How to read the chart
A dot (·, written here as a full stop) is the short signal and a dash (−, written as a hyphen) is three times as long. Inside a letter, the signals are separated by a gap one dot long; between letters the gap is three dots, and between words seven. The “sounds like” line spells the rhythm the way operators learn it: di for a dot inside a letter, dit for a final dot, and dah for a dash. Learning the sound rather than counting dots is how most people reach conversational speed.
Patterns that help you learn
| Elements | Letters |
|---|---|
| 1 | E T |
| 2 | A I M N |
| 3 | D G K O R S U W |
| 4 | B C F H J L P Q V X Y Z |
Some letters are exact opposites — swap every dot for a dash and you get the other letter: A ↔ N, B ↔ J, D ↔ W, E ↔ T, F ↔ Q, G ↔ U, I ↔ M, K ↔ R, L ↔ Y, O ↔ S, P ↔ X. Grouping letters this way, or by length as above, makes the alphabet less of a list to memorise. The only accented letter in the ITU standard is É (..-..); other accented letters are sent as their plain letter.
Type any word into the Morse code translator to hear it, or see common words worked out in full: SOS, hello and I love you.