Using Objects for Lookups
function phoneticLookup(val) { var result = ""; var lookup = { "alpha":"Adams", "bravo":"Boston", "charlie":"Chicago", "delta":"Denver", "echo":"Easy", "foxtrot":"Frank", }; result = lookup[val]; return result; } phoneticLookup("charlie"); console.log(phoneticLookup("alpha")); // to test console.log(phoneticLookup("")); //to test