Convert text to Morse code or decode Morse back to text instantly. Play audio with adjustable speed, view visual dot/dash representations, and explore a complete reference chart. Supports A-Z, 0-9, and common punctuation. Everything runs in your browser.
Complete Morse code alphabet with visual dot/dash patterns. Each character is shown with its Morse code equivalent.
Type or paste text and see the Morse code conversion update in real time. Switch between encode and decode modes with a single click. Auto-detection suggests the correct mode based on your input.
Listen to your Morse code with the built-in audio player. Dots are short beeps, dashes are longer beeps, with proper timing between letters and words. Adjust speed from 5 to 40 WPM using the slider.
See Morse code patterns as visual dots and dashes. Each dot is a circle, each dash is a line, with gaps between letters and words clearly marked. Perfect for learning and verification.
Browse the full Morse code alphabet including all 26 letters, numbers 0-9, and common punctuation marks. Each entry shows the character, its Morse code, and visual representation.
Morse code is a character encoding system that uses sequences of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes) to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation. Invented in the 1830s by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail for use with the telegraph, it became the world's first widely adopted digital communication protocol. Each character has a unique pattern: 'E' is a single dot (the most common letter gets the shortest code), 'T' is a single dash, 'A' is dot-dash, and so on.
Morse code timing follows a strict ratio. A dash is three times as long as a dot. The gap between dots and dashes within a character equals one dot length. The gap between letters is three dot lengths, and the gap between words is seven dot lengths. This standardized timing allows operators to recognize patterns even at high speeds. Modern Morse code speed is measured in words per minute (WPM), where the word "PARIS" (including spaces) serves as the standard unit of measurement.
The version of Morse code used today is technically called International Morse Code or Continental Morse Code, which differs slightly from the original American Morse code. International Morse was standardized in the 1860s and uses only dots and dashes (no spaces within characters), making it more suitable for radio transmission. The distress signal SOS (... --- ...) was chosen because it's unmistakable: three dots, three dashes, three dots. The letters S and O were selected not because they stand for "Save Our Ship" (a backronym), but because the pattern is distinctive and easy to recognize.
The traditional method of learning Morse code is the Koch method, where you start by learning two letters perfectly at full speed (usually 20 WPM), then gradually add more characters. This prevents the bad habit of consciously counting dots and dashes, which limits speed. Modern learners also use the Farnsworth method, where characters are sent at a high speed (20+ WPM) but with longer gaps between them, allowing time to process each one. With daily practice, most people can learn to recognize the entire alphabet in a few weeks and achieve conversational speed (15-20 WPM) within a few months.
The "PARIS" standard defines Morse code timing. The word "PARIS" (including the space after it) contains exactly 50 units: 10 dot-units within letters, 9 inter-symbol gaps, 4 inter-character gaps (3 units each = 12), and 1 inter-word gap (7 units), plus 19 actual signal units (dots and dashes). At a given speed, "PARIS" should take exactly 1 minute to send that many times. So at 15 WPM, one unit equals 1200ms / 15 / 50 = 1.6ms. Wait, that's incorrect math -- at 15 WPM, one unit is 1200ms / 15 = 80ms (since PARIS has 50 units and 15 words per minute means 15 × 50 = 750 units per minute, so 60000ms / 750 = 80ms per unit).
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