Morse Code Converter — Encode & Decode Morse Code
Morse Code Reference
Morse code uses combinations of dots (·) and dashes (−) to represent letters and numbers. Each dot is 1 time unit, each dash is 3 time units, with 3 units of silence between letters and 7 units between words.
| 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 | − − · · |
| Digit | Code | Digit | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | − − − − − | 5 | · · · · · |
| 1 | · − − − − | 6 | − · · · · |
| 2 | · · − − − | 7 | − − · · · |
| 3 | · · · − − | 8 | − − − · · |
| 4 | · · · · − | 9 | − − − − · |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented Morse code and when?
Morse code was invented by Samuel Morse in the 1830s as part of his telegraph system. It was first successfully demonstrated in 1838 and became widely used for long-distance communication.
Where is Morse code still used today?
Morse code is still used in aviation for navigation beacons, by amateur radio operators worldwide, and for emergency signaling. It's also used in assistive technology and remains a backup communication method in various fields.
What does SOS mean in Morse code and how is it transmitted?
SOS is the international distress signal transmitted as three short dots, three long dashes, and three short dots (... --- ...) without spaces between letters. It was chosen because it's easy to recognize and transmit, not because it stands for any specific words.
How does Morse code handle numbers and punctuation marks?
Numbers in Morse code use five-element patterns (like 1 = .----, 5 = ....., 0 = -----), while punctuation marks have their own specific patterns (period = .-.-.- , comma = --..--). Each number and punctuation symbol has a standardized international code.