How to use the morse code translator
- Type in the Text box to see Morse code appear in the Morse code box, or type or paste Morse into the Morse box to see plain text. Either box updates the other.
- In Morse, separate letters with a space and words with a slash (/), or with three spaces. Use dots and dashes. Middle dots and minus signs are accepted too.
- Set the speed in words per minute (5 to 40) and a tone, then press Play to hear the message. Stop ends playback at any time. Tick the flashing light option only if you want a visual signal.
- Press Download WAV to save the sound as an audio file, or Copy Morse and Copy text to copy either side. The chart at the bottom lists every supported character.
Formula
dash = 3 dots; gap inside a letter = 1 dot; gap between letters = 3 dots; gap between words = 7 dots
PARIS = 50 dots long, counting the 7 dot word gap after it
dot length in seconds = 1.2 / words per minute
The proportions come from the ITU international Morse code recommendation. Defining speed by the word PARIS is a widely used convention, not part of the ITU text.
Worked example
The word PARIS in Morse is .--. .- .-. .. ... . The elements and inner gaps add up to 11 + 5 + 7 + 3 + 5 = 31 dots, and the four gaps between letters add 4 x 3 = 12, for 43 dots. Adding the 7 dot gap that follows a word gives 50 dots. At 20 words per minute a dot lasts 1.2 / 20 = 0.06 seconds, so a dot is 60 milliseconds, a dash 180 milliseconds, a letter gap 180 milliseconds and a word gap 420 milliseconds.
Plain text SOS becomes ... --- ... and the text HELLO WORLD becomes .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. as shown in the boxes above.
What the translator supports
The table follows the International Morse code recommendation from the ITU (ITU-R M.1677-1): the 26 letters, the 10 digits, and the punctuation marks it lists, which are the full stop, comma, colon, question mark, apostrophe, hyphen, slash, left and right brackets, quotation marks, the equals sign, the plus sign and the at sign. Curly quotes and long dashes typed from a keyboard are matched to their plain forms.
A few procedural signals from the same table can be typed in angle brackets: <AS> (wait), <KA> (starting signal), <SK> (end of work), <VE> (understood) and <HH> (error, eight dots). Other characters, such as accented letters or an exclamation mark, have no code in that table, so they are skipped and the page tells you which ones.
When you translate Morse to text, a code that matches nothing is shown as a question mark and listed so you can correct it. Case does not matter in text, and the output is always capital letters.
Sound, speed and the WAV file
The sound is generated in your browser with the Web Audio system: a pure tone that switches on and off with a very short fade to avoid clicks. Choose 400 to 1,000 hertz to suit your ears. Playback begins only after you press Play, because browsers block automatic sound.
The WAV download is a small mono 16-bit file built from the same timing, and it is limited to five minutes. It is made entirely on your device. If your browser cannot play sound, you can still download the file. The optional flashing light follows the sound; it is off by default because rapid flashing can bother people who are sensitive to it.
Learning and using Morse
Most people learn Morse by sound at a character speed fast enough that each letter is heard as a rhythm, not counted as dots. The speed control here lets you start slow, at 5 words per minute, and work upward. Spelling words with the NATO phonetic alphabet or scrambling them with the Caesar cipher are related word games. To hear text read in a voice instead, use the text to speech reader.
Assumptions and limits
- Codes follow ITU-R M.1677-1 for letters, figures, punctuation and the listed procedural signals. Regional or amateur extensions, such as codes for accented letters or the exclamation mark, are not included.
- Timing uses the standard proportions (1, 3 and 7 dots) at an even rhythm. Farnsworth spacing, where gaps are stretched while characters stay fast, is not offered.
- Messages are limited to 1,000 characters. Playback is limited to ten minutes and WAV export to five minutes.
- Everything is processed in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a space between words in Morse code?
Use a slash with a space on each side, as in .... .. / - .... . .-. . for HI THERE. Three or more spaces in a row also work. Single spaces separate the letters inside a word.
How long is a dot at 15 words per minute?
A dot lasts 1.2 divided by 15, which is 0.08 seconds or 80 milliseconds. A dash is three times as long at 240 milliseconds, and a gap between words is seven dots, or 560 milliseconds.
Why was a character skipped in my translation?
The ITU table has no code for it. Accented letters and the exclamation mark are common examples. The page lists every skipped character under the boxes so you can reword the message.
Can I save the Morse audio?
Yes. Press Download WAV to save the message as an audio file at the chosen speed and tone. It is limited to five minutes and is created on your device without uploading anything.
What does the SOS signal look like?
It is three dots, three dashes and three dots, sent as one run: ... --- ... In text you can type SOS and the translator produces it.