Morse Code Translator
Translate text to Morse and back, hear it at any WPM, watch it flash, and learn it with a built-in trainer
100% free. Runs entirely in your browser - your files and data never leave your device and nothing is uploaded to any server.
Morse code
- Characters
- 3
- Words
- 1
- Duration
- 1.8 s
- Dot / dash
- 67 / 200 ms
- Letter / word gap
- 200 / 467 ms
Morse code chart
About this tool
Morse code represents every letter and digit as a sequence of short and long signals - dots and dashes - originally designed for telegraph operators to send over a single wire, and later adopted for radio, light signalling (like a ship's signal lamp) and the SOS distress call. This tool translates in both directions and, unlike a plain text-to-Morse converter, can actually PLAY the result back - as an audible tone with correct timing, or as a full-screen light flash - which is closer to how Morse is really used than reading dots and dashes off a screen.
How to use this tool
- Choose a directionText to Morse or Morse to Text - or press Swap to flip the current result around.
- Type, paste or tapFor Morse, separate letters with a space and words with a slash ( / ); dots like · and dashes like − work too. On a phone, use the tap pad.
- Play it backPlay either direction as sound, an in-page light, vibration or a full-screen flash at 5-40 WPM, with each letter highlighted as it plays. Download it as .wav or .txt.
How to read and write Morse code
Each letter is a pattern of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes): E is a single dot, T a single dash, and SOS is ... --- ... . When typing Morse to translate it back, put a space between letters and a slash (/) between words.
To learn, start with the Koch method: practise just two letters at full speed, then add one more each time you reach 90% accuracy. Learning by sound, rather than by counting dots and dashes, is what makes copying Morse fast.
Key features
- Translates both directions - text to Morse and Morse back to text.
- Plays Morse with correct standard timing (dot = 1 unit, dash = 3 units, with matching gaps) rather than just displaying dots and dashes.
- Sound, light, vibration and full-screen flash - in both directions - with a tone and volume you choose.
- Exact speed from 5 to 40 WPM plus Farnsworth spacing, a Koch-method trainer, daily challenge and a clickable chart with an A-Z audio pack for flashcards.
Common uses
- Learning or practising Morse code by ear, at a speed you control.
- Recreating an SOS or other distress signal for a demonstration, film prop, or scouting/emergency-preparedness exercise.
- Decoding a Morse message you received (a puzzle, an escape room clue, a radio transcript).
- A novelty way to send a short message - a name or short phrase - as light or sound.
Tips for better results
- Standard Morse timing is dot = 1 unit, dash = 3 units, gap between letters = 3 units, gap between words = 7 units, and one unit lasts 1200 / WPM milliseconds (the PARIS standard) - the timing panel under the result shows the exact values.
- For light-flash playback at higher speeds, use a device with a bright, high-contrast screen - the difference between "on" and "off" needs to read instantly.
- When typing Morse to translate back to text, a single space separates letters within a word, and a forward slash ( / ) separates words - this is the standard notation, not this tool's own invention.
- SOS is the classic test case: ... --- ... - three dots, three dashes, three dots, with no inter-letter gap traditionally, though this tool renders it with standard letter spacing for clarity.
Frequently asked questions
It flashes your screen full white/black in genuine Morse timing, which works for practising or demonstrating light signalling (like a lamp signal) at close range. It is a phone or laptop screen, not an actual signal lamp, so range and visibility depend entirely on your device's screen brightness.
Separate the dots and dashes of one letter with nothing (no space), separate letters with a single space, and separate words with a forward slash surrounded by spaces, like "... --- ... / ...- .. .--." for "SOS VIA". The translator trims extra whitespace automatically.
WPM (words per minute) sets how long one dot lasts: 1200 / WPM milliseconds, so 20 WPM is a 60 ms dot. Farnsworth timing keeps each letter at that speed but stretches the gaps between letters and words, so learners hear the real rhythm of each character with time to think - the standard way Morse is taught.
It is synthesized live using the Web Audio API - a single sine-wave tone switched on and off with correct timing - so there is nothing to download and it works offline once the page has loaded.