Morse Code Alphabet Chart

Morse code alphabet chart, A to Z

In this chart a dot is written as a full stop and a dash as a hyphen, the same way our translator writes them.

Morse code has no capital and small letters. The pattern for A is the same as for a.

How long are a dot and a dash?

The chart shows the patterns, and timing makes them readable. The rules are fixed in the International Morse code recommendation of the ITU, the United Nations agency for telecommunication. Everything is measured in dots.

The gaps matter as much as the signals. Without the longer gap between letters, the letters A (dot dash) and E T (dot, then dash) would sound the same.

In writing, the gaps become spaces. Our translator puts one space between letters and a slash between words, so SOS is ... --- ... and HI YOU is .... .. / -.-- --- ..-

Morse code letters by length

A letter has from one to four signals. No letter has five; five signals are used for digits.

The short patterns went to letters that are common in English, such as E, T, A, I and N, so that frequent letters take less time to send. Rare letters such as J, Q and Y have the longest patterns: with the timing rules above, each of them lasts 13 units, against 1 unit for E.

Patterns that help to read the chart

• Only dots: E (1), I (2), S (3) and H (4).
• Only dashes: T (1), M (2) and O (3).
• Opposites: swap every dot for a dash and every dash for a dot, and A becomes N, D becomes W, G becomes U, K becomes R and O becomes S. There are eleven such pairs in the alphabet.
• SOS: S is three dots and O is three dashes, which gives the best known Morse signal, ... --- ...

For a method to memorise the chart, see the guide on how to learn Morse code.

How long does a word take in Morse code?

With the timing rules you can work out the length of any word. We calculated these with the code table of our translator.

The word PARIS is the traditional yardstick for Morse speed, because with the gap after it the word lasts exactly 50 units. A speed of 20 words per minute means PARIS sent 20 times in one minute.

What is not in the alphabet chart?

• Digits. The numbers 0 to 9 have their own patterns of five signals each.
• Punctuation. Marks such as the full stop, the comma and the question mark have patterns of five or six signals.
• Letters with accents. The ITU recommendation lists one, an accented e. Other accented letters and other scripts are not part of International Morse code.

The chart for digits and marks is in the guide on Morse code numbers and punctuation.

How to translate with the chart or a tool

To write a word by hand, look up each letter, write its pattern, and leave a space after each letter. For more than a few words, a Morse code translator is faster and makes no slips.

1. Type or paste your text. The dots and dashes appear at once.
2. To read Morse code, choose Morse to text and paste the code with a space between letters and a slash between words.
3. Press Copy to use the result.

Our translator writes Morse code as text only. It does not play sound.

Frequently asked questions

What is A in Morse code?

A is dot dash, written as .-

Which letters are the shortest in Morse code?

E, which is one dot, and T, which is one dash.

How many letters are in the Morse code alphabet?

International Morse code has patterns for the 26 letters from A to Z. Digits and punctuation marks have their own patterns.

How long is a dash compared with a dot?

A dash is equal to three dots. The gap between letters is also three dots, and the gap between words is seven.

Is Morse code different for capital and small letters?

No. Morse code has one pattern per letter, without capital and small forms.