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Morse Code Translator

Convert text to Morse code and decode Morse to text

About Morse Code Translator

Morse code is a character encoding that represents letters, digits, and punctuation as sequences of dots (short signals) and dashes (long signals), separated by spaces. Originally designed for telegraph communication in the 1830s, it is still used in amateur radio, aviation, and military contexts — and remains a fascinating encoding system for educational, puzzle, and accessibility purposes. This Morse Code Translator converts plain text to International Morse Code and decodes Morse code back to readable text. Each letter, digit, and supported punctuation character is mapped to its standard ITU Morse sequence. The encoder adds proper spacing between characters and words, and the decoder handles both dot/dash input and the common substitution of periods and hyphens.

Why use Morse Code Translator

Bidirectional Translation

Encode plain text to Morse and decode Morse back to text — both directions in the same tool.

Standard ITU Morse Code

Uses the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard mapping, the same used globally in amateur radio.

Supports Letters, Digits & Punctuation

Encodes A–Z, 0–9, and common punctuation like periods, commas, and question marks.

Flexible Morse Input Format

Accepts both dot/dash (./–) and period/hyphen notation, with space or slash word separators.

Instant Real-Time Conversion

Translation updates as you type — no submit button needed.

Educational & Accessible

Ideal for learning Morse code, HAM radio study, educational projects, and puzzle creation.

How to use Morse Code Translator

  1. Select the direction: Text to Morse or Morse to Text.
  2. Paste or type your input in the corresponding input field.
  3. The translated output appears instantly in the result panel.
  4. For Morse input, use dots (.) for short signals and dashes (-) for long signals.
  5. Separate Morse characters with a space and words with three spaces or a slash (/).
  6. Click Copy to copy the translated output to your clipboard.

When to use Morse Code Translator

  • When studying for an amateur radio (HAM) license that requires Morse code knowledge.
  • When creating puzzles, escape room challenges, or encoded messages for games.
  • When decoding a Morse code sequence found in a book, movie, or educational resource.
  • When demonstrating Morse code in a classroom or educational presentation.
  • When converting text to Morse for use in audio beep sequences or blinking light signals.
  • When verifying the correct Morse encoding for a specific letter or symbol.

Examples

Text to Morse: SOS

Input: SOS

Output: ... --- ...

Text to Morse: HELLO

Input: HELLO

Output: .... . .-.. .-.. ---

Morse to Text

Input: -- --- .-. ... .

Output: MORSE

Tips

  • The Morse code for SOS ('... --- ...') is the most recognizable emergency signal — encode it and memorize it.
  • Use a forward slash (/) as a word separator when typing Morse code input to clearly delimit word boundaries.
  • The letters E (.) and T (-) are the simplest — start learning Morse code with high-frequency letters like E, T, A, O, I, N.
  • To verify your own Morse code practice, encode a word, try to decode it manually, then run it through the decoder to check.
  • Create escape room puzzle clues by encoding a hint phrase to Morse and including dot/dash symbols for players to decode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Morse code standard does the tool use?▾
The tool uses International Morse Code (ITU standard), which is the globally accepted standard for amateur radio and aviation. This is distinct from American Morse Code, an older variant used in early US telegraphy.
How do I format Morse code input for decoding?▾
Separate individual character codes with a single space and separate words with three spaces or a forward slash (/). For example: '... --- ...' decodes SOS, and '.... . .-.. .-.. ---' decodes HELLO.
What does 'SOS' look like in Morse code?▾
SOS encodes to '... --- ...' — three dots for S, three dashes for O, three dots for S. In continuous Morse transmission, SOS is sent without letter spacing as a single emergency prosign.
Can it decode Morse code with audio timing symbols?▾
The tool decodes textual Morse representations (dots and dashes as characters), not audio waveforms. For audio Morse decoding, dedicated software with audio input is required.
Does it support all letters and numbers?▾
Yes. All 26 Latin letters (A–Z, case insensitive), digits 0–9, and common punctuation characters (period, comma, question mark, apostrophe, slash, etc.) are supported per the ITU standard.
What happens with characters that have no Morse equivalent?▾
Characters without a Morse mapping (such as accented letters or emoji) are skipped during encoding. The output will note which characters were omitted.
Is Morse code the same as binary or Base64?▾
No. Morse code is a variable-length character encoding using dots and dashes, originally designed for audio or light signal transmission. Binary and Base64 are digital encodings for computer data.
Can I use this for learning Morse code?▾
Yes. Type a letter to see its Morse equivalent, or enter a Morse sequence to test your decoding. For memorization, focus on the most common letters first: E (.), T (-), A (.-), N (-.}.

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Glossary

Dot (Dit)
The short signal in Morse code, represented by a period (.) in text notation. In audio, it is a short beep of one unit duration.
Dash (Dah)
The long signal in Morse code, represented by a hyphen (-) in text notation. In audio, it is a beep three units long.
Prosign
A special Morse code symbol that is two letters sent without the inter-character space, used to convey procedural signals. SOS is a well-known prosign.
International Morse Code
The ITU-standardized version of Morse code adopted in 1865, which replaced the original American Morse Code and is now used worldwide.
Word space
The gap between Morse code words, equal to seven units of silence. In text notation, represented by three spaces or a slash (/).
CW (Continuous Wave)
The radio transmission mode used for Morse code, where a carrier wave is switched on and off to create the dot-dash pattern.