How to translate Morse code
- Type your text in the first box and its Morse code appears in the second. You can also paste dots and dashes and they are translated to text.
- Separate letters with a space and words with a slash «/» (or with three spaces).
- Adjust the speed and the pitch, and tap «Play sound» to hear it, «Show as light» to see it as full-screen flashes, or «Vibrate» on your phone.
- To translate Morse that is playing nearby, tap «Listen with the microphone» and allow the permission: the text appears as the sound plays.
What Morse code is
Morse code represents each letter and number with a combination of short signals (dots) and long ones (dashes). It was devised by Samuel Morse with Alfred Vail in the 1830s for the telegraph, and was used for more than a century in shipping, aviation and amateur radio. The best-known distress signal, SOS (··· −−− ···), sounds just as clear in any language.
The timing follows a fixed rule: a dash lasts three times as long as a dot, the gap between signals within a letter lasts one dot, the gap between letters lasts three dots and the gap between words lasts seven. Speed is measured in words per minute, using the word PARIS as the reference: at 20 words per minute each dot lasts 60 milliseconds.
When listening to Morse, the tool measures how long each tone and each silence lasts, estimates the speed by itself from the shortest tones and separates letters and words. Everything is calculated on your device.
Things to keep in mind
- The Latin alphabet of international Morse is used, with numbers, punctuation marks and some accented letters (Á, Ä, Ç, É, È, Ñ, Ö, Ü). Other alphabets such as Cyrillic, Arabic or Japanese are not included.
- Listening by microphone works best with a clean tone, little background noise and a steady speed. Morse tapped by hand with an uneven rhythm may be translated incorrectly.
- If the message has only dashes, the tool can't know the speed and takes them as slower dots.
- Vibration and screen lock depend on the browser: vibration works mainly in Chrome for Android.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write SOS in Morse code?
With three dots, three dashes and three dots: ··· −−− ···, or ... --- ... on the keyboard.
How do I separate words in Morse?
Leave a space between letters and a slash «/» between words. Three spaces in a row are also understood as a word separator.
Can it translate Morse that is playing?
Yes. Tap «Listen with the microphone», allow the permission and bring the sound close. It works best with a clean tone and a steady speed.
Is the microphone audio recorded?
No. The sound is analyzed on the spot, on your device, and is not saved or sent to any server.
Is it free? Do I need to install anything?
It is free, needs no sign-up and works right in the browser, on your phone too.