today, but usually said in a humorous or sarcastic way.

Why do British people say tree instead of three?

Originally Answered: Why do Irish say tree instead of three? Because the phonology of the Irish language does not distinguish between t and th. The Irish t is pronounced as a stop like the English t (not as a fricative, as the English th), but it is a dental sound like the English th. Firstly not all of us do.

Is it polite to say Roger that?

Roger that: Slang, usually used in radio transmissions such as military communications meaning “I understand” or “I hear you”. Yes. All right.

Why military say Niner?

“Niner” is how 9 is said as part of a phonetic alphabet. This is similar to how one might say “Bravo” for B. “Niner” was chosen especially for Civil Aviation as to help differentiate it from the German “Nein,” meaning “No”.

What does Niner Niner mean?

Aviators often speak “pilot English” to avoid miscommunications over radio transmission. “Tree” for instance, means three, “fife” is the number five and “niner” means nine, says Tom Zecha, a manager at AOPA.

How do the British say three?

How do you say “THREE”? If you drop the “th” and say something like “FREE,” you’re probably from London or the South East. Scotland and Ireland have a strong preference for “th” version of “THREE.”Jun 13, 2016

Why do pilots say 9er?

The reason for these somewhat strange pronunciations is to encourage the pilot/controller to enunciate clearly so that the numbers are clearly understood. … The reason for “Niner” is that “Nine” can be easily muffled, slurred, or confused with other words (particularly the number Five/Fife).

How do you say 3 in American?

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