What the Morse Code Translator does
This Morse code translator turns text into International Morse code and Morse code back into text, plays it as sound at the speed you choose, flashes it as a light, and saves it as a WAV audio file. It detects which way to translate from what you paste, so typing SOS gives ... --- ... and pasting ... --- ... gives SOS.
The character table is the one in the International Telecommunication Union's Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1, the current international definition of Morse code, including its punctuation and service signals. Timing follows the same document - a dash is three dots, letters are three dots apart and words seven - and you can slow the gaps down without slowing the letters, the Farnsworth method most courses use. Everything, including the audio, is generated in your browser.
How to use it
- Type a message, or paste Morse code with a space between letters and a slash (/) between words. The translation appears as you type, with each character and its code shown underneath.
- If the direction is guessed wrongly - for example a message made only of punctuation - choose Text to Morse or Morse to text yourself.
- Set the character speed in words per minute. To learn by ear, keep the characters fast (18 to 20 WPM) and lower the overall speed; the extra time goes into the gaps.
- Press Play sound to hear it; each character is highlighted as it plays. Press Flash light to see it as a signal lamp instead, and Stop at any time.
- Download the WAV file to keep the audio, or copy the dots and dashes. Open the alphabet table at the bottom for the full ITU list.
Reading the results
In the output, a space separates letters and a slash separates words. In sound or light, those gaps are what tell letters apart: a short gap of one dot inside a letter, three dots between letters and seven between words. Run letters together and ... --- ... becomes a different message.
Characters the ITU table does not cover are left out and listed, rather than silently dropped. Exclamation marks, semicolons, ampersands and dollar signs are common among radio amateurs but are not part of the international standard; tick the option if you want them.
When decoding, a replacement mark means that group of dots and dashes is not a Morse character - usually because a space between two letters is missing. .-... is decoded as the ITU Wait signal rather than &, because that is its meaning in the standard.
WPM is measured with the word PARIS, which is exactly 50 dot-lengths including the gap after it. At 20 WPM one dot lasts 1.2 / 20 = 0.06 seconds.
Worked example: SOS and the word PARIS
S is three dots and O is three dashes, so SOS is ... --- .... At 20 WPM a dot lasts 60 ms and a dash 180 ms. Each S takes 5 units (three dots and two one-unit gaps), the O takes 11 units (three dashes and two gaps), and two three-unit letter gaps join them: 5 + 3 + 11 + 3 + 5 = 27 units, or 1.62 seconds.
PARIS is .--. .- .-. .. ...: 31 units of dots, dashes and the gaps inside letters, plus four letter gaps of 3 units, which is 43, plus the 7-unit word gap - 50 units in all. Twenty of them fill exactly one minute at 20 WPM.
With Farnsworth timing at 18 WPM characters and an overall 5 WPM, each 50-unit word must take 12 seconds. The letters still take 31 x 0.0667 = 2.07 seconds, so the remaining 9.93 seconds are shared out as four letter gaps of 1.57 seconds and one word gap of 3.66 seconds.
Formulas and scoring rules
- Length of one unit (a dot)
u = 1.2 / WPM secondsFrom the PARIS standard: 50 units per word.- ITU spacing
dot 1u, dash 3u, gap inside a letter 1u, between letters 3u, between words 7u- Farnsworth extra time per word
ta = (60c - 37.2s) / (s x c) secondsc = character speed and s = overall speed in WPM (ARRL standard, 1990).- Farnsworth gaps
between letters = 3 ta / 19; between words = 7 ta / 19- Audio
sine tone, 5 ms raised-cosine on and off, 8 kHz 16-bit mono WAVThe soft edges stop the clicks a hard on-off keying makes.
Learning Morse code by sound
Experienced operators do not count dots and dashes; they hear each letter as a single rhythm. Learning at a very slow character speed encourages counting, which becomes a barrier at around 10 to 13 WPM. That is why the Farnsworth method sends each letter at a fairly high speed and adds the extra time between letters instead: the rhythm of each letter stays the same as your speed improves, and only the gaps shrink.
A practical routine is to set the character speed to 18 or 20 WPM, the overall speed to 5, learn a few letters at a time by sound, and raise the overall speed as you stop needing the gaps.
About the flashing light
Morse code can be sent by lamp as well as by sound, as ships still do with signal lamps. On a screen, fast flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy, so the light here never flashes faster than about three times a second - it runs at 7 WPM or slower whatever speed you choose - and if your device asks for reduced motion it uses a softer colour change. It only starts when you press the button.
Limitations: what the result does not prove
- Only International (ITU) Morse is supported. American railroad Morse, Japanese Wabun code and other national variants use different signals and are not translated.
- Decoding needs clear separation: a space between letters and a slash, bar or several spaces between words. It cannot decode audio or a recording; it reads typed dots and dashes only.
- Accented letters other than e-acute have no ITU signal and are sent as the plain letter, so the translation back will not restore the accent.
- This is a learning and fun tool. For real emergency signalling, use the equipment and procedures of your radio service; a phone speaker is not a distress beacon.
Privacy: where your data goes
Everything you paste, type or drop is processed in this browser tab. It is not uploaded, logged, stored or sent to analytics. Session recording and tag-manager scripts are switched off on this page.
Standards and sources
- ITU-R M.1677-1 - International Morse code - checked 19 Sep 2026
- ARRL / QEX - A Standard for Morse Timing Using the Farnsworth Technique (Bloom, 1990)
- W3C WCAG 2.2 - Success Criterion 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold
Frequently asked questions
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is three dots, three dashes, three dots: ... --- .... In real distress use it is sent as one continuous signal without the usual letter gaps, which you can reproduce here by typing <SOS> in angle brackets.
How do I separate words when writing Morse code?
Put a single space between the letters of a word and a slash between words, for example .... .. / - .... . .-. . for HI THERE. When it is sent as sound or light, the gap between words is seven dot-lengths and the gap between letters three.
What does WPM mean in Morse code?
Words per minute, measured with the standard word PARIS, which is 50 dot-lengths long including the gap after it. At 20 WPM a dot lasts 60 milliseconds; at 5 WPM it lasts 240 milliseconds. Licensing tests in the past typically asked for 5 to 20 WPM.
What is Farnsworth spacing?
A way of slowing Morse down for learners by keeping each letter at a normal speed and lengthening only the gaps between letters and words. It stops beginners from counting dots and dashes and helps them recognise each letter's rhythm instead.
Can I download Morse code as an audio file?
Yes. Press Download WAV to save the message as a WAV file at the speed and tone you chose. The file is generated in your browser, plays on any phone or computer, and nothing is uploaded to make it.
Is there Morse code for an exclamation mark?
Not in the international standard. Radio amateurs commonly use -.-.-- for !, and the same is true of ; & $ and _, so the translator offers them as clearly labelled non-ITU extensions that you switch on yourself.
What are Morse code prosigns like SK and AR?
Prosigns are procedure signals sent as one character with no gap between the letters. The ITU lists end of work (...-.-, written SK), the cross or end of message (.-.-., AR), wait (.-..., AS), invitation to transmit (-.-, K) and others. Type them in angle brackets, such as <SK>.
Last reviewed by the A2Z.Tools team against the sources listed above.
