The Morse code alphabet
This is the complete International Morse Code as standardized by the ITU: 26 letters, 10 digits, and the punctuation you will actually meet. One honest warning before the table: a chart is for looking things up, not for learning. If you memorize these symbols visually, you build a translation table in your head that collapses at speed. How to learn the code properly is covered in our guide — by ear, at full character speed.
A dot is written here as ·, a dash as −. A dash lasts exactly three times as long as a dot.
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 −−·· |
Digits
| 1 ·−−−− | 2 ··−−− | 3 ···−− | 4 ····− | 5 ····· |
| 6 −···· | 7 −−··· | 8 −−−·· | 9 −−−−· | 0 −−−−− |
The digits follow a beautiful system: from 1 to 5, dots fill up from the left; from 6 to 0, dashes replace them. Once you hear the pattern, you never need the table again.
Common punctuation
| Sign | Code | Sign | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period . | ·−·−·− | Comma , | −−··−− |
| Question mark ? | ··−−·· | Slash / | −··−· |
| Equals = | −···− |
The timing rules
Morse code is entirely a code of time. Everything is measured in one unit — the length of a dot:
- Dot: 1 unit · Dash: 3 units
- Gap between elements inside a character: 1 unit
- Gap between characters: 3 units
- Gap between words: 7 units
Speed is given in words per minute (WPM), measured with the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long. At 20 WPM a dot lasts 60 milliseconds; the letter R (·−·) takes about four tenths of a second. This is why counting dots and dashes stops working long before useful speeds: at 20 WPM there is simply no time to count. There is only time to recognize the rhythm — which is exactly what proper training builds.
Farnsworth timing
Beginners face a dilemma: characters should sound fast (so you learn the real rhythm), but a fast overall pace is overwhelming. The standard solution is Farnsworth timing: characters are kept at full speed, while the gaps between characters and words are stretched. A common starting point is 20 WPM character speed at an effective pace of 10 WPM. As you improve, the gaps shrink — the characters never change.
What about SOS?
The most famous signal of all, ··· −−− ···, is sent as one continuous sequence without letter gaps — technically a single nine-element character. It was chosen for its unmistakable rhythm, not for any words behind it; readings like "Save Our Souls" came later.
Ready to stop reading and start hearing? Learn the code properly — or jump straight in: