Morse Code Translator

Which characters can it translate?

Letters A to Z (case does not matter), digits 0 to 9, and these 18 symbols: . , ? ' ! / ( ) & : ; = + - _ " $ @. Anything else, such as accented letters, #, %, *, brackets, currency signs other than $, or emoji, is output as a question mark and listed under “Unsupported characters” in the stats. The letters and digits are the International Morse set, not American Morse.

How are letters and words separated in the output?

One space between letters and a slash with a space on each side between words, as in “... --- ... / .... . .-.. .--.” for “SOS help”. Any run of spaces, tabs or line breaks in your text counts as one word gap, so line breaks are not preserved. The output is plain text, with no audio, light flashes or timing.

How do I format Morse that I want to decode?

Put one space between letters and a / between words; two or more spaces in a row also count as a word gap. Line breaks are treated as spaces. The decoder accepts the typographic dots · • ∙ in place of a full stop, and − – — in place of a hyphen. Any group that is not in the table decodes to ?, and extra spaces never produce a blank letter.

Why does SOS not come out as ···−−−··· ?

The tool encodes S, O and S as three separate letters with spaces between them: “... --- ...”. The distress signal is sent as one unbroken run with no letter gaps, which is a prosign. The tool has no prosigns and no code for them, so for signalling, write the run-together form yourself.

What are the timing rules for sending Morse?

Under the standard convention a dot is one unit and a dash is three units. The gap inside a letter is one unit, between letters three units, and between words seven units. The translator itself outputs only symbols, so speed, tone and spacing are up to whoever sends the message.

Are the punctuation codes universal?

Not entirely. The codes for . , ? / ( ) - and = are widely shared, but marks like ! & ; $ and _ are used with different meanings or are missing from some official lists. The tool applies the table shown on this page, so confirm any punctuation with the person who will read the message.

Does the decoder handle numbers and punctuation?

Yes, any code in the table decodes, including digits and the symbols above. The on-screen reference list under a decoded result shows only letters and digits for brevity, but punctuation codes are still recognised. For example, .-.-.- is decoded as a full stop.

Is Morse code a secure way to hide a message?

No. It is an encoding with a public table, and anyone can decode it with this tool. It is useful for signalling and practice, not for secrecy.