What Is Morse Code?

Morse code is a system for representing letters, numbers, and punctuation as sequences of two signals: a short mark called a dot and a long mark called a dash. It was built so that messages could travel over a single on-off channel such as a telegraph wire, a radio tone, or a flashing light. You can try any message in our Morse code translator.

How Morse Code Works

Every character is a pattern of dots and dashes. A dash lasts three times as long as a dot. The gaps carry meaning too: a one-dot gap separates parts of a letter, a three-dot gap separates letters, and a seven-dot gap separates words. Because the whole system is just on and off, it can be sent by sound, light, touch, or electrical pulse.

• Dot: one unit of time (written as a period)
• Dash: three units of time (written as a hyphen)
• Gap inside a letter: one unit
• Gap between letters: three units
• Gap between words: seven units

Morse Code Alphabet Chart

The full A to Z letters. See the complete alphabet guide for sounds and memory tricks.

Morse Code Numbers

Digits 0 through 9. More detail on the numbers page.

A Short History of Morse Code

Morse code was developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail for the electric telegraph. The original American Morse code was later refined into International Morse code, which standardised the patterns still used worldwide. For decades it was the backbone of long distance communication, from railways to shipping. See the International Morse code standard for the modern version.

Where Morse Code Is Still Used

Amateur radio operators still use it because it cuts through noise at very low power. Aviation navigation beacons transmit their identifiers in Morse. It also serves as an accessibility tool, letting people communicate with as little as a single switch or eye blink. The distress signal SOS, three dots, three dashes, three dots, is recognised almost everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions