How do you spell out letters over the phone?

I like to speak in a monotonous, slow, robotic voice, while trying to enunciate the letters clearly.
Occasionally I try to make up words that start with the letter, and it doesn't work out that well and I get frustrated and give up.

What do you do?
I wanted to memorize the NATO alphabet, but it just never happened.
If you use the NATO alphabet, do people actually recognize the words? Many of those words aren't commonly used and I'm afraid people will get confused and I'd have wasted my time trying to learn it.

NATO alphabet is probably the easiest way to do it, or say a word that starts with the letter you're trying to say that doesn't sound like another word (but that's really what the Nato Alphabet is for anyways)

when i spell my awful last name with many silent letters, i have a funny little acronym that tells a story. if I have to spell something weird i usually 1) say the word 2) spell the letters 3) say an acronym 3) spell the letters again 4) have them spell it back to me.

It takes forever.

Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliet
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
X-ray
Yankee
Zulu

Pretty straightforward.

i've tried this but i can't remember the alphabet words off the top of my head for some reason so, i end up using countries and the first thing that pops in my head

Sri Lanka
Ocelot
Rambo
Rambo
Yard

i've tried this but i can't remember the alphabet words off the top of my head for some reason so, i end up using countries and the first thing that pops in my head

Sri Lanka
Ocelot
Rambo
Rambo
Yard

You can always sing the Bloodhound Gang song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZpxaiNV_sM