📡 Morse Code Translator
Convert text to Morse code, or Morse code back to text. Letters are separated by a single space and words by a slash ( / ) — dots (.) and dashes (-) are used for the code.
The spacing rules that carry the meaning
Dots and dashes alone are ambiguous - ...---... could be read a
dozen ways. The gaps are what separate one letter from the next, and this
translator writes them as plain characters:
SOS HELLO -> ... --- ... / .... . .-.. .-.. ---
element gap = nothing (dots and dashes of one letter touch)
letter gap = one space
word gap = " / "When keyed by ear or by lamp those gaps are silences in a fixed ratio: a dash lasts three dots, the gap inside a letter is one dot, between letters three, and between words seven. Decoding is the same table read backwards, so text that goes in comes back out - though always in capitals, since Morse has no letter case.
What the table covers
- A-Z, 0-9 and 20 punctuation marks from the ITU international
standard, including
.,?/@and&. American Morse and the accented continental letters are not included. - Anything unmapped is dropped silently, so an emoji or a newline simply vanishes rather than raising an error. Keep each message on one line, or the words either side of the break will run together.
- Decoding needs the same spacing: single spaces between
letters and
/between words. An unrecognised group is skipped.
Frequently asked questions
What is SOS in Morse code?
Three dots, three dashes, three dots: ... --- .... As a distress
call it is sent as one unbroken prosign with no letter gaps, which is why it
does not actually stand for "save our ship".
How do I write a space in Morse code?
With a forward slash. This tool puts / between words and a single
space between letters, the convention used in printed Morse and by most decoder
software.
Does Morse code have upper and lower case?
No. Each letter has one pattern regardless of case, so decoded output is always capitals and typing "hello" or "HELLO" gives identical code.