Morse Code Translator
100% LocalTranslate text to Morse code and back, with audio playback.
Type text to get Morse output, or tap dots and dashes to decode. Press play to hear the audio.
What is Morse Code Translator?
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Deep Dive
Morse Code Translator
Convert any text to International Morse Code (dots and dashes) or decode Morse back to text. Features audio playback using the Web Audio API with adjustable speed (WPM), a quick reference chart for all letters and digits, and bidirectional swap.
Spec-Compliant
Follows the RFC or de-facto encoding rules, no custom dialects, no surprises.
Lossless Round-Trip
Encode then decode and you get back exactly what you put in, byte for byte.
Handles Edge Cases
Unicode, padding, invalid input, surfaced clearly instead of silently mangling output.
01 Timing & Speed Matrix
| Element | Duration (Units) | Example (at 20 WPM) | Standard Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot | 1 Unit | 60 ms | 60s / (50 * WPM) |
| Dash | 3 Units | 180 ms | 3 * Dot Duration |
| Intra-Character | 1 Unit | 60 ms | 1 * Dot Duration (Space) |
| Inter-Character | 3 Units | 180 ms | 3 * Dot Duration (Space) |
| Inter-Word | 7 Units | 420 ms | 7 * Dot Duration (Space) |
02 Translation & Audio Pipeline
03 When You Reach for Morse
Morse code is still in active use in 2026, just not where most people expect. Amateur radio operators, pilots, and accessibility designers all rely on it. It is the wrong tool whenever a richer modulation is available.
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Amateur radio CW operation CW (continuous wave) is the most bandwidth-efficient mode on HF. A 50 Hz CW signal punches through QRM that drowns out SSB voice on 40m or 20m. ARRL contests, DXpeditions, and POTA activations still log thousands of CW QSOs every weekend at 20–30 WPM.
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Aviation NDB and VOR identifiers Non-directional beacons and VOR stations transmit their three-letter identifier in slow Morse on the audio sub-carrier. A pilot tuned to 113.20 listening for
-.- ... ..-(KSU) confirms they're navigating the right beacon before trusting the needle. -
Single-switch accessibility input People with severe motor disabilities can compose text using a single dot/dash switch, short press for dit, long press for dah. iOS Switch Control and Android's Tecla have built-in Morse keyboards because the input bandwidth is achievable with one reliable muscle group.
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Emergency signalling and SOS The maritime distress signal
... --- ...was retired in 1999 in favour of GMDSS, but it is still universally recognised. A flashlight or whistle keying SOS works when no radio gear is available, just remember it is signalled as one continuous prosign, not three letters. -
Modern data transmission For HF digital traffic, FT8, JS8Call, and PSK31 carry orders of magnitude more information per Hz. Morse is human-readable at 20 WPM; a modem is not. Use Morse where the human in the loop is the point.
04 Worked Examples
S → . . . (dit-dit-dit)
gap → three units (inter-letter)
O → - - - (dah-dah-dah)
gap → three units (inter-letter)
S → . . . (dit-dit-dit)
. . . - - - . . .
dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit
| 1| 1| 1| 3 | 3 | 3 | 1| 1| 1
intra-element gap = 1 unit between each
total duration: 19 units = 1.14 s at 20 WPMThe "S-O-S" you see written is shorthand. On the air it is one continuous nine-element prosign, that's why it is unmistakable even through severe interference.
AR ·-·-· "end of message" (~over)
SK ···-·- "end of contact" (clear)
BT -···- "break" / paragraph (separator)
KN -·--· "go ahead, named station only"
SOS ···---··· distress prosignCQ CQ DE W1AW W1AW K
... message ...
73 AR SKProsigns are sent as a single unit, no inter-letter gap inside the prosign, but full inter-letter gap before and after. They function as the punctuation of CW.
E · 1 element (12.7% of letters)
T - 1 element ( 9.1%)
A ·- 2 elements ( 8.2%)
I ·· 2 elements ( 7.0%)
N -· 2 elements ( 6.7%)
...
Q --·- 4 elements ( 0.1%)
J ·--- 4 elements ( 0.2%)average characters per English letter ≈ 2.4 elements
(near-optimal prefix code, 70 years before Huffman)Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail counted letters in a Philadelphia newspaper's type case to assign codes. The result is a hand-crafted prefix code that's within a few percent of Shannon-optimal for English, a remarkable engineering instinct.
05 Related Tools
Morse sits next to other "classical" encodings and to text-handling utilities a radio operator or hobbyist tends to keep open.
Caesar Cipher
Another historical encoding, frequently shows up alongside Morse in CTFs and puzzles.
Character Counter
Estimate how long a message will take to send by counting dits, dahs, and gaps after encoding.
Text Diff
Compare your decoded Morse against an expected transcript to spot dropped or merged letters.