Morse Code Translator
Type text to get Morse code, or paste Morse code to read it as text. Play it as sound and light at your own speed, or download it as a WAV file. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use the Morse code translator
- Text to Morse: type in the Text box. Each letter becomes dots and dashes, with one space between letters and a slash between words. New lines stay new lines.
- Morse to text: paste code in the Morse code box. Dots can be
.·•or*, dashes-−–—or_. Words can be split by/,|, two or more spaces or a new line. - Listen: press Play to hear the code and see the lamp flash. Set the speed, tone and volume below it. Press Download WAV to save the sound as an audio file.
- Learn: click any letter in the chart below to hear it. For practice, set the character speed to 18–20 WPM and the overall speed to 8–10 WPM.
- Other alphabets: Russian and Greek letters are translated automatically. When you decode, choose Cyrillic or Greek in "Decode as", because those letters use the same codes as Latin letters.
Morse code alphabet chart
International Morse code (ITU-R M.1677). Click a letter to hear it at the speed you set above. Short codes belong to the most common English letters: E is one dot and T is one dash.
Letters
Numbers
Every digit has 5 signals: 1 to 5 start with dots, 6 to 0 start with dashes.
Punctuation
Accented letters
Extra codes used in German, French, Spanish, Polish, Nordic languages and Esperanto. Some letters share one code (Ä and Æ, À and Å).
Morse code timing: dots, dashes and gaps
Morse code is about time, not about the signs on paper. Everything is a multiple of one unit, the length of a dot.
| Part | Length | At 20 WPM |
|---|---|---|
| Dot (dit) | 1 unit | 60 ms |
| Dash (dah) | 3 units | 180 ms |
| Gap between the dots and dashes of one letter | 1 unit | 60 ms |
| Gap between letters | 3 units | 180 ms |
| Gap between words | 7 units | 420 ms |
Speed in WPM is measured with the word PARIS: .--. .- .-. .. ... plus the gap after it is exactly 50 units. So one unit lasts 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds, and 20 WPM means 1,000 units per minute.
Farnsworth timing sends each letter at the full character speed but stretches the gaps between letters and words, so the overall speed is lower. You learn the sound of each letter as a whole instead of counting dots. This page uses the ARRL formula: the gaps get the extra time so that PARIS still takes exactly 60 ÷ overall WPM seconds.
Prosigns and common Morse abbreviations
Prosigns are two letters sent as one sign, without the gap between them. Write them in angle brackets in the Text box, for example <SK> or <SOS>.
| Sign | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ...---... | Distress call, sent as one sign |
| CQ | -.-. --.- | Calling any station |
| DE | -.. . | "From" or "this is", before your call sign |
| K | -.- | Over, go ahead |
| <KN> | -.--. | Go ahead, only the station I am talking to |
| <AR> | .-.-. | End of the message |
| <SK> | ...-.- | End of the contact |
| <BT> | -...- | Break, new paragraph (same as =) |
| <HH> | ........ | Error, the last word was wrong |
| R | .-. | Received, understood |
| 73 | --... ...-- | Best regards |
| 88 | ---.. ---.. | Love and kisses |
| QTH | --.- - .... | My location is |
How to learn Morse code
- Learn by sound, not by sight. Remember the rhythm of a letter ("di-dah" for A) instead of counting dots and dashes on a chart. Counting stops working above about 10 WPM.
- Start fast with the Koch method. Begin with only two letters (K and M are common) at 18–20 WPM, and add one new letter each time you copy 90% correctly.
- Use Farnsworth gaps. Keep the letters fast and lower the overall speed with the second slider above. Then shorten the gaps as you get better.
- Practice a little every day. 10–15 minutes a day works better than one long session a week.
- Start with common words. Play short words such as THE, AND or your name, and write them down before you look at the text.
Frequently asked questions
How do I translate Morse code to English?
Paste the Morse code into the Morse code box and the text appears as you type. Use dots (.) and dashes (-), one space between letters and a slash (/) between words, for example .... .. / - .... . .-. . for HI THERE. By hand, look up each group of dots and dashes in the Morse alphabet chart.
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is ... --- ... (three dots, three dashes, three dots). In a real distress call it is sent as one signal without the gaps between the letters: ...---... SOS does not stand for words such as "save our souls"; it was chosen in 1906 because the pattern is easy to send and to recognize.
How do you say "I love you" in Morse code?
"I love you" is .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- in Morse code. I is .., LOVE is .-.. --- ...- . and YOU is -.-- --- ..-. Radio operators also use the short code 88, which means "love and kisses".
How are letters and words separated in Morse code?
In sound, the gap inside a letter is 1 unit (the length of a dot), the gap between letters is 3 units and the gap between words is 7 units. In writing, people put one space between letters and a slash (/) or three spaces between words. This translator reads both, and also the pipe sign (|) and new lines.
What does WPM mean in Morse code?
WPM means words per minute, measured with the word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long including the gap after it. One unit (one dot) lasts 1200 / WPM milliseconds, so at 20 WPM a dot is 60 ms and a dash is 180 ms. Beginners often learn with the Farnsworth method: the letters are sent fast, but the gaps between them are made longer.
Is Morse code still used today?
Yes, but rarely for its old jobs. Ships stopped using Morse for distress calls in 1999, and the United States dropped the Morse test for amateur radio licenses in 2007. Many radio amateurs still use it because a weak Morse signal gets through where voice does not, aviation radio beacons still identify themselves in Morse, and phone keyboards such as Gboard offer Morse input for people who can only use one or two switches.
Can I translate other languages to Morse code?
Yes for many. This translator knows the extra codes for accented letters such as Ä, É, Ñ, Ö and Ü, the Russian Cyrillic alphabet and the Greek alphabet. Other accented letters are sent as the plain letter (ô becomes O). Choose the alphabet when you decode, because Cyrillic and Greek letters share codes with Latin letters. Japanese (Wabun code) and Korean are not supported.
What is the difference between International and American Morse code?
American Morse (railroad Morse) is the first version, used on American telegraph lines. It has gaps inside some letters, such as C, O, R and Z, and dashes of different lengths. International Morse code (1865, now an ITU standard) removed those gaps and is the version used by radio operators all over the world. This translator uses International Morse code.