Morse Code Translator
Translate text to Morse and back, with sound and a flashing light.
About this Morse code translator
Type in either direction: plain text becomes dots and dashes, and dots and dashes become plain text. The full ITU alphabet is covered โ the twenty-six letters, the ten digits and the standard punctuation โ and the translation updates as you type.
Press play and the code is sounded at 600 Hz and flashed on screen at the same time, so you can learn by ear, by eye, or both. The speed slider runs from a slow 5 words per minute up to 35, which is past the level most operators ever reach.
How Morse timing actually works
Morse is built on a single unit of time. A dot lasts one unit, a dash three. The gap between symbols inside a letter is one unit, between letters three, and between words seven. Get those ratios right and any speed is readable; get them wrong and even slow code is gibberish.
Speed is quoted in words per minute against the reference word PARIS, which is exactly fifty units long including its trailing word gap. At 15 wpm a unit is 80 milliseconds; at 20 wpm it is 60. Experienced operators learn whole letters as rhythms rather than counting dots, which is why teaching material is usually sent fast with long gaps rather than slowly.
SOS, distress and the things people get wrong
SOS is ยทยทยท โโโ ยทยทยท sent as one unbroken sequence with no letter gaps. It was chosen in 1906 because that pattern is unmistakable even through heavy interference โ it does not stand for "save our souls" or "save our ship", both of which were invented afterwards.
Morse is not a cipher and offers no privacy; it is an encoding, exactly like binary or Base64. If you want to actually conceal something, even lightly, a Caesar shift is the traditional toy for the job โ and it is not secure either.
Frequently asked questions
How do I translate text into Morse code?
Type or paste your text into the box and the Morse appears instantly below it. Press play to hear it, or copy the dots and dashes with the copy button.
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is three dots, three dashes, three dots โ sent as one continuous sequence with no gaps between the letters. It was picked for being unmistakable, not as an abbreviation.
What do the slashes mean in Morse code?
A forward slash marks a word break. Single spaces separate letters, and a slash โ the equivalent of seven time units of silence โ separates whole words.
Is Morse code still used?
Yes, though not for commercial shipping, which retired it in 1999. Amateur radio operators use it daily because it gets through when voice cannot, and aviation navigation beacons still identify themselves in Morse.
How fast should I play Morse code to learn it?
Learn letters at 15 to 20 words per minute with extra-long gaps between them, rather than slowing the letters down. Learning slow characters builds a counting habit that has to be unlearned later.