The letter A in Morse code is · — — one dot followed by one dash. It is one of the shortest and most important codes in the entire Morse alphabet, used constantly in everyday words and ham radio contacts.
Here is what A looks like as physical signal blocks:
Memory trick: A sounds like "a-LONE" — short then long. Say it out loud while you tap: dit-DAH. The rhythm of "a-LONE" perfectly matches dot-dash. Once you hear it, you'll never forget it.
Morse code was engineered for efficiency by Alfred Vail in the 1830s. He counted the letters in a printer's type case — the most frequently used letters got the shortest codes. A is the third most common letter in English, so it received a very short 2-signal code. Only E (·) and T (—) are shorter.
In the NATO phonetic alphabet used by aviation and military, A is represented by "Alpha". When spelling a callsign or code on radio, operators say "Alpha" to make A unmistakeable from other letters that sound similar in noisy conditions.
Click any word below to hear it played in Morse code: