8 – Eight (AIT)

The standard maritime radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit eight.

It is spoken as “AIT” when transmitting figures clearly by voice. In this context the spelling shows pronunciation and does not refer to an ait, the separate geographical word for a small river island.

The International Code of Signals also has a numeral pennant for eight, shown on this page. That pennant is the visual representation of the digit and is distinct from its spoken pronunciation.

Flag

Number Pennant Eight (8)

Nautical or signal flags are used at sea to convey long-range messages. Only black, blue, red, white and yellow are used because these are the only colours readily distinguished at sea. Many different coding schemes have been used, but the International Code is the most common.