Morse Code Translator
Convert text to Morse code and back, using the standard international code for letters, digits, and common punctuation.
Morse code
Dots, dashes, and a little rhythm
Every Morse character is a short sequence of dits (short signals) and dahs (signals three times as long), separated within a letter by a one-unit gap. Letters within a word are separated by a three-unit gap, and words are separated by a seven-unit gap — which is why, written on paper, a single space divides letters and a slash divides words.
The code was designed so the most frequent letters in English get the shortest patterns: E is a single dit, T is a single dah, and rarer letters like Q, X, and Z get longer, four-signal patterns. That weighting is part of why fluent operators can send and copy it quickly once the rhythm becomes automatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Morse code standard does this translator use?
The International Morse Code (ITU-R M.1677-1) — the same dot/dash table used worldwide for amateur radio and general reference. It covers the 26 letters, the digits 0–9, and the common punctuation marks.
How are words separated in the Morse output?
Letters within a word are separated by a single space. Words are separated by a slash ( / ), which is the usual way to write Morse on paper or screen even though on the air a word gap is simply a longer silence.
What happens to characters that aren't in the Morse table?
They're dropped from the output. This is a translator for readable text and standard punctuation, not a lossless encoder for arbitrary symbols.
Why does decoding sometimes show a ⁇ symbol?
That marks a code group (a sequence of dots and dashes) that doesn't match any letter, digit, or punctuation mark in the standard table — usually a typo, like an extra dot or a missing space.
Educational tool only. For timing your own sending and copying practice, pair this with the WPM & Farnsworth timing calculator.