Morse Code Converter Guide
A Morse code converter maps letters, numbers, and punctuation to dots and dashes (and back). It follows the international (ITU) standard and can output text or audio tone for practice.
What is Morse Code Converter?
The Morse code converter encodes plain text with spaces between letters and slashes between words, and decodes dot-dash sequences back to text using the same mapping.
How to Use the Morse Code Converter
- Enter text to encode (A-Z, 0-9, common punctuation).
- Convert to Morse; copy the dot-dash output.
- (Optional) play an audio tone at selected wpm for practice.
- Switch to decode mode to paste Morse and recover text.
- Adjust spacing settings for letter/word separators if needed.
Formulas & Methods
- Mapping: each character c maps to a code m(c) per ITU table.
- Timing (reference): dit length = base unit; dah = 3*dit; gaps: intra-character 1, inter-character 3, inter-word 7 units.
- Audio: tone frequency (e.g., 600-800 Hz) with envelope to avoid clicks.
Assumptions & limitations
- Only Latin alphabet is supported by default; accented letters may map to prosigns or be omitted.
- Spacing conventions vary slightly by training method.
Examples
Example A — Encode
HELLO WORLD → .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -...
Example B — Decode
... --- ... → SOS.
| Character | Morse | |---|---| | A | .- | | N | -. | | 5 | ..... | | ? | ..--.. |
Pro Tips & Best Practices
- Practice at higher character speed with longer inter-character gaps (Farnsworth) to build recognition.
- Keep consistent timing; rhythm matters for decoding.
- For radio, learn common prosigns and abbreviations (CQ, 73).
Related Calculators
FAQ
Q: How do I convert text to Morse code?
A: Enter text and the converter maps each character to dots and dashes, separating letters with spaces and words with slashes.
Q: Does it support numbers and punctuation?
A: Yes—digits 0-9 and common punctuation like period, comma, question, and slash are included.
Q: What about timing?
A: Standard practice uses short and long elements (dit and dah) with specific intra/inter-character gaps; audio tone is optional.
Q: Is international (ITU) Morse used?
A: Yes—the mapping follows ITU-R recommendations for Latin alphabet unless otherwise noted.
Q: Can I decode Morse back to text?
A: Yes—switch to decode mode and paste dot-dash sequences to reconstruct the message.
Call to Action
Type text to encode or paste code to decode—toggle audio and timing to sharpen your Morse skills.