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ItalianoA Morse code translator that works both ways
This Morse code translator turns text into Morse and Morse into text as you type. It also plays the message as sound at the speed you choose, and shows the full Morse code alphabet: letters, numbers, punctuation and accented letters.
Morse code spells each letter with two signals, a short one and a long one: the dot and the dash. Silence does the rest, by separating signals, letters and words.
How to use the tool
- Type your message in the "Text" box: the "Morse code" box fills in.
HELLO WORLDgives···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−− / ·−− −−− ·−· ·−·· −··. - For Morse to text, type in the "Morse code" box. The full stop and hyphen keys are enough:
... --- ...is read as SOS. Put a space between letters and a slash "/" between words. - Click "Play" to listen. The current letter is highlighted. "Pause" holds the playback, "Stop" goes back to the start.
- Set "Speed (words per minute)" from 5 to 30 and "Tone frequency (Hz)" from 400 to 900.
- "Download sound (.wav)" saves the message as an audio file, for messages of up to 300 characters. "Copy text" and "Copy Morse" put the result on your clipboard.
A character with no Morse code, such as an emoji, is replaced by "?" and listed under the boxes. Accented letters without a code of their own fall back to the plain letter, so "è" becomes E. The "Light signal" box shows a large light that flashes in time with the message.
The timing rules: 1, 3, 7
All of Morse rests on one unit of time, the length of a dot. A dash lasts 3 dots. The gap between two signals of the same letter lasts 1 dot. Between two letters, 3 dots. Between two words, 7 dots.
Speed is counted in words per minute, using the standard word PARIS. That word takes exactly 50 units, including the gap after it. So the dot lasts 1,200 divided by the speed, in milliseconds: 80 ms at 15 words per minute, 60 ms at 20. At 20 words per minute, PARIS lasts 3 seconds, which is 50 units of 60 ms.
SOS, the distress signal
SOS is ··· −−− ···: three dots, three dashes, three dots. The letters did not originally stand for anything. The pattern was chosen in the early 1900s because it is easy to send and hard to mistake, even through static.
In distress, it is sent as one unbroken run, with no gap between the letters, then repeated after a pause. With a torch or a whistle: three short signals, three long, three short. Only send a distress signal if you really are in distress. A false alarm sends rescuers out for nothing and is a criminal offence in many countries.
Where Morse code is still used
Amateur radio operators still use it, because a Morse signal can be read when a voice no longer gets through. Some air and sea navigation beacons send their identifier in Morse so that crews can tell which one they are receiving. Ships can still signal each other by lamp. Morse also helps people who cannot use a keyboard: one or two switches are enough to write.
How to learn Morse code
Learn by ear, not by counting dots on a chart: each letter should become a sound you recognise as a whole. Listen to letters at their real speed, and lengthen the gaps between them if you need time. Memory aids help at first, such as a word whose rhythm matches the letter. Ten minutes a day works better than an hour a week. The "Practise" mode plays a random letter, you type your answer, and you get a score for a round of 10.
A short history
The code is named after Samuel Morse, who developed an electric telegraph in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s. A version reworked in Europe was adopted as the international code at the Paris telegraph conference of 1865.
Morse code alphabet chart
| Sign | Code | Sign | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ·− | S | ··· |
| B | −··· | T | − |
| C | −·−· | U | ··− |
| D | −·· | V | ···− |
| E | · | W | ·−− |
| F | ··−· | X | −··− |
| G | −−· | Y | −·−− |
| H | ···· | Z | −−·· |
| I | ·· | 0 | −−−−− |
| J | ·−−− | 1 | ·−−−− |
| K | −·− | 2 | ··−−− |
| L | ·−·· | 3 | ···−− |
| M | −− | 4 | ····− |
| N | −· | 5 | ····· |
| O | −−− | 6 | −···· |
| P | ·−−· | 7 | −−··· |
| Q | −−·− | 8 | −−−·· |
| R | ·−· | 9 | −−−−· |
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a space in Morse code?
A space has no sign: it is a silence of 7 dots. In writing, the tool shows it as a slash "/". When reading Morse, it also accepts several spaces in a row or a line break.
What is "I love you" in Morse code?
Type the phrase in the "Text" box. You get ·· / ·−·· −−− ···− · / −·−− −−− ··−.
Why is the light signal greyed out?
Above 7 words per minute, a run of dots would go over 3 flashes per second. Lower the speed to 7 or less and the box becomes available again.
Are all the punctuation signs official?
Most are part of the international code. A few, such as the exclamation mark, ampersand, semicolon, underscore and dollar sign, come from common practice. The sign −−−− is read as "CH".