You already know some walkie-talkie language. You just don't know that you know it. Every action movie, every heist thriller, every military drama has been quietly teaching you "copy that," "what's your 20," and "we've got a bogey" for years. Well, the good news is that changes here!
In this guide, we'll talk about the walkie-talkie slang, the 10-codes, the advanced terminology, and what an actual radio conversation sounds like when you put it all together.
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What is walkie-talkie language?
Walkie-talkie language is a set of standardized words, phrases, and numeric codes used to communicate clearly over a two-way radio. Because only one person can speak at a time, this language evolved to eliminate ambiguity, signal turn-taking, and compress full sentences into a few sharp words.
It's one of the most cross-cultural registers of English that exists. You can hear it on film sets, in action movies, in military dramas, on construction sites, and in emergency services worldwide. Some of the most universally recognized radio terms include:
- Over — I'm done speaking, your turn to respond
- Out — Conversation finished, no reply needed
- Roger — Message received
- Copy — Heard and understood
- 10-4 — Affirmative
- 10-20 — Location
- 10-9 — Please repeat
Common Walkie Talkie Codes
These are the core phrases used across nearly every radio context — film sets, security operations, military communication, and civilian use.
- Over — I've finished speaking, awaiting your reply
- Out — Conversation is over, no response needed
- Copy / Copy that — Received and understood
- Roger — Message received
- Wilco — Received and will comply
- Affirmative — Yes
- Negative — No
- Say again — Please repeat your last message
- Standby — Wait, I'll get back to you
- Standing by — Task complete, waiting for further instruction
- Come in — Are you there? Initiating contact
- Do you copy — Did you receive and understand?
- How copy — How is my signal coming through?
- Loud and clear / 5 by 5 — Signal is perfect
- Weak / Broken — Signal is poor or cutting out
- Radio check / Comms check — Testing that the radio is working
- On it — Received, actively working on it
- Eyes on — Visual confirmation of a person or object
- 20 — Location (short for 10-20)
- Flying in — Someone or something is on the way
- Going off walkie — Taking the radio off, temporarily unavailable
All the 10-codes and what they mean
10-codes are two-number phrases that compress common messages into shorthand radio operators can fire off instantly. They were developed in the 1930s by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) for U.S. police, then spread into military and civilian radio use worldwide.
Not every agency uses the exact same list, but the core codes below are widely recognized.
- 10-1 — Signal weak / poor reception
- 10-2 — Signal good
- 10-3 — Stop transmitting
- 10-4 — Affirmative / understood
- 10-5 — Relay to another party
- 10-6 — Busy, stand by
- 10-7 — Out of service
- 10-8 — Back in service
- 10-9 — Repeat last transmission
- 10-10 — Transmission complete, standing by
- 10-11 — Speaking too fast
- 10-12 — Visitors present
- 10-13 — Weather and road conditions
- 10-16 — Pick up at this location
- 10-17 — Urgent business
- 10-18 — Complete assignment quickly
- 10-19 — Return to base
- 10-20 — Location
- 10-21 — Call by phone
- 10-22 — Disregard last transmission
- 10-23 — Arrived on scene / stand by
- 10-24 — Assignment completed
- 10-25 — Contact this person
- 10-27 — Moving to channel [number]
- 10-28 — Identify your station
- 10-33 — Emergency, all units stop transmitting
- 10-36 — Correct time check
- 10-77 — No contact made
- 10-100 — Bathroom break
Advanced Walkie Talkie Codes
Beyond the standard codes, certain fields have their own specialized vocabulary. If you've ever watched a film set scene or a military drama and caught terms you couldn't quite place, they probably came from here.
Film set codes
- First team — The principal actors
- Second team — The stand-ins
- Martini shot — The final shot of the day
- Kill — Turn it off
- Strike / 86 — Remove it
- Bogey — Someone who shouldn't be there
- Lock it up — Secure the area, no one through
- Spin that — Pass this message to other channels
- Hot brick — Fully charged battery
- Keying — Accidentally holding the talk button, blocking the channel
Military and tactical codes
- Bravo Zulu — Well done
- Charlie Foxtrot — Things have gone badly wrong
- Oscar Mike — On the move
- Lima Charlie — Loud and clear
- Tango — Target or enemy
- Sitrep — Situation report
NATO phonetic alphabet
The NATO alphabet replaces individual letters with distinct spoken words so they can't be confused over static. "B" and "D" sound nearly identical on a bad signal — "Bravo" and "Delta" don't. It's standard in military, aviation, and professional radio worldwide, and it shows up constantly in authentic film and TV dialogue.
- Alpha — A
- Bravo — B
- Charlie — C
- Delta — D
- Echo — E
- Foxtrot — F
- Golf — G
- Hotel — H
- India — I
- Juliet — J
- Kilo — K
- Lima — L
- Mike — M
- November — N
- Oscar — O
- Papa — P
- Quebec — Q
- Romeo — R
- Sierra — S
- Tango — T
- Uniform — U
- Victor — V
- Whiskey — W
- X-ray — X
- Yankee — Y
- Zulu — Z
Example Walkie Talkie conversation
Lists of codes are useful. Hearing them used in sequence is what makes them click. Here's a realistic exchange between a production assistant (PA) and a 2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD) on a film set, with a plain-English translation of every line.
| Who | What they say | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd AD | "PA, 2nd AD — come in." | Hey PA, it's the 2nd AD. You there? |
| PA | "Go for PA." | PA here, go ahead. |
| 2nd AD | "What's your 20?" | Where are you? |
| PA | "Base camp, near wardrobe." | I'm at base camp, near wardrobe. |
| 2nd AD | "Copy. We need first team walking in five. Eyes on talent?" | Got it. Lead actors need to head to set in five minutes. Have you seen them? |
| PA | "Negative. Last I heard, holding. Standby." | No, haven't seen them. Think they're in holding. Give me a second. |
| PA | "2nd AD, PA. Eyes on talent — holding with hair and makeup. Flying them in now." | I can see the actors. Bringing them over. |
| 2nd AD | "Copy that. Lock it up on the north entrance. Rolling in ten. Over." | Got it. Block the north entrance, no one walks through. We're filming in ten minutes. Your turn to reply. |
| PA | "On it. Going off walkie for two. Out." | On it. Taking my radio off for a couple minutes. Conversation done. |
Every exchange ends with "over" when a reply is expected, and "out" when the conversation is done. No wasted words. That's the entire philosophy of this language.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does "over and out" mean on a walkie-talkie?
"Over and out" is technically a contradiction. "Over" means you've finished speaking and expect a reply. "Out" means the conversation is done and no reply is needed. You say one or the other, not both. The phrase became popular through movies and TV but isn't used in real professional radio communication.
What does 10-4 mean?
10-4 means "message received and understood" or simply "affirmative." It comes from the APCO ten-code system developed in the 1930s for U.S. police radio and has since become one of the most recognized phrases in English-speaking pop culture worldwide.
What is the difference between "Roger" and "Copy"?
Both confirm you received and understood a message. "Roger" has military and aviation roots and is the more formal version. "Copy" is more common in civilian and film set contexts. "Wilco" goes one further: received the message and will act on it.
What does "what's your 20" mean?
Short for "What's your 10-20?" — the radio code for location. It means "Where are you right now?" One of the most common phrases in film set and security radio, and one of the most recognized pieces of radio slang in everyday English.
