To write Morse code, translate each letter into a pattern of dots and dashes, separate letters with a space and words with a slash. To read it, do the reverse. The free Morse code translator converts text to Morse and Morse back to text instantly, and can play the result as sound, all in your browser.
Morse code represents each letter and number as a short sequence of dots and dashes. It was built for the telegraph and is still used in radio, aviation and emergencies because it can get a message through with nothing more than a tone, a light or a tap.
The building blocks: dots, dashes and gaps
Morse has two symbols, the dot and the dash, and the spaces between them carry meaning too. Five rules cover the timing:
- A dot is one unit of time.
- A dash is three units, three times as long as a dot.
- The gap between symbols in one letter is one unit.
- The gap between letters is three units.
- The gap between words is seven units.
When you write Morse as text rather than sound, those gaps become spaces. A single space separates letters and a slash separates words. So “SOS” is ... --- ... and “hi there” is .... .. / - .... . .-. ..
How to translate text to Morse
Step 1: Choose text to Morse
Open the Morse code translator and set the direction to text to Morse.
Step 2: Type your text
Enter a word or a short message. The dots and dashes appear as you type, with spaces between letters and slashes between words.
Step 3: Hear it or copy it
Press Play to beep the message at a steady rhythm, which is the fastest way to start learning the sounds. Copy the Morse when you want to save or share it.
How to read Morse back into text
Set the direction to Morse to text and paste your dots and dashes. Use one space between letters and a slash between words so the tool knows where each letter and word ends. If you paste something it does not recognise, it flags the symbol rather than guessing, which helps you spot a stray dot or a missing space.
A few well-known sequences
Worth knowing by heart:
- SOS is
... --- ..., the international distress signal, chosen because the pattern is simple and hard to mistake. - E is a single dot and T is a single dash, the two shortest codes, because they are the most common letters in English.
- K is
-.-, the invitation to transmit, often used to say “go ahead” on the air.
Tips for learning Morse
The fastest route is your ears, not your eyes. Listen to letters as rhythms rather than memorising rows of dots and dashes on paper. Start with a handful of common letters, build short words, and let the translator beep them back so you hear the timing done correctly. The seven-unit gap between words is easy to rush, so give it room.
If you would rather see how text maps to 1s and 0s instead of dots and dashes, the text to binary translator shows the other classic way machines carry letters.