Morse code translator
Type text and get Morse code, or paste dots and dashes and get text back. Play it as a tone at a speed you choose, download the sound as a WAV file, and look up any character in the chart. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Morse code
.... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -..
10 characters encoded.
Options
Adds Ä Ö Ü Ñ Ç Å È Ð Þ Ĝ Ĵ Ś. É is in the ITU table and always works.
Type <SOS>, <AR>, <SK>, <BT>, <KN> or <AS> to send one as a single run-together signal. When decoding, SOS and SK are shown by name.
Play or download the sound
Plays the Morse code shown above (the output, or your input in Morse-to-text mode) with standard PARIS timing.
Length: 7.08 s, including the pause after the last word.
Photosensitivity warning: flashing lights can trigger seizures in some people. At 20 WPM a run of dots flashes about 8.3 times per second; more than 3 flashes per second is generally considered risky. Leave this off if you are unsure.
Morse code chart
Every character this page can encode and decode. Entries marked ITU are in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1.
Letters
- 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--..
Digits
- 0-----
- 1.----
- 2..---
- 3...--
- 4....-
- 5.....
- 6-....
- 7--...
- 8---..
- 9----.
Punctuation and signs
! & ; _ $ are widely used but are not in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1. ITU lists the left and right brackets separately.
- ..-.-.-
- ,--..--
- :---...
- ?..--..
- '.----.
- --....-
- /-..-.
- (-.--.
- )-.--.-
- ".-..-.
- =-...-
- +.-.-.
- @.--.-.
- !-.-.--*
- &.-...*
- ;-.-.-.*
- _..--.-*
- $...-..-*
Prosigns
Prosigns are sent as one run-together signal with no gaps inside. AR, BT, KN and AS share their signal with a punctuation mark, so decoding shows the mark.
| <SOS> | ...---... | Distress call (no abbreviation of words) |
|---|---|---|
| <AR> | .-.-. | End of message (same signal as +) |
| <SK> | ...-.- | End of contact (ITU: end of work) |
| <BT> | -...- | Break, new paragraph (same signal as =) |
| <KN> | -.--. | Go ahead, named station only (same signal as the left bracket) |
| <AS> | .-... | Wait (same signal as &) |
Accented letters
E with acute accent is part of the ITU table. The others are regional extensions that vary between languages and are not ITU standard.
- É..-..
- Ä.-.-†
- Ö---.†
- Ü..--†
- Ñ--.--†
- Ç-.-..†
- Å.--.-†
- È.-..-†
- Ð..--.†
- Þ.--..†
- Ĝ--.-.†
- Ĵ.---.†
- Ś...-...†
* common, not in ITU-R M.1677-1. † regional extension, not ITU standard.
How it works
- •The code table is International Morse as listed in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1: letters, digits and punctuation, with separate signals for the left and right bracket. The letters, digits and nearly all of the punctuation were checked against the table in the ITU document itself.
- •A few signs people expect, ! & ; _ and $, are not in that recommendation but are widely used, so they are included and marked as common. The accented letters are optional regional extensions that differ between languages; they are marked as not ITU standard. É is in the ITU table.
- •Spacing follows the standard: a dash is three dots, the gap inside a letter is one dot, between letters three dots and between words seven dots. Speed is in words per minute (WPM) using the word PARIS, which is 50 dot lengths, so one dot lasts 1200 divided by the WPM in milliseconds. At 20 WPM that is 60 ms and PARIS takes exactly 3.0 seconds.
- •The sound and the WAV file end with one word gap, so PARIS at 20 WPM is the full 50 units. The WAV is 16-bit mono at 44.1 kHz with a 5 ms fade at the start and end of every tone so it does not click.
- •Decoding accepts . or · or • for a dot and - or _ or – or − for a dash. A space separates letters; a slash, a bar, a line break or three or more spaces separate words. Anything it cannot read is shown as ? and the first one is reported with its position.
- •Prosigns such as <SOS> are sent as one run-together signal. AR, BT, KN and AS have the same signal as +, =, ( and &, so decoding shows the punctuation mark.
Questions
- How do I write Morse code so the decoder reads it?
- Use dots and dashes, put one space between letters and a slash (or three spaces) between words, for example .... .. / - .... . .-. . for HI THERE. Alternative dot and dash characters and extra spaces are tolerated.
- Why is PARIS used to measure speed?
- PARIS, followed by the space after the word, is exactly 50 dot lengths, a convenient average word. A speed of 20 WPM therefore means 20 repetitions of PARIS per minute, which is 60 ms per dot.
- What is Farnsworth spacing?
- Letters are sent at full speed but the pauses between letters and words are made longer, which gives learners time to recognise each sound. With letters at 20 WPM and an overall speed of 10 WPM, PARIS takes 6.0 seconds instead of 3.0.
- Is my text uploaded or saved?
- No. The translation, the sound and the WAV file are all produced in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere or stored. Closing or refreshing the page clears the box.