Morse Code Alphabet
Every letter A to Z and every number 0 to 9 in Morse code. Click any character to hear it played at standard speed. The chart follows the ITU-R M.1677-1 international standard used worldwide.
The Complete Morse Code Chart
Every character below follows the ITU-R M.1677-1 international standard — the same table used by radio operators, pilots, and navies worldwide. In the notation, · is a dot (1 unit of time) and – is a dash (3 units).
| Letter | Morse | Letter | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | · – | N | – · |
| B | – · · · | O | – – – |
| C | – · – · | P | · – – · |
| D | – · · | Q | – – · – |
| E | · | R | · – · |
| F | · · – · | S | · · · |
| G | – – · | T | – |
| H | · · · · | U | · · – |
| I | · · | V | · · · – |
| J | · – – – | W | · – – |
| K | – · – | X | – · · – |
| L | · – · · | Y | – · – – |
| M | – – | Z | – – · · |
| Number | Morse |
|---|---|
| 1 | · – – – – |
| 2 | · · – – – |
| 3 | · · · – – |
| 4 | · · · · – |
| 5 | · · · · · |
| 6 | – · · · · |
| 7 | – – · · · |
| 8 | – – – · · |
| 9 | – – – – · |
| 0 | – – – – – |
How to Read Morse Code
Morse code represents each character as a unique sequence of dots (·) and dashes (–). A dot is a short signal, and a dash is three times longer than a dot. Spaces between symbols within a character are one unit, between characters are three units, and between words are seven units. Because everything is defined relative to the dot, the same message stays readable at any speed — try changing the speed slider above and the rhythm keeps its shape.
The alphabet is organized by frequency: the letters English uses most get the shortest codes. E (·) and T (–) — the two most common letters — each take a single signal, while rare letters like Q (– – · –) and J (· – – –) take four. Alfred Vail worked this out in the 1830s by counting the type in a printer's letter cases.
The Morse code tree — a shortcut for decoding
A classic way to decode by eye: start at the top and move left for every dot, right for every dash. Wherever you stop is your letter. The first four levels cover the 14 most common letters:
Tips for Learning the Alphabet
Start with the most common letters — E (·) and T (–) are the simplest. Then move to I (··), A (·–), and N (–·). Practice by listening, not just reading — use the play buttons above to train your ear, because real Morse arrives as rhythm, not as printed dots. Classic beginner groups: EISH (all dots), TMO (all dashes), then opposites like A/N and D/U.
Numbers are the easiest part of the whole system: every digit is exactly five signals. Digits 1–5 start with that many dots (1 = ·––––, 5 = ·····); digits 6–0 start with dashes filling in from the front (6 = –····, 0 = –––––). Learn 1, 5, and 0 and you can reconstruct the rest.
When you're ready to move beyond single characters, our interactive lessons teach the alphabet in progressive levels, and the quiz and games make the repetition stick. For real-world context, see the 30-day learning plan.
Letter-by-Letter Memory Guide
The fastest way to memorise the alphabet is to attach a sound picture to each letter — a rhythm spoken as dit (dot) and DAH (dash). Say the rhythm out loud while you press Play on the card above; your goal is to hear –·– and think "K" with no counting in between. The table below gives a memory hook for every letter, plus its NATO phonetic name (the word used for that letter on voice radio).
| Letter | Morse | Rhythm | Memory hook | NATO name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | · – | dit-DAH | like saying "a-LONE" — one short, one long | Alfa |
| B | – · · · | DAH-dit-dit-dit | one long lead, then three quick dots | Bravo |
| C | – · – · | DAH-dit-DAH-dit | "CHAR-lie CHAR-lie" rhythm | Charlie |
| D | – · · | DAH-dit-dit | one long then two short — the mirror of U | Delta |
| E | · | dit | the most common letter gets the simplest code | Echo |
| F | · · – · | dit-dit-DAH-dit | light-light-HEAVY-light | Foxtrot |
| G | – – · | DAH-DAH-dit | two long then one short — the mirror of W | Golf |
| H | · · · · | dit-dit-dit-dit | four quick dots in a row | Hotel |
| I | · · | dit-dit | two quick dots | India |
| J | · – – – | dit-DAH-DAH-DAH | one short, then three long | Juliett |
| K | – · – | DAH-dit-DAH | the "over to you" invitation in radio | Kilo |
| L | · – · · | dit-DAH-dit-dit | the long one sits in the middle | Lima |
| M | – – | DAH-DAH | two slow dashes | Mike |
| N | – · | DAH-dit | long then short — the mirror of A | November |
| O | – – – | DAH-DAH-DAH | three long dashes — unmistakeable | Oscar |
| P | · – – · | dit-DAH-DAH-dit | two longs flanked by shorts | Papa |
| Q | – – · – | DAH-DAH-dit-DAH | "God SAVE the Queen" rhythm | Quebec |
| R | · – · | dit-DAH-dit | short-long-short — perfectly symmetric | Romeo |
| S | · · · | dit-dit-dit | three dots — half of SOS | Sierra |
| T | – | DAH | one dash — the opposite of E | Tango |
| U | · · – | dit-dit-DAH | two short then one long — the mirror of D | Uniform |
| V | · · · – | dit-dit-dit-DAH | the opening of Beethoven's Fifth | Victor |
| W | · – – | dit-DAH-DAH | one short then two long — the mirror of G | Whiskey |
| X | – · · – | DAH-dit-dit-DAH | long-short-short-long, bookended | X-ray |
| Y | – · – – | DAH-dit-DAH-DAH | long-short, then two more longs | Yankee |
| Z | – – · · | DAH-DAH-dit-dit | two long then two short — B reversed in weight | Zulu |
Notice the mirror pairs: A (·–) and N (–·), D (–··) and U (··–), G (––·) and W (·––), B (–···) and V (···–). Practising these as pairs sharpens your ear faster than drilling letters alphabetically, because you learn to catch the one difference that matters. Another proven grouping is by length: E, T (1 signal) → A, I, M, N (2) → D, G, K, O, R, S, U, W (3) → the rest (4).
Why these lengths? Alfred Vail counted the type in a printer's letter cases in the 1830s and gave the most frequent letters the shortest codes — E appears in about 13% of English text and takes a single dot, while Q (about 0.1%) takes four signals. The alphabet is a frequency table you can hear. For number patterns, see the dedicated Morse code numbers guide — all ten digits follow one five-signal rule.
Morse Code vs Braille
Both Morse code and Braille are encoding systems for letters, but Morse uses time-based signals (sound, light, touch) while Braille uses spatial dot patterns. Morse code was designed for transmission over wire and radio, while Braille was designed for reading by touch. They are unrelated systems — knowing one doesn't help with the other, though both prove the same point: text can travel over any channel with enough structure.