What this calculator does
Morse code represents every letter and digit as a fixed sequence of short and long signals, traditionally called dots and dashes. It was built for sending messages down a telegraph wire or over radio using nothing but on/off pulses, and the same fixed pattern for morse code numbers and letters is still recognised today, which is why it survives in emergency signalling, amateur radio and the occasional puzzle.
This translator works in both directions. Type ordinary text and it converts each letter and digit into its Morse pattern, or paste Morse code in and it decodes it back into text. Within the International Morse code standard, each letter in a word is separated by a single space, and a forward slash marks the gap between whole words.
The formula
Every supported character has one fixed Morse pattern under the International Morse code standard, so encoding is a straight lookup: each letter or digit in the text is replaced by its pattern, with a space between letters and a slash between words. Decoding runs the same lookup in reverse, splitting the input on slashes to find word breaks and on spaces to find individual letters, then matching each dot/dash group back to the character it represents.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dot | The short signal, traditionally one unit of time long. |
| Dash | The long signal, traditionally three units of time long, three times the length of a dot. |
| Letter space | A single space between two Morse groups, marking the end of one letter and the start of the next. |
| Word space | A forward slash ( / ) marking the gap between two words, longer than the gap between letters. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Text or Morse code | The text to convert to Morse code, or the Morse code to convert back to text, depending on the direction chosen below. |
| Direction | Choose text to Morse code to encode, or Morse code to text to decode. |
When to use it
Learning or teaching Morse code
Typing familiar words and checking the resulting pattern is a common way to start memorising Morse code, since seeing the same letters translated repeatedly builds recognition faster than a static reference chart.
Decoding a message from a puzzle or a scouting activity
Morse code turns up in escape rooms, scouting badges and puzzle hunts precisely because it is a real, checkable standard rather than an invented cipher; pasting the dots and dashes in decodes it instantly.
Sending morse code numbers for a call sign or a distress signal
Amateur radio call signs and reference numbers mix letters and digits, and digits have their own five-symbol Morse patterns distinct from the letters, so a translator that covers both A-Z and 0-9 handles a real call sign end to end.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How single digits translate to Morse code
Each digit uses a five-symbol pattern, unlike letters which range from one symbol (E and T) to four.
How short words and call-sign-style strings translate
A handful of short words and a mixed letters-and-digits string, encoded to Morse.
| Text | Morse code | Letters and digits converted |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ... --- ... | 3 |
| HELLO | .... . .-.. .-.. --- | 5 |
| MAYDAY | -- .- -.-- -.. .- -.-- | 6 |
| 73 | --... ...-- | 2 |
| CQ DX | -.-. --.- / -.. -..- | 4 |
| ABC123 | .- -... -.-. .---- ..--- ...-- | 6 |
Questions
Does this cover morse code numbers as well as letters?
Yes. All 26 letters and all ten digits, 0 through 9, are supported in both directions, each using its fixed pattern under the International Morse code standard.
What does the forward slash mean in the output?
It marks a word break. Within a word, letters are separated by a single space; between words, a forward slash is used instead so the two kinds of gap are not confused, matching standard written Morse code notation.
What happens to punctuation, spaces or symbols that are not letters or digits?
Anything outside A-Z and 0-9 is skipped rather than guessed at, and listed separately in the result so it is clear what was left out of the translation.
Why do SOS and similar short words look so simple in Morse?
S is three dots and O is three dashes, among the shortest and least error-prone patterns available, which is exactly why SOS became the standard distress call: it is almost impossible to send or receive incorrectly, even under pressure or with a weak signal.
For a different kind of text transformation, see the Caesar cipher calculator, which shifts letters through the alphabet rather than converting them to a signal pattern. For plain Unicode text styling instead of encoding, see the bold text generator.