📡 Morse Code Translator

What is the Morse Code Translator?

Morse code represents each letter, number and punctuation mark as a short sequence of dots and dashes, traditionally called dits and dahs. It was developed in the 1830s and 1840s for the electric telegraph and later became the backbone of long-distance radio communication. Because the alphabet only needs two states (on and off, short and long), Morse can travel over almost any channel: a telegraph key, a flashing light, a radio tone, or even a tapped finger.

The modern standard is International Morse Code, defined by the International Telecommunication Union. Spacing is what makes it readable: a dot lasts one unit, a dash three units, the gap between symbols in a letter is one unit, the gap between letters is three units, and the gap between words is seven units. In written Morse those timing rules are shown as a single space between letters and a slash (with spaces around it) between words, which is exactly the convention this translator uses.

Decoding works in reverse. The tool reads each group of dots and dashes, looks it up in the same table, and rebuilds the original character. If a symbol group does not match any known character, or if a typed character has no Morse equivalent, it is shown as a hash so you can see exactly where the problem is rather than getting a silently wrong result. Letter case is not preserved, because Morse code does not distinguish uppercase from lowercase.

When to use it

• Learning or practising Morse code for an amateur radio (ham) licence exam.
• Decoding a Morse message you found in a puzzle, escape room, geocache or video game.
• Creating a Morse message to flash with a torch, tap out, or play as a tone.
• Teaching students how telegraphy and binary-style encoding work in a history or computing lesson.

How to use the Morse Code Translator

1. Choose a direction: Text to Morse, or Morse to Text.
2. Type or paste your text (or your dots and dashes) into the input box.
3. Read the converted result in the box below as you type.
4. Use Copy result to grab the output, or Swap to send the result back into the input and reverse the direction.

Formula & method

Worked examples

International Morse code for the letters A to Z

Morse code for the digits 0 to 9

Standard Morse timing units

Common mistakes to avoid

• Running letters together without spaces. Morse needs a gap between letters to be readable. Without spacing, ...--- could be read as S then T then E (... - .) or as the digit 3 (...--). Always leave one space between letters and a slash between words.
• Confusing the word gap with the letter gap. A single space separates letters; a slash (with spaces around it) separates words. Using a space where you meant a word break merges two words into one when decoding.
• Mixing up similar patterns. Several characters look alike at a glance: A is .- while N is -. (reversed), and U is ..- while D is -.. . Reading the dots and dashes in the wrong order produces a different letter.
• Expecting case or special symbols to survive. Morse code has no separate uppercase and lowercase, so case is dropped. Characters with no standard Morse equivalent (such as emoji or rare symbols) cannot be encoded and appear as a hash in the result.

Glossary

Dot (dit)

The short signal element in Morse code, written as a period and lasting one time unit.

Dash (dah)

The long signal element, written as a hyphen and lasting three time units, the length of three dots.

International Morse Code

The standard code defined by the International Telecommunication Union, used worldwide for letters, digits and punctuation.

Word gap

The pause between words, equal to seven units, shown in written Morse as a slash separating the two words.

Prosign

A procedural signal made by running two letters together without the usual letter gap, such as the distress call SOS.

Frequently asked questions