Morse Code to Text

Morse code is a method of encoding text characters as sequences of dots and dashes (or short and long signals). It was developed by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in the 1830s for electrical telegraphy. The original American Morse Code evolved into International Morse Code in 1865, which remains the global standard today. Unlike the earlier version, International Morse uses consistent timing ratios and is optimized for radio transmission.

Yes. The tool is bidirectional and automatically detects your input type. Enter dots and dashes to decode to text; enter letters and numbers to encode to Morse. You can also manually select the direction if auto-detection doesn't match your intent. Both conversions happen instantly as you type.

Prosigns (procedural signals) are special Morse sequences sent as continuous characters without gaps. AR (·−·−·) means "end of message," SK (···−·−) means "end of contact" or "silent key," and BK (−···−·−) requests an immediate break in transmission. These originated in commercial and amateur radio to manage communication flow. The tool recognizes all standard prosigns and displays them in your output.

Common causes include: incorrect spacing (letters need 1-3 spaces between them, words need 3-7), mixed separators (inconsistent use of spaces vs slashes), unrecognized characters (unsupported punctuation), or missing prosign delimiters (prosigns must be sent as continuous symbols). Try lenient mode for irregular spacing, or check the visual waveform to verify your dot-dash patterns match standard timing.

International Morse Code (ITU-R M.1677-1) uses consistent 1:3:7 timing ratios and is the global standard for radio communication. American Morse Code (also called Railroad Morse) has variable-length dashes and different spacing, optimized for wired telegraph lines. This tool uses International Morse exclusively, as American Morse is now largely obsolete outside historical reenactment.

Standard practice uses 7 units of silence between words (approximately 3 spaces when written). The tool accepts multiple conventions: three or more spaces, a forward slash /, or a combination. In output, you can choose slash-separated format for clarity, or standard spacing for strict compliance. Compact mode removes all separators entirely—useful only when timing is implicit.

Farnsworth spacing slows the gaps between characters and words while keeping dot/dash speed normal, helping learners recognize patterns without slowing the entire transmission. The tool calculates standard duration estimates; advanced Farnsworth controls allow adjusting the learning pause factor from 0 (standard) to 1 (very slow). Beginners benefit from 0.5-0.7 factor; proficient operators use 0.

Yes. Select timing notation output format to see visual representation with proper gap spacing using · and − symbols. For actual audio, the estimated duration calculation shows transmission time at 100ms units. Copy the standard or slash-separated format into any Morse code audio generator—the spacing will be preserved for accurate playback speed.

The tool only supports characters defined in International Morse Code: letters A-Z, digits 0-9, and limited punctuation (period, comma, question mark, exclamation, hyphen, slash, at-sign, equals). Extended ASCII, Unicode symbols, and most accented characters have no standard Morse representation. Unsupported characters are flagged with their position so you can substitute standard equivalents (e.g., "é" → "e").

Yes. Amateur radio operators (hams) use Morse daily on HF bands. Aviation uses it for navigation beacon identification. Military maintains proficiency for backup communication. Accessibility applications include assistive devices for speech-impaired users. Emergency signaling (SOS with light or sound) remains universally recognized. The ITU still governs Morse standards, though commercial telegraph services ended in the early 2000s.

The estimate assumes 100ms dot duration (12 words per minute, a moderate speed). Actual transmission varies by operator skill: beginners may use 150-200ms, experts 50ms or less. The calculation includes dot, dash, and gap times but excludes operator reaction time and equipment latency. For precise planning, scale the result by your actual intended speed: adjusted = estimate × (100 / your_dot_ms).

No. This tool processes text-based Morse code only—dots and dashes you type or paste. Audio decoding requires signal processing to detect tone frequency, timing edges, and noise filtering, which demands specialized software or hardware. For audio decoding, use dedicated applications like Fldigi, CW Skimmer, or Morse Code Reader mobile apps that implement FFT analysis and adaptive thresholding.