Morse Code Translator

About This Tool

This Morse code translator converts plain text to International Morse Code and decodes Morse code back to readable text. Paste any message and the tool instantly produces the corresponding sequence of dots and dashes. The direction is detected automatically: if your input contains only dots, dashes, spaces, and slashes, the tool decodes it as Morse. Otherwise, it encodes your text into Morse. The translator is free, requires no signup, and keeps your data completely private with no information sent to any server. It supports all 26 English letters and digits 0 through 9 using the standard International Morse Code mappings established by the International Telecommunication Union. Letters within a word are separated by spaces, and words are separated by a forward slash surrounded by spaces. This makes the output easy to read, copy, and transmit using any communication method. A built-in reference chart displays every letter and number alongside its Morse pattern, making the tool useful for both quick conversions and learning the code from scratch.

How Morse Code Works

Morse code represents each letter and number as a unique sequence of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes). A dot is one unit in duration, and a dash is three units. The gap between elements within a single character is one unit. The gap between characters in the same word is three units, equivalent to one space in our text representation. The gap between words is seven units, shown here as " / " with surrounding spaces.

Example: encoding the word "HELLO"

H = ....
E = .
L = .-..
L = .-..
O = ---

The full Morse output for "HELLO" is: .... . .-.. .-.. ---

Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail developed the original code in the 1830s for use with the electric telegraph. The modern International Morse Code, standardized by the ITU, assigns shorter sequences to more frequently used letters. The letter E, the most common in English, is represented by a single dot.

Auto-Detection: Text or Morse Input

This translator automatically determines the direction of translation based on your input. The detection logic examines the characters you enter:

If the input contains only dots (.), dashes (-), spaces, and forward slashes (/), the tool treats it as Morse code and decodes it to plain text.
If the input contains any other characters (letters, numbers, punctuation), the tool treats it as text and encodes it into Morse code.

This means you never need to select a mode manually. Simply paste or type your content and the tool adapts. For example, entering "SOS" produces "... --- ...", while entering "... --- ..." produces "SOS". The detection updates in real time as you modify your input, so you can freely edit without switching modes.

International Morse Code Chart

The standard International Morse Code assigns the following patterns to letters and numbers:

Letters: A (.-), B (-...), C (-.-.), D (-..), E (.), F (..-.), G (--.), H (....), I (..), J (.---), K (-.-), L (.-..), M (--), N (-.), O (---), P (.--.), Q (--.-), R (.-.), S (...), T (-), U (..-), V (...-), W (.--), X (-..-), Y (-.--), Z (--..)
Numbers: 0 (-----), 1 (.----), 2 (..---), 3 (...--), 4 (....-), 5 (.....), 6 (-....), 7 (--...), 8 (---..), 9 (----.)

The letter assignments reflect frequency analysis of English text. Common letters like E, T, A, I, N, and S have shorter codes, while less frequent letters like Q, X, and Z have longer ones. This design minimizes the total transmission time for typical messages.

History of Morse Code

Morse code has a rich history spanning nearly two centuries of communication technology:

1837: Samuel Morse demonstrated the electric telegraph, using a predecessor of modern Morse code that encoded only numbers. Alfred Vail expanded the system to include letters.
1844: The first long-distance telegraph message, "What hath God wrought," was sent from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore using Morse code.
1865: The International Telegraph Union (now ITU) standardized International Morse Code, replacing the original American Morse Code with a more uniform system.
1912: After the Titanic disaster, international regulations mandated Morse code distress signals (SOS: ... --- ...) on all passenger ships.
1999: The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System replaced Morse code for maritime communication, but amateur radio operators continue to use it worldwide.

Despite being replaced in commercial communication, Morse code remains active in amateur (ham) radio, aviation beacons, and accessibility tools for people with limited mobility who can communicate using a single switch.

Practical Uses for Morse Code Today

Morse code is far from obsolete. Here are its modern applications:

Amateur radio: Ham radio operators worldwide use Morse code (called CW for "continuous wave") because it requires minimal bandwidth, works through heavy interference, and can be decoded by ear without electronic equipment.
Emergency signaling: The SOS distress signal (... --- ...) is universally recognized. It can be transmitted by flashlight, mirror, whistle, or any device capable of producing on-off patterns. Knowing Morse basics could prove useful in wilderness survival situations.
Accessibility: People with severe physical disabilities use Morse code input methods to communicate with computers and mobile devices. Android has a built-in Morse code keyboard in its accessibility settings that works with switch access devices.
Education: Learning Morse code improves pattern recognition skills and provides hands-on understanding of encoding concepts. Many computer science educators use Morse code as an introduction to binary encoding and information theory.
Creative projects: Musicians, artists, and designers incorporate Morse code patterns into jewelry, tattoos, songs, and visual art as a form of hidden or encoded messaging.

Encoding Format and Conventions

This translator follows the standard conventions for written Morse code representation:

Dot (.) represents a short signal, also called a "dit"
Dash (-) represents a long signal, also called a "dah"
Single space separates individual letter codes within a word
Forward slash with spaces ( / ) separates words

When decoding Morse input, the translator splits the input by " / " to identify word boundaries, then splits each word by spaces to identify individual letter codes. Each code is looked up in the standard mapping table and converted to its corresponding letter or digit.

Characters not present in the International Morse Code mapping, such as punctuation marks and special symbols, are skipped during encoding. When decoding, any Morse sequence that does not match a known pattern is omitted from the output. This prevents errors from corrupted or non-standard input.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SOS look like in Morse code?

SOS in Morse code is three dots, three dashes, three dots: ... --- ... (with spaces between each letter code). It was chosen as the international distress signal because it is simple to transmit and unmistakable. Contrary to popular belief, SOS does not stand for "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship." It was selected purely because the pattern is easy to recognize and hard to confuse with other signals.

Does this translator support punctuation and special characters?

The current implementation supports all 26 English letters (A through Z) and digits 0 through 9 using the standard International Morse Code mappings. Punctuation marks and special characters are not included in the encoding. When encoding text to Morse, unsupported characters are silently skipped. When decoding Morse to text, only recognized patterns are converted. The letter mappings are case-insensitive, so both uppercase and lowercase input produce the same result.

How is the translation direction detected automatically?

The tool examines every character in your input. If the input contains only dots (.), dashes or hyphens (-), spaces, and forward slashes (/), it is classified as Morse code and decoded to text. If any other character is present, including letters, digits, or punctuation, the input is classified as text and encoded to Morse. This check runs in real time as you type, so the tool switches direction instantly when the content of your input changes.

Can I learn Morse code using this tool?

This translator is a helpful companion for learning Morse code. You can type individual letters or words to see their Morse equivalents, then practice recognizing the patterns. The reference chart displayed below the output shows all letter and number mappings at a glance. For structured learning, start with the most common letters (E, T, A, I, N, S) which have the shortest codes, then gradually add less frequent letters. Many learners practice by encoding short words and sentences, then decoding them back to verify accuracy.

Text Input

Morse Code Reference Chart