For an example, let's consider the time specification "1539Z".
How do the people in the military spell that? "Fifteen thirty-nine Zulu"? "Fifteen thirty-nine zee"? "One fife tree niner zulu"? Are there differences between US, Canadian, British, Australian (and other English-speaking NATO members) spelling of this time specification – and if so, what are they?
The scenario here is how to put the time in writing as direct speech/quotation of someone. This is important in the following cases:
- It's a direct quotation, and I want to write down what would be spoken exactly as it would be spoken (but don't have access to audio logs).
- It's direct speech in a work of fiction, where how someone spells the time specification gives a hint to their background.
Best Answer
NATO military pronounces individual letters as words to ensure clarity. They use the NATO Phonetic alphabet. Time is pronounced as two digit/two digit, unless it's precisely on the hour. 0430 is oh-four thirty, or zero-four thirty. 21:35 is twenty-one thirty-five. 19:00 is nineteen hundred.
Thus 1539Z "Fifteen thirty-nine Zulu"
As an aside, Zulu represents Greenwich Mean Time.