How to Write in Morse Code – Complete Beginner Guide

Writing Morse code correctly is more than just looking up each letter. There are specific rules for spacing, notation, and special characters that every beginner needs to know. Follow these rules and your Morse code will be readable by any operator in the world.

The 5 Core Rules

Rule 1

Use dots and dashes only

Every character is a combination of . (dot) and - (dash). Sometimes written as · and – for clarity. Never use any other symbols inside a letter.

Rule 2

Separate letters with a space

Put a single space between each letter: ... --- ... = SOS. Without spaces, letters blur together and become unreadable.

Rule 3

Separate words with a slash

Use / or // between words: .. / .-.. --- ...- . = "I LOVE". Some writers use three spaces instead — both are acceptable.

Rule 4

Morse code is always uppercase

There is no lowercase in Morse code. H and h produce exactly the same code: ..... Write your source text in capitals before encoding.

Rule 5

Numbers and punctuation have codes too

All digits 0–9 and common punctuation marks (. , ? ! / @) have their own Morse codes. See the Morse Alphabet page for the full list.

Timing and Spacing Rules

When writing Morse code for transmission (not just as text), every element follows strict timing based on a single unit:

Element	Duration	Example
Dot	1 unit	Short signal: ·
Dash	3 units	Long signal: —
Gap within a letter	1 unit	Between · and – in same letter
Gap between letters	3 units	One space in written form
Gap between words	7 units	/ or /// in written form

Quick check: At 20 WPM, one unit = 60ms. A dash is 180ms. A letter gap is 180ms. A word gap is 420ms. The word "PARIS" (50 units) is used as the standard timing reference — 20 WPM = PARIS 20 times per minute.

Written Examples

Here are correctly written Morse code phrases you can copy and study:

Common Writing Mistakes

Missing spaces between letters — ......---... is unreadable. Always space: ... --- ...
Using comma instead of slash for words — use / between words, not commas or semicolons
Forgetting that numbers are 5 signals long — 1 is .---- not .
Using O (letter) instead of 0 (zero) — letter O is ---, number 0 is -----
Lowercase input — always convert to uppercase first, Morse has no case distinction

Use the Translator for Instant Conversion

Don't want to encode by hand? Type anything into our free translator and it converts to correctly-formatted Morse instantly — with audio playback so you can hear it too.

Open Morse Code Translator