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Learn Morse Code
A 180-year-old code that still works with nothing but a flashlight, a whistle or a tapping finger. Learn how it works, then hear your own messages.
~8 min3 lessonsTranslator with sound5-question quiz
01
Dots, dashes and timing
Every letter is a short pattern of dots (short signals, “dit”) and dashes (long signals, “dah”). Timing is what makes it readable:
| Element | Length |
|---|---|
| Dot | 1 unit |
| Dash | 3 units |
| Gap inside a letter | 1 unit |
| Gap between letters | 3 units |
| Gap between words | 7 units |
Learn by sound, not sight. Experienced operators hear “di-dah” as the letter A, rather than counting dots and dashes. Say the patterns out loud.
02
The alphabet
| 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 −−·· | 1 ·−−−− | 5 ····· | 0 −−−−− | ? ··−−·· |
Start with the shortest: E (·), T (−), then I, A, N, M, S, O. The most common English letters have the shortest codes.
03
SOS and using it
SOS is · · · − − − · · · sent as one run without letter gaps. It was chosen because it's simple and unmistakable, not because it stands for anything.
- You can send it with a flashlight, a car horn, a whistle, a mirror flash or by tapping.
- Three of anything (three whistles, three flashes) is a widely recognised distress signal too.
Try it · translator