Morse Code Translator & Chart
Translate text to Morse and back, hear it at any WPM with Farnsworth spacing, download WAV, and look up every ITU signal.
International Morse Code (ITU-R M.1677-1)
Morse code chart#
Letters#
| Char | Code | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A | .- | |
| B | -... | |
| C | -.-. | |
| D | -.. | |
| E | . | |
| F | ..-. | |
| G | --. | |
| H | .... | |
| I | .. | |
| J | .--- | |
| K | -.- | |
| L | .-.. | |
| M | -- | |
| N | -. | |
| O | --- | |
| P | .--. | |
| Q | --.- | |
| R | .-. | |
| S | ... | |
| T | - | |
| U | ..- | |
| V | ...- | |
| W | .-- | |
| X | -..- | |
| Y | -.-- | |
| Z | --.. | |
| É | ..-.. | The only accented letter in ITU Morse. |
Numbers#
| Char | Code | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | .---- | |
| 2 | ..--- | |
| 3 | ...-- | |
| 4 | ....- | |
| 5 | ..... | |
| 6 | -.... | |
| 7 | --... | |
| 8 | ---.. | |
| 9 | ----. | |
| 0 | ----- |
Punctuation and signs#
| Char | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| . | .-.-.- | Full stop (period) |
| , | --..-- | Comma |
| : | ---... | Colon or division sign |
| ? | ..--.. | Question mark |
| ' | .----. | Apostrophe |
| - | -....- | Hyphen, dash or minus |
| / | -..-. | Fraction bar or division sign |
| ( | -.--. | Left bracket (parenthesis) |
| ) | -.--.- | Right bracket (parenthesis) |
| " | .-..-. | Quotation marks (before and after) |
| = | -...- | Double hyphen (=) |
| + | .-.-. | Cross or addition sign |
| × | -..- | Multiplication sign (sent as X) |
| @ | .--.-. | Commercial at (added 2004) |
| ! | -.-.-- | Exclamation mark — Not in ITU-R M.1677-1; common amateur usage. |
| & | .-... | Ampersand — Not ITU; same signal as Wait (AS). |
| ; | -.-.-. | Semicolon — Not ITU. |
| $ | ...-..- | Dollar sign — Not ITU (American usage). |
| _ | ..--.- | Underscore — Not ITU. |
Prosigns (procedure signals)#
| Prosign | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ...---... | Distress signal — Sent as one unbroken signal, not as S O S. Defined in the ITU Radio Regulations. |
| AR | .-.-. | End of message (cross sign) — Same signal as +. |
| SK | ...-.- | End of work |
| BT | -...- | Break / new section (double hyphen) — Same signal as =. |
| K | -.- | Invitation to transmit (over) |
| KN | -.--. | Over, named station only — Amateur usage; same signal as (. |
| AS | .-... | Wait |
| CT | -.-.- | Starting signal (also written KA) |
| SN | ...-. | Understood (also written VE) |
| HH | ........ | Error (eight dots) |
Punctuation marked “Not ITU” is widespread in amateur radio but is not part of ITU-R M.1677-1. Prosigns are sent as one character with no letter gap (the overline is the usual way to write that). Some signals double up: AR is the same as +, BT the same as =, KN the same as (, AS the same as &.
Letters by length (the Morse tree)#
Each row adds one element. Within a row, letters are in tree order: a dot branches left, a dash right. E and T are the shortest because they are the most common letters in English.
| 1 element | E .T - |
|---|---|
| 2 elements | I ..A .-N -.M -- |
| 3 elements | S ...U ..-R .-.W .--D -..K -.-G --.O --- |
| 4 elements | H ....V ...-F ..-.L .-..P .--.J .---B -...X -..-C -.-.Y -.--Z --..Q --.- |
Timing: dots, dashes and gaps#
| Element | Length (units) |
|---|---|
| Dot (dit) | 1 |
| Dash (dah) | 3 |
| Gap between elements of one letter | 1 |
| Gap between letters | 3 |
| Gap between words | 7 |
| Speed (WPM) | Dot | Dash | Word gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 240 ms | 720 ms | 1680 ms |
| 10 | 120 ms | 360 ms | 840 ms |
| 13 | 92 ms | 277 ms | 646 ms |
| 15 | 80 ms | 240 ms | 560 ms |
| 18 | 67 ms | 200 ms | 467 ms |
| 20 | 60 ms | 180 ms | 420 ms |
| 25 | 48 ms | 144 ms | 336 ms |
| 30 | 40 ms | 120 ms | 280 ms |
| 40 | 30 ms | 90 ms | 210 ms |
Speed is measured with the word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units including the gap after it, so one unit lasts 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds.
Found a problem, or something that could be better? We read every message and we fix things quickly.
This Morse code translator converts text to Morse code and Morse code back to text, then lets you hear it, watch it as a flashing light and download it as a WAV file. Type a message and you get dots and dashes with letters separated by spaces and words by a slash; paste dots and dashes and you get the text back, with any signal that is not in the international code clearly marked rather than guessed.
Below the translator is a complete Morse code chart taken from ITU-R M.1677-1, the international standard: all 26 letters, É, the ten digits, punctuation, the @ sign added in 2004, and the procedure signals radio operators use such as SOS, AR and SK. Symbols that are common in amateur use but not in the standard, like ! and &, are included and labelled as such. Audio uses the standard PARIS timing, with Farnsworth spacing available for learners.
How to use
- Type text or paste Morse code; the direction is detected automatically, or pick Text → Morse or Morse → Text.
- For Morse input, put a space between letters and / (or a new line) between words. Dots and dashes typed as · or – also work.
- Press Play to hear it and watch the light; set character speed, overall (Farnsworth) speed, tone and volume first if you like.
- Copy the result or download it as a WAV file.
- Use the chart’s search box to find a letter, a punctuation mark or a pattern like .-., and press ▶ on any row to hear that one signal.
Frequently asked questions
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is ...---... (three dots, three dashes, three dots) sent as one continuous signal without the normal gaps between letters. It is a procedure signal chosen because it is easy to send and recognise, not an abbreviation; “save our souls” was attached to it later.
How do I translate Morse code to English?
Write each letter’s dots and dashes separated by a space, and separate words with a slash or a new line, for example .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. for HELLO WORLD. Paste that into the translator and it decodes instantly. Any group that is not a valid signal is shown as � and listed, so you can spot a missing space or an extra dot.
What does WPM mean in Morse code?
Words per minute, measured with the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long including the gap after it. One unit therefore lasts 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds: at 20 WPM a dot is 60 ms, a dash 180 ms and the gap between words 420 ms. A dash is 3 units, the gap inside a letter 1, between letters 3 and between words 7.
What is Farnsworth spacing?
Farnsworth timing sends each character at a higher speed (say 18 or 20 WPM) but stretches the gaps between characters and words so the overall speed is lower (say 5 or 10 WPM). Learners hear each letter as a rhythm instead of counting dots, which makes it easier to go faster later. This tool uses the ARRL formula, which keeps the 3:7 ratio between letter and word gaps.
Is Morse code still used?
Yes, though no longer for commercial shipping, which switched to the satellite-based GMDSS in 1999. Amateur radio operators use it widely, aviation radio beacons still identify themselves with a Morse identifier, and it is used as an accessible input method for people with limited mobility. Since 2007 US amateur licences no longer require a Morse test.
Why are some symbols like ! and & marked “Not ITU”?
The international standard, ITU-R M.1677-1, defines letters, digits and a short list of punctuation. The exclamation mark, ampersand, semicolon, dollar sign and underscore come from American and amateur practice and are widely understood, but a strict receiver may not know them. The translator still encodes them and the chart labels them.
Learning Morse code: what actually works
The common mistake is to memorise the chart visually and then count dots while listening. That works up to about 5 WPM and then becomes a wall, because at higher speeds there is no time to count. Methods that get people past it share a few ideas:
• Learn by sound, not by sight. Say “di-dah” for A and “dah-di-di-dit” for B; never think of “dot dash”.
• Use a fast character speed from the start (15–20 WPM) with Farnsworth spacing for a slow overall speed. Set the character speed above and the overall speed below in the tool to practise exactly this.
• Add letters a few at a time (the Koch method) rather than learning all 26 and then practising.
• Practise copying real words and call signs, not random letters only. Common words become single sounds.
The tree view above is useful once you know the letters: every letter is reached by going left for a dot and right for a dash, which explains why E (.) and T (-) are the shortest and why I, A, N and M come next.
International vs American Morse, and what the prosigns mean
The code on this page is International Morse, standardised for European telegraphy in the 1860s and now maintained by the ITU. The original American Morse code used by US railways and telegraph companies is different: several letters have internal spaces (C, O, R, Y, Z) and dashes of different lengths. If an old American telegraph text does not decode here, that is usually why.
Prosigns are procedure signals sent as one character without the gap between letters, and are written with an overline: AR (end of message), K (over, invitation to transmit), KN (over, only the named station may reply), BT (break, also the = sign), AS (wait), SK (end of contact), HH (eight dots, error) and SOS (distress). Some share a signal with a punctuation mark, so .-.-. decodes as + and can be read as AR from context. To send a prosign from text, type it in angle brackets, such as <SK>.
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