Morse code translator
Type text to get Morse, or paste dots and dashes to decode them. Listen at your own speed, watch it flash, or save it as audio.
How Morse timing works
Morse is a rhythm, not a set of symbols. Everything is measured in one unit: a dot is one unit of tone, a dash is three, the silence inside a letter is one, between letters three, and between words seven.
Speed follows from the unit length. The standard word PARIS is exactly 50 units including its trailing word gap, so at W words per minute one unit lasts 1200 ÷ W milliseconds. Try other words in the timeline: E (one dot) is over in a flash, while a digit such as 0 (five dashes) takes nineteen units on its own.
Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail gave the shortest codes to the letters used most in English, which is why E and T are a single dot and dash.
.--. .- .-. .. ...
Tap any block to see what it is.
43 units in total, which takes 2.58 seconds at 20 WPM. Add the 7-unit gap before the next word and PARIS is exactly 50 units. That is why “words per minute” is defined with it: 20 WPM means PARIS 20 times a minute, so one unit = 1200 ÷ 20 = 60 ms.
- dot, 1 unit
- dash, 3 units
- silence (1, 3 or 7 units)
Tips for decoding
- Put one space between letters and a slash between words:
.... .. / - .... . .-. . - Dots written as • or · and dashes written as – or — are accepted.
- Without separators Morse is ambiguous:
...could be S, EEE, EI or IE. - Need the full chart? See the Morse code alphabet with sound for every letter.
Questions people ask
How do I translate Morse code to English?
Paste the dots and dashes into the box. The translator detects Morse automatically and decodes it. Separate letters with a space and words with a slash (/) or three spaces. Unknown sequences show as �.
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is ··· −−− ··· (three dots, three dashes, three dots), sent as one continuous signal without letter gaps. It was adopted as the international distress signal in 1906 because it is easy to send and recognise, not because the letters stand for anything.
How fast is Morse code?
Beginners often copy at 5–13 words per minute; the US amateur licence test historically required 5 WPM, and experienced operators exceed 30 WPM. Speed is measured with the standard word PARIS, which is 50 units long.
What is Farnsworth timing?
Farnsworth timing sends each letter at a higher speed but stretches the gaps between letters and words. Learners hear each character's rhythm as a whole sound instead of counting dots, which is the method recommended by the ARRL.
Which Morse code does this use?
International (ITU) Morse code, the standard used worldwide today. American railroad Morse, used on 19th-century US telegraph lines, differs for several letters.