When you speak on the aviation radio, every standard word has one exact meaning — and knowing exactly what each one commits you to is a core radiotelephony skill for ICAO level 4 and above. Here are the standard words and phrases you will hear on every single flight.
AFFIRM
NEGATIVE
ROGER
WILCO
STANDBY
UNABLE
SAY AGAIN
I SAY AGAIN
READ BACK
CORRECTION
DISREGARD
CONFIRM
MONITOR
MAINTAIN
CLEARED
APPROVED
HOLDING / HOLDING SHORT
MAYDAY (× 3)
PAN-PAN (× 3)
tree / fower / fife / niner
DECIMAL
FLIGHT LEVEL
You can study these words and phrases right here.
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Word / Phrase AFFIRM Click the card to flip itMeaning Yes. The only standard way to say yes on the radio — "affirmative" is not standard ICAO phraseology.
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Word / Phrase NEGATIVE Click the card to flip itMeaning No — or "permission not granted" or "that is not correct", depending on the context.
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Word / Phrase ROGER Click the card to flip itMeaning I have received all of your last transmission. It is not a yes or a no, and never replaces a required read-back.
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Word / Phrase WILCO Click the card to flip itMeaning I understand your message and will comply with it.
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Word / Phrase STANDBY Click the card to flip itMeaning Wait, and I will call you. It is not an approval and not a refusal.
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Word / Phrase UNABLE Click the card to flip itMeaning I cannot comply with your instruction — normally followed by the reason.
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Word / Phrase SAY AGAIN Click the card to flip itMeaning Repeat your last transmission, or part of it — for example, "say again all after Alpha".
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Word / Phrase I SAY AGAIN Click the card to flip itMeaning I repeat my last message, for clarity or emphasis.
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Word / Phrase READ BACK Click the card to flip itMeaning Repeat all, or the specified part, of this message back to me exactly as received.
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Word / Phrase CORRECTION Click the card to flip itMeaning An error has been made in this transmission; the correct version is what follows.
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Word / Phrase DISREGARD Click the card to flip itMeaning Ignore my last transmission.
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Word / Phrase CONFIRM Click the card to flip itMeaning A request to check: "Is my understanding of this correct?" — for example, "confirm squawk six four one one".
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Word / Phrase MONITOR Click the card to flip itMeaning Listen out on the frequency given — for example, "monitor Tower one one eight decimal six".
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Word / Phrase MAINTAIN Click the card to flip itMeaning Continue at the level or speed given.
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Word / Phrase CLEARED Click the card to flip itMeaning Authorised to proceed under the conditions specified — for example, "cleared for take-off".
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Word / Phrase APPROVED Click the card to flip itMeaning Permission granted for the action you requested — for example, "push-back approved".
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Word / Phrase HOLDING / HOLDING SHORT Click the card to flip itMeaning The required read-back to a HOLD or HOLD SHORT instruction — replying "Roger" or "Wilco" is not enough.
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Word / Phrase MAYDAY (× 3) Click the card to flip itMeaning Spoken three times, it declares distress: serious and imminent danger, needing immediate assistance.
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Word / Phrase PAN-PAN (× 3) Click the card to flip itMeaning Spoken three times, it declares urgency: a safety problem that does not need immediate assistance.
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Word / Phrase tree / fower / fife / niner Click the card to flip itMeaning The ICAO pronunciations of the numbers 3, 4, 5 and 9. Numbers are normally spoken digit by digit.
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Word / Phrase DECIMAL Click the card to flip itMeaning The separator word in a radio frequency: 118.6 is "one one eight decimal six" — never "point".
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Word / Phrase FLIGHT LEVEL Click the card to flip itMeaning A standard-pressure altitude, spoken digit by digit: FL90 is "flight level niner zero", not "ninety".
Keyboard: space = flip · arrows = previous / next · S = star