Morse Code Translator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 25 September 2026

Text or code

Direction

Alphabet for decoding

Speed, words per minute

Result

Result.... . .-.. .-.. --- --..-- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -..
Code symbols38
Dots21
Dashes17
Transmission, seconds7.98
Unrecognised0

Both directions, with timing and sound

Translate text to Morse code and back, with the full alphabet, numbers and punctuation, the transmission time at any speed and a button to hear the code.

Morse code spells every character as a pattern of short and long signals, dots and dashes. The patterns follow letter frequency: E and T, the commonest English letters, are a single signal each, while rare letters such as Q and Y take four. That is why the code stays compact with only two marks.

The translator recognises code on its own, so you can paste dots and dashes or type plain text. It counts the signals, works out the transmission time at the speed you choose and plays the code as sound. Russian (Cyrillic) text is translated too.

How to use

Type your text and the Morse code appears at once, with letters separated by spaces and words by a slash.
To decode, paste dots and dashes instead. The direction switches by itself, and “•” and “—” copied from other sites are read correctly.
Keep the decoding alphabet on Latin for English; switch it to Russian only for Cyrillic messages.
Press Play the code to hear the signal, and change the words-per-minute speed to slow it down for practice.

The Morse code alphabet

These are the letters of the international Morse code. A dot is the short signal and a hyphen the long one, written exactly the way this translator reads and writes them.

Operators learn the rhythm rather than counting dots, because at working speed nobody has time to count. A common method is to hear each letter at full speed from the start, with longer gaps between letters, so the pattern is recognised as a whole.

Letters as defined in ITU-R Recommendation M.1677-1.
Letter	Code	Letter	Code
A	.-	N	-.
B	-...	O	---
C	-.-.	P	.--.
D	-..	Q	--.-
E	.	R	.-.
F	..-.	S	...
G	--.	T	-
H	....	U	..-
I	..	V	...-
J	.---	W	.--
K	-.-	X	-..-
L	.-..	Y	-.--
M	--	Z	--..

Numbers and punctuation

Every digit is five signals long, and the pattern can be worked out without a chart. From 1 to 5 the code starts with as many dots as the digit, followed by dashes. From 6 to 9 it starts with dashes, five fewer than the digit, followed by dots. Zero is five dashes.

The exclamation mark is not in the ITU recommendation but is in common use.
Character	Code
1	.----
2	..---
3	...--
4	....-
5	.....
6	-....
7	--...
8	---..
9	----.
0	-----
Full stop .	.-.-.-
Comma ,	--..--
Question mark ?	..--..
Exclamation mark !	-.-.--
Colon :	---...
Hyphen -	-....-
Slash /	-..-.
Brackets ( )	-.--. and -.--.-
Quotation mark "	.-..-.
Equals sign =	-...-
@	.--.-.

How to decode Morse code

Written Morse keeps the signals of one letter together, puts a space between letters and a slash between words. A vertical bar or two spaces work as a word break too.

Several alphabets share the same codes. The Russian letters А, В and Щ use the codes of A, W and Q, so .--. .-. .. .-- . - reads “priwet” in Latin and “привет” in Russian. That is why the decoding alphabet is a setting, while encoding needs none: every character you type has exactly one code.

How long a message takes to send

Morse timing is measured in the length of a dot. A dash lasts three dots. The gap between signals inside a letter is one unit, between letters three and between words seven.

Speed is given in words per minute, measured against the reference word PARIS, which takes exactly 50 units including the gap after it. A dot therefore lasts 1.2 seconds divided by the speed: 60 milliseconds at 20 words per minute. SOS sent as three letters with normal gaps takes 27 units, or 1.62 seconds, and “Hello, world” takes 7.98 seconds.

SOS in Morse code

SOS is ... --- ...: three short, three long and three short signals. On air it is sent as one continuous pattern without the gaps between letters, so it works as a single signal rather than three letters.

Without a radio the same rhythm can be flashed with a torch or a mirror, blown on a whistle or tapped out: three short, three long, three short, then a pause. It is recognised even by people who know no other Morse.

What this calculator shows

The Morse code for your text, or the text for your code in the chosen alphabet
The number of dots and dashes and the transmission time at the chosen speed
Characters that have no Morse code, skipped and listed separately

What to keep in mind

Letters, numbers and punctuation follow ITU-R M.1677-1, plus the common exclamation mark; Russian letters follow the Russian Morse table.
Timing uses the standard gaps of 1, 3 and 7 units without a gap after the last word; the sound is a 600 Hz tone at the same speed.

FAQs

What is SOS in Morse code?

Three dots, three dashes, three dots: ... --- ... It is sent as one continuous pattern, and the same rhythm works with a light, a whistle or knocking.

What does SOS stand for?

Nothing. It was adopted in 1906 for its simple, unmistakable pattern, and every expansion such as Save Our Souls was invented afterwards.

How is Morse written down?

Dots and dashes, letters separated by spaces and words by a slash. That convention is what this translator reads and writes.

Why does my decoded text come out in the wrong letters?

Check the decoding alphabet. Russian and Latin letters share codes, so the same message reads differently in each; for English keep it on Latin.

What counts as a normal sending speed?

Speed is measured in words per minute against the reference word PARIS, which takes 50 units. At 20 words per minute a dot lasts 60 milliseconds; learners usually start slower.

Is Morse still used?

It was retired for maritime distress calls in 1999, but it lives on in amateur radio, in the identification signals of radio navigation beacons, and as an emergency way to signal with light or by tapping.

Worked example

Hello, world

Input: Hello, world

Output: .... . .-.. .-.. --- --..-- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -..

Note: The comma is a character of its own. In all it is 21 dots and 17 dashes, which take 7.98 seconds to send at 20 words per minute.

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