Morse Code Translator

Text to Morse Code Converter

Morse Converter Formula

Formula

\[\begin{aligned}T(s)&=\operatorname{trim}\!\left(\operatorname{join}_{\text{space}}\bigl(M(c_1),\ldots,M(c_n)\bigr)\right)\\D(s)&=\operatorname{trim}\!\left(M^{-1}(t_1)\cdots M^{-1}(t_k)\right)\end{aligned}\]

Where:

\(T(s)\) — the encoded Morse output for text \(s\).
\(D(s)\) — the decoded text for Morse input \(s\).
\(M(c_i)\) — the Morse code assigned to character \(c_i\); a text space maps to /.
\(M^{-1}(t_i)\) — the character assigned to Morse token \(t_i\).

Encoding joins the codes for individual characters with spaces. Decoding reads space-separated Morse tokens and joins the resulting characters; / becomes a text space.

Morse Converter – Calculation Example

Example: enter SOS HELP in Content and select To Morse under Type.

\[\begin{aligned}\text{SOS HELP}&\longrightarrow \text{S O S / H E L P}\\&\longrightarrow \texttt{... --- ... / .... . .-.. .--.}\end{aligned}\]

Result: ... --- ... / .... . .-.. .--.. Selecting To Text and entering that result returns SOS HELP.

How to use the Morse Converter

In Content, enter the text you want to encode or the Morse code you want to decode.
Under Type, choose To Morse for text-to-code conversion or To Text for code-to-text conversion.
Read the converted value under Result. You can copy it for use elsewhere.

For To Text, separate Morse characters with single spaces and represent each space between words with a slash surrounded by spaces. For example, enter .... .. / - .... . .-. . to obtain HI THERE. An uninterrupted run of dots and dashes is treated as one token, not as a word that the converter can divide into letters.

What Morse code represents

Morse code represents characters using sequences of short and long signals, commonly written as dots and dashes. For example, A is .-, N is -., and SOS is ... --- .... In actual signaling, pauses distinguish parts of a character, separate characters, and separate words. In this written format, spaces separate character codes and / marks a word space.

This converter uses a fixed character-to-code table for the English letters A–Z, digits 0–9, and selected punctuation. It converts letters to uppercase before processing, so lowercase and uppercase input produce the same Morse code. Decoded letters also appear in uppercase. The output is a written representation of Morse code, not an audio signal or a timing diagram.

Morse code is a way to represent messages, not a method for keeping them secret. Anyone who knows the code can read a message. If you are comparing ways to represent ordinary text as symbols or numbers, the ASCII Converter, Hex Converter, and Binary Converter handle different text and number representations.

Input rules and practical limits

Use the supported alphabet. The table includes English letters, digits, and punctuation such as periods, commas, question marks, apostrophes, and slashes. Accented letters, emoji, and other unsupported characters are not assigned Morse codes by this converter.
Check spacing when decoding. The To Text option separates tokens at ordinary spaces. Use one space between codes and / between words. Extra spaces can affect how the input is read, while line breaks and tabs are not substitutes for ordinary token-separating spaces.
Watch for omitted symbols. An unsupported text character or an unrecognized Morse token is omitted rather than reported as an error. Review the result if preserving every character matters.
Keep the distinction between two slashes clear. A slash in plain text is a punctuation character encoded as -..-.. A slash in Morse-formatted input marks a space between words.

The converter trims whitespace from the beginning and end of the input and result. If a conversion looks incomplete, check the original spelling, the supported characters, and the spaces between Morse tokens before copying the output.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I convert a message to Morse code by hand?

Use an International Morse code chart to look up each character, then write one space between letter codes and a slash between words. For example, CAT becomes -.-. .- -. Check each code before moving on: a single missing dot or dash can change the letter.

What is the correct Morse code for SOS HELP?

The correct code is ... --- ... / .... . .-.. .--.. The final letter, P, is .--. (dot–dash–dash–dot). If you see .--.. at the end of the worked example on this page, that is a typo; it is not the code for P.

How do I encode a literal slash character?

A slash used as punctuation has the Morse code -..-. In text-to-Morse conversion, entering / produces that code. In Morse-to-text conversion, a standalone / is instead treated as a space between words. The -..-.. code shown for a literal slash elsewhere on this page is a typo.

Can Morse code be decoded without spaces between letters?

Not reliably. Morse letters have different lengths, so an uninterrupted sequence can have multiple interpretations: ... could mean S, three E’s, or I followed by E. Written Morse needs separators between letters; a listener instead uses pauses to identify where one character ends and the next begins.

How are pauses used when sending Morse code?

Standard Morse timing uses a dot as one unit and a dash as three units. The gap between parts of one character is one unit, between characters is three units, and between words is seven units. These pauses carry information that a plain string of dots and dashes cannot show without separators.

What is a good Morse code speed for a beginner?

There is no required speed. Morse speed is commonly expressed in words per minute (WPM); a beginner might practice around 5 WPM and increase the pace as recognition becomes comfortable. Accuracy matters more than a target number. This converter produces written symbols, so it does not measure sending or listening speed.

Does every country use exactly the same Morse code?

No. The common A–Z and 0–9 mappings belong to International Morse code, but extensions and historical systems can differ. Some languages add codes for accented letters, and American Morse code uses different conventions. If a message contains characters outside this converter’s supported table, transliterate them first or use a chart appropriate to that language.