Solution to Interview question of the week: https://buttondown.com/cassidoo/archive/believe-in-the-power-of-your-own-voice-al-gore/

natoify.py

NATO_DICTIONARY = {
    "A": "Alpha",
    "B": "Bravo",
    "C": "Charlie",
    "D": "Delta",
    "E": "Echo",
    "F": "Foxtrot",
    "G": "Golf",
    "H": "Hotel",
    "I": "India",
    "J": "Juliet",
    "K": "Kilo",
    "L": "Lima",
    "M": "Mike",
    "N": "November",
    "O": "Oscar",
    "P": "Papa",
    "Q": "Quebec",
    "R": "Romeo",
    "S": "Sierra",
    "T": "Tango",
    "U": "Uniform",
    "V": "Victor",
    "W": "Whiskey",
    "X": "X-ray",
    "Y": "Yankee",
    "Z": "Zulu",
    "0": "Zero",
    "1": "One",
    "2": "Two",
    "3": "Three",
    "4": "Four",
    "5": "Five",
    "6": "Six",
    "7": "Seven",
    "8": "Eight",
    "9": "Nine",
    " ": "(space)",
    ".": "stop",
    ",": "comma",
    "-": "hyphen",
    "/": "slant",
    "(": "brackets on",
    ")": "brackets off"
}

def natoify(word):
    return " ".join(NATO_DICTIONARY[char.upper()] for char in word.strip())


assert natoify('hello world') == "Hotel Echo Lima Lima Oscar (space) Whiskey Oscar Romeo Lima Delta"
assert natoify('3spooky5me') == "Three Sierra Papa Oscar Oscar Kilo Yankee Five Mike Echo"