Type text to encode it as Morse code, or paste dots and dashes to decode back to text.
International Morse code represents each letter and digit as a sequence of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes). A space separates letters; a slash ( / ) separates words. Developed in the 1830s and standardized internationally, it was the first form of electrical communication.
Standard encoding: A=dot-dash, B=dash-dot-dot-dot, S=dot-dot-dot, O=dash-dash-dash, giving the famous SOS as ...---...
To convert text to Morse code, look up each letter and digit in the standard International Morse Code table, write its dot-dash pattern, separate letters with a space, and separate words with a slash. Example: "SOS" becomes "... --- ..." and "HELLO" becomes ".... . .-.. .-.. ---".
SOS is ... --- ... — three dots, three dashes, three dots, the international distress signal.
A is .- — one dot, one dash.
HELLO is .... . .-.. .-.. --- (H=...., E=., L=.-.., L=.-.., O=---).
1 is .---- — one dot followed by four dashes.
S is ... — three dots, the same pattern used at the start and end of SOS.
O is --- — three dashes, the pattern in the middle of SOS.
| Text | Morse code |
|---|---|
| SOS | ... --- ... |
| HELLO | .... . .-.. .-.. --- |
| A | ·− |
| S | · · · |
| O | − − − |
SOS was chosen in the early 1900s because its Morse pattern, three dots, three dashes, three dots (... --- ...), is simple, unmistakable, and easy to send even under stress or with damaged equipment, not because the letters stand for any phrase like "Save Our Ship" — that is a popular backronym invented after the fact.
No. Morse code represents the 26 letters of the alphabet and 10 digits without any case distinction, since it was designed for audio and visual signaling where case has no equivalent. This tool converts input to uppercase internally before encoding for that reason.
In real Morse code timing, a dot is one unit, a dash is three units, the gap between symbols within a letter is one unit, the gap between letters is three units, and the gap between words is seven units. This tool represents those larger gaps with a plain space between letters and a slash between words for readability on screen.
The full International Morse Code table also defines codes for digits 0-9 and common punctuation like periods, commas, and question marks, in addition to the 26 letters; this tool supports the letters, digits, and the most common punctuation marks.
This tool encodes and decodes standard International Morse Code letters, digits, and common punctuation as text; it does not play or record actual audio tones or light signals, and unsupported characters in the input are shown as-is or as a question mark during decoding.
Last updated: 2026-08-24