Type a message to hear and see it in Morse code, or paste dots and dashes to read them back as text. International Morse code, letters, numbers and punctuation.
Morse code doesn't use a third symbol for “nothing” — every letter is built entirely from how long a signal lasts and how long the silence between signals lasts.
| Element | Length (in "units") | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dot (·) | 1 unit | The letter E is a single dot |
| Dash (–) | 3 units | The letter T is a single dash |
| Gap within a letter | 1 unit | Between the dot and dash inside A (·–) |
| Gap between letters | 3 units | Between S and O in SOS |
| Gap between words | 7 units | Shown as / when typed out |
One "unit" is just a length of time you pick — faster operators use a shorter unit, slower learners use a longer one. That's exactly what the Speed (WPM) slider above controls.
Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail designed the code for the electric telegraph, where a signal could only be on or off — there was no way to send a full alphabet of distinct tones. By varying only how long the signal stayed on, and how long the pauses lasted, they could represent every letter, number and punctuation mark with nothing but timing. The most common letters in English, like E and T, were deliberately given the shortest patterns to keep average messages quick to send.
Write a message on the left, or paste dots and dashes on the right — use / between words.
The translation updates as you type. Press play to hear it as real Morse audio, not just symbols.
Adjust the speed (WPM) and pitch sliders if you're training your ear for a specific standard.
Every letter (A-Z) and digit (0-9) with its dot-dash pattern. Click any character to copy its Morse code.
| Letter | Morse | Letter | Morse | Digit | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ·– | N | –· | 0 | ––––– |
| B | –··· | O | ––– | 1 | ·–––– |
| C | –·–· | P | ·––· | 2 | ··––– |
| D | –·· | Q | ––·– | 3 | ···–– |
| E | · | R | ·–· | 4 | ····– |
| F | ··–· | S | ··· | 5 | ····· |
| G | ––· | T | – | 6 | –···· |
| H | ···· | U | ··– | 7 | ––··· |
| I | ·· | V | ···– | 8 | –––·· |
| J | ·––– | W | ·–– | 9 | ––––· |
| K | –·– | X | –··– | ||
| L | ·–·· | Y | –·–– | ||
| M | –– | Z | ––·· |
The most common English letters (E, T, A, O, I, N) have the shortest patterns, making average messages faster to transmit. This was a deliberate design choice by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail.
From the universal distress call to everyday phrases, these are the Morse code sequences you'll encounter most often.
| Word | Morse Code | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ··· ––– ··· | Universal distress signal |
| HELP | ···· · ···· ··· | Emergency assistance |
| HELLO | ···· · ··· ··· ––– | Standard greeting |
| I LOVE YOU | ·· ··· –··· ––– · ··· ·· ··· –· ··· | Personal message |
| YES | –·–– ··· · | Affirmative response |
| NO | –· ––– | Negative response |
| OK | ––– –·– | Acknowledgment |
| CQ | –·–· ––·– | Ham radio "seeking you" call |
Type any of these words into the converter above and press "Play sound" to hear how they sound in real Morse audio. Adjust the speed slider to match your learning pace.
Writing Morse code by hand is straightforward once you understand the timing rules. Here's how to get started.
Start with the most common letters: E (·), T (–), A (·–), O (–––), I (··), N (–·). These six letters appear in most English words, so mastering them first gives you quick wins.
The timing between elements matters as much as the dots and dashes themselves. Use 1 unit between dots/dashes within a letter, 3 units between letters, and 7 units between words. When writing by hand, a single space separates letters, and a forward slash (/) or larger gap separates words.
Start with 2-3 letter words like "HI" (···· ·), "OK" (––– –·–), or "SOS" (··· ––– ···). Use the audio playback feature above to hear how your written code should sound, then try to write what you hear.
Pro tip: Don't try to memorize the entire alphabet at once. Learn 5-6 letters, practice them until they're automatic, then add more. Most people can learn the full alphabet in 1-2 weeks with 15-20 minutes of daily practice.
This translator doesn't just show dots and dashes — it plays them as actual audio. Here's how to get the most out of the sound features.
Words Per Minute controls how fast the audio plays. Beginners should start at 10-15 WPM. As you improve, gradually increase to 20-25 WPM. Expert operators can copy at 30+ WPM. The slider above the converter lets you adjust this in real time.
The pitch slider changes the tone frequency. Most training materials use 600-800 Hz, which is comfortable for most ears. Lower pitches (400-500 Hz) sound deeper and may be easier for some learners. Higher pitches (800-900 Hz) are sharper and cut through background noise better.
Press "Play sound" to hear your message immediately. The audio plays through your browser's speakers or headphones. To save it, press "Download WAV" — this generates a .wav file at your chosen speed and pitch, saved directly to your device. No upload, no server, completely private.
Note for mobile users: iOS and Android require you to tap the page once before audio can play (browser security rule). After the first tap, audio will work normally for the rest of your session.
Need just the chart, or only one direction of the conversion? These are lighter, faster versions of the same engine.
Letters, numbers and punctuation, click to hear.
Open tool →The universal distress signal — play it instantly.
Open tool →SOS, HELP, HELLO and more, ready to play.
Open tool →One-way: type a message, hear and read the code.
Open tool →Text ↔ binary, bidirectional, ASCII or UTF-8.
Open tool →Paste binary — get Morse code + audio. Two-step conversion handled automatically.
Open tool →