How to translate Morse code
- Type or paste into Text or Morse code. With Auto, the translator detects letters or dots and dashes and translates the other way. Choose Text → Morse or Morse → Text to set the direction yourself, for example to turn a full stop into Morse rather than read it as a dot.
- When typing Morse, leave one space between letters and put / between words (a vertical bar, two spaces or a new line also work). The look-alikes · • – — and _ count as dots and dashes, so code copied from elsewhere works.
- Press Play. Set the Sending speed in words per minute (WPM), the Tone and the Volume; the letter being sent is highlighted. Stop or Esc ends it.
- Under Play as, add the Flashing light panel, or Vibration on phones that support it. Swap moves the result into the input, and Copy result copies it.
Characters with no Morse code, such as €, are listed under the result rather than quietly dropped, and accented letters other than É are sent as the plain letter, with a note. A dot-dash group that means nothing is shown as � and listed.
How Morse code timing works
Everything is a multiple of one unit, the length of a dot. Speed uses the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long including the gap after it, so a dot lasts 1,200 ÷ WPM milliseconds: 60 ms at 20 WPM.
| Element | Length | At 20 WPM | At 5 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot | 1 unit | 60 ms | 240 ms |
| Dash | 3 units | 180 ms | 720 ms |
| Gap inside a letter | 1 unit | 60 ms | 240 ms |
| Gap between letters | 3 units | 180 ms | 720 ms |
| Gap between words | 7 units | 420 ms | 1,680 ms |
Farnsworth spacing helps learners: letters are sent at the full Sending speed, so each keeps its rhythm, while the gaps are stretched until the overall pace matches the Effective speed. The translator uses the ARRL formula, which spreads the extra time over the 19 spacing units of PARIS (three parts per letter gap, seven per word gap). The line under the sliders shows the resulting lengths in milliseconds.
Accuracy and limits
Tones are scheduled on your device's audio clock, accurate to a fraction of a millisecond, and fade in and out over a few milliseconds to avoid clicks. The light and the highlight can only change when the screen redraws (about every 16 ms at 60 Hz), and browsers slow down background tabs, so keep the page in front. Vibration works in Chrome and many other Android browsers; iPhones do not offer it to web pages, so the switch only appears where it works. Signs outside ITU-R M.1677-1, such as ! and $, are marked on the chart. The tool does not decode Morse from a microphone or audio file.
Flashing light: the panel is off until you switch it on and only lights while the code plays, as a plain on and off signal that never flashes faster than the dots of your chosen speed. Fast speeds still mean quick flashes (30 ms at 40 WPM), so if flashing light affects you, leave it off or use 5 to 10 WPM. With reduced motion set on your device, the panel uses a softer colour.
Learning Morse code
Learn Morse by sound rather than by reading the chart: you want to hear "di-dah" and know it is A without counting. Short daily practice beats long sessions. Start with Farnsworth spacing at a sending speed of about 15 to 20 WPM and a slow effective speed, play a few letters at a time from the chart, and close the gaps as you improve. The guide Morse Code Alphabet and How to Learn It covers the Koch method, prosigns and the history of the code. A timer keeps sessions short, and the metronome helps steady your rhythm when sending by hand. For another way of writing numbers, try the Roman numerals converter.
Privacy
Everything is translated and played in your browser; nothing you type is sent to a server. Only your settings (direction, speed, Farnsworth spacing, tone, volume, sound and vibration) are saved in this browser's local storage. Your text is not saved, and the flashing light always starts off.
Frequently asked questions
How do I translate Morse code?
Paste the dots and dashes into the box above, with a space between letters and a slash between words, and the text appears straight away. To write Morse, type normal text instead.
What is SOS in Morse code?
SOS is ... --- ... (three dots, three dashes, three dots). As a distress signal it is sent as one continuous run, ...---..., without gaps between the letters. The letters do not stand for words; the pattern was chosen because it is easy to send and recognise.
How do you write I love you in Morse code?
"I love you" is .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- in International Morse code. Radio amateurs also use the shorthand 88 (---.. ---..) for "love and kisses".
What does the slash mean in Morse code?
In written Morse, a slash marks the gap between two words, which lasts seven dot lengths when sent; it is not sent as a sign. The slash character itself, as in "km/h", has its own code, -..-.
How fast is Morse code?
Speed is measured in words per minute (WPM) with the standard word PARIS. Learners usually start slowly, many radio operators chat at around 15 to 25 WPM, and skilled operators read 40 WPM or more by ear. At 20 WPM a dot lasts 60 ms.
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