Timing at 20 WPM
International Morse timing is measured in units: a dot is 1 unit, a dash 3, the gap inside a character 1, the gap between letters 3 and the gap between words 7. At 20 words per minute, one unit is 1200 ÷ 20 = 60 ms.
| Character | Morse | Sounds like | Units | Time | Gap after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | --. | dah-dah-dit | 9 | 540 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| O | --- | dah-dah-dah | 11 | 660 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| O | --- | dah-dah-dah | 11 | 660 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| D | -.. | dah-di-dit | 7 | 420 ms | 7 units (420 ms) |
| N | -. | dah-dit | 5 | 300 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| I | .. | di-dit | 3 | 180 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| G | --. | dah-dah-dit | 9 | 540 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| H | .... | di-di-di-dit | 7 | 420 ms | 3 units (180 ms) |
| T | - | dah | 3 | 180 ms | — |
In total, GOOD NIGHT is 93 units — 5.58 seconds at 20 WPM: 9 characters, 11 dots and 13 dashes. At a beginner's 5 WPM it would take 22.32 seconds.
Sound it out
Operators learn Morse as sound, not as dots to count. Say “di” for a dot inside a character, “dit” for a final dot and “dah” for a dash, with a pause between letters:
dah-dah-dit dah-dah-dah dah-dah-dah dah-di-dit / dah-dit di-dit dah-dah-dit di-di-di-dit dah
Letters in GOOD NIGHT that are easy to mix up
These letters differ from the ones in GOOD NIGHT by a single dot or dash — one flipped element, or one extra or missing at the end — so they are the usual misreadings when you are copying by ear or by light:
| Letter | Morse | Easily confused with |
|---|---|---|
| G | --. | D (-..), M (--), O (---), Q (--.-) |
| O | --- | G (--.), K (-.-), M (--), W (.--) |
| D | -.. | B (-...), G (--.), K (-.-), N (-.) |
| N | -. | D (-..), I (..), K (-.-), M (--) |
| I | .. | A (.-), E (.), N (-.), S (...) |
| H | .... | B (-...), F (..-.), L (.-..), S (...) |
| T | - | E (.), M (--), N (-.) |
About GOOD NIGHT
GOOD NIGHT spelled in full is two words and nine letters. On the air, operators shorten it to GN, which appears in amateur clubs' lists of common CW abbreviations alongside GM (good morning) and GE (good evening).
The habit is older than radio. The ARRL notes that in Western Union's '92 Code', used by landline telegraphers before the American Civil War, the number 30 meant 'the end, no more' and also 'good night' — and that 30 in landline Morse sounds like the prosign SK that radio operators still send at the end of a contact.
Related radio abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Morse | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| GN | --. -. | Good night |
| SK | ... -.- | End of work / end of contact |
GOOD NIGHT in other codes
| NATO phonetic alphabet | Golf Oscar Oscar Delta / November India Golf Hotel Tango |
|---|---|
| Binary (UTF-8) | 01000111 01001111 01001111 01000100 00100000 01001110 01001001 01000111 01001000 01010100 |
Convert your own text with the Morse code translator, the NATO alphabet converter or the binary translator, or print the Morse code alphabet.