How it works
Text is converted with the character table of Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1, the international Morse code standard: 26 letters plus the accented É, the figures 0–9 and 15 punctuation marks and signs. Letters with other accents are sent as their base letter, and characters that have no Morse signal are listed so you can see what was left out.
Playback follows the timing rules of the same standard: a dash lasts three dots, the gap inside a letter is one dot, between letters three dots and between words seven dots. The speed in words per minute uses the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 dot units long, so one dot lasts 1.2 ÷ WPM seconds.
International Morse code (ITU-R M.1677-1)
Letters, figures and punctuation of the ITU alphabet.
| Sign | Code | Sign | Code | Sign | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ·− | B | −··· | C | −·−· |
| D | −·· | E | · | É | ··−·· |
| F | ··−· | G | −−· | H | ···· |
| I | ·· | J | ·−−− | K | −·− |
| L | ·−·· | M | −− | N | −· |
| O | −−− | P | ·−−· | Q | −−·− |
| R | ·−· | S | ··· | T | − |
| U | ··− | V | ···− | W | ·−− |
| X | −··− | Y | −·−− | Z | −−·· |
| 1 | ·−−−− | 2 | ··−−− | 3 | ···−− |
| 4 | ····− | 5 | ····· | 6 | −···· |
| 7 | −−··· | 8 | −−−·· | 9 | −−−−· |
| 0 | −−−−− | . | ·−·−·− | , | −−··−− |
| : | −−−··· | ? | ··−−·· | ' | ·−−−−· |
| - | −····− | / | −··−· | ( | −·−−· |
| ) | −·−−·− | " | ·−··−· | = | −···− |
| + | ·−·−· | @ | ·−−·−· |
Timing
- Dash = 3 dots; gap between the parts of one letter = 1 dot.
- Gap between letters = 3 dots.
- Gap between words = 7 dots.
dot (s) = 1.2 ÷ WPM · at 20 WPM one dot is 60 ms
Service signals
| Signal | Code | Written here as |
|---|---|---|
| Understood | ···−· | SN |
| Error (eight dots) | ········ | HH |
| Wait | ·−··· | AS |
| End of work | ···−·− | SK |
| Starting signal | −·−·− | KA |
| Invitation to transmit | −·− | K |
Tips
- To learn, start at about 15–20 WPM so each letter has its own rhythm, rather than counting slow dots and dashes.
- SOS is sent as one continuous signal (···−−−···) in real distress traffic; written as three letters here it shows the usual letter gaps.
- Turn off the sound to use only the light, for example to practise reading signals by eye.
Standards and sources
- Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1: International Morse code · ITU
- ITU-R M.1677-1 full text (PDF) · ITU
- Web Audio API · W3C Recommendation
Last reviewed October 18, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Which Morse alphabet is used?
The international Morse code of Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1: Latin letters, É, figures and the punctuation and service signals listed in the table. National variants such as Cyrillic or Japanese Wabun code are not included.
How is the speed (WPM) defined?
Words per minute are measured with the word PARIS plus a word gap, which is 50 dot units. At 20 WPM a dot lasts 60 ms and a dash 180 ms.
How do I type Morse to decode it?
Use . or · for a dot and - or − for a dash, a space between letters and / (or three spaces) between words. You can also use the buttons under the box.
Why are some characters missing from the code?
Characters without an ITU signal, such as ! or &, or letters of other scripts, cannot be sent. They are listed above the result. Following the standard, × is sent as X and % as 0/0.