Morse Code Chart – The Complete Reference
One chart with everything: the full international Morse code alphabet A to Z, all numbers 0–9, punctuation marks, prosigns, official timing rules, and the most-searched words and phrases — from SOS to I love you. Click any character to hear it, or print the whole page as a free Morse code cheat sheet. Every code follows the ITU-R M.1677-1 international standard used by radio operators, pilots, and navies worldwide.
Last updated July 2026 · every character verified against ITU-R M.1677-1, the current international standard
International Morse Code at a Glance
All 26 letters and 10 numbers. · = dot (short signal, 1 unit) · – = dash (long signal, 3 units). Tap any tile to hear it.
Morse Code Alphabet: Letters A to Z
The complete Morse code alphabet chart. The Spoken as column shows how operators pronounce each letter's rhythm ("di" for a dot inside a letter, "dit" for a final dot, "dah" for a dash) — learning the sound pattern, not the visual dots and dashes, is how every fast operator learns the code. The NATO phonetic name is what the letter is called when spelling words over the radio.
| Letter | Morse code | Spoken as | NATO phonetic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | · – | di-dah | Alpha | |
| B | – · · · | dah-di-di-dit | Bravo | |
| C | – · – · | dah-di-dah-dit | Charlie | |
| D | – · · | dah-di-dit | Delta | |
| E | · | dit | Echo | |
| F | · · – · | di-di-dah-dit | Foxtrot | |
| G | – – · | dah-dah-dit | Golf | |
| H | · · · · | di-di-di-dit | Hotel | |
| I | · · | di-dit | India | |
| J | · – – – | di-dah-dah-dah | Juliett | |
| K | – · – | dah-di-dah | Kilo | |
| L | · – · · | di-dah-di-dit | Lima | |
| M | – – | dah-dah | Mike | |
| N | – · | dah-dit | November | |
| O | – – – | dah-dah-dah | Oscar | |
| P | · – – · | di-dah-dah-dit | Papa | |
| Q | – – · – | dah-dah-di-dah | Quebec | |
| R | · – · | di-dah-dit | Romeo | |
| S | · · · | di-di-dit | Sierra | |
| T | – | dah | Tango | |
| U | · · – | di-di-dah | Uniform | |
| V | · · · – | di-di-di-dah | Victor | |
| W | · – – | di-dah-dah | Whiskey | |
| X | – · · – | dah-di-di-dah | X-ray | |
| Y | – · – – | dah-di-dah-dah | Yankee | |
| Z | – – · · | dah-dah-di-dit | Zulu |
Notice the design: the most frequent English letters have the shortest codes. E (the most common letter) is a single dot, T a single dash — while rare letters like Q and Y get four signals. Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail counted the letters in a printer's type case to decide. See the history of Morse code for the full story, or the interactive alphabet for a memory hook on every letter.
Morse Code Numbers 0 to 9
Numbers are the easiest part of the chart because they follow a perfect pattern: every digit is exactly five signals long. Count up from 1 to 5 and dots fill in from the left; count from 6 to 0 and dashes take over. Once you see the pattern you never need to memorize them individually — the full logic is explained in the numbers in Morse code guide.
| Number | Morse code | Spoken as | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | – – – – – | dah-dah-dah-dah-dah | |
| 1 | · – – – – | di-dah-dah-dah-dah | |
| 2 | · · – – – | di-di-dah-dah-dah | |
| 3 | · · · – – | di-di-di-dah-dah | |
| 4 | · · · · – | di-di-di-di-dah | |
| 5 | · · · · · | di-di-di-di-dit | |
| 6 | – · · · · | dah-di-di-di-dit | |
| 7 | – – · · · | dah-dah-di-di-dit | |
| 8 | – – – · · | dah-dah-dah-di-dit | |
| 9 | – – – – · | dah-dah-dah-dah-dit |
Morse Code Punctuation & Special Characters
Punctuation marks are longer — five or six signals each — because they were added later and used less often. The period (·–·–·–) and question mark (··––··) are the two worth memorizing first.
| Symbol | Name | Morse code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | Period | · – · – · – | |
| , | Comma | – – · · – – | |
| ? | Question mark | · · – – · · | |
| ' | Apostrophe | · – – – – · | |
| / | Slash | – · · – · | |
| ( | Open bracket | – · – – · | |
| ) | Close bracket | – · – – · – | |
| : | Colon | – – – · · · | |
| = | Double hyphen | – · · · – | |
| + | Plus / cross | · – · – · | |
| - | Hyphen | – · · · · – | |
| " | Quotation marks | · – · · – · | |
| @ | At sign | · – – · – · | |
| ! | Exclamation mark* | – · – · – – | |
| ; | Semicolon* | – · – · – · | |
| & | Ampersand* | · – · · · | |
| _ | Underscore* | · · – – · – | |
| $ | Dollar sign* | · · · – · · – |
* Characters marked with an asterisk are widely used conventions but are not defined in the ITU-R M.1677-1 standard itself.
Morse Code Prosigns (Procedural Signals)
Prosigns are special signals sent as one continuous character with no gaps — they control the conversation rather than spell words. The most famous prosign of all is SOS: nine signals (···–––···) run together as a single unbroken sign. Read the full story in the SOS in Morse code guide.
| Prosign | Morse code | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOS | · · · – – – · · · | International distress signal — sent as one continuous sign | |
| AR | · – · – · | End of message | |
| SK | · · · – · – | End of contact / silent key | |
| BT | – · · · – | New paragraph / break | |
| KN | – · – – · | Go ahead, named station only | |
| AS | · – · · · | Wait / stand by | |
| K | – · – | Invitation for any station to transmit | |
| HH | · · · · · · · · | Error — disregard last word |
Morse Code Timing Rules
Morse code is really a rhythm language. Everything is measured against one time unit — the length of a single dot. The official ITU rules:
| Element | Length |
|---|---|
| · dot (dit) | 1 unit |
| – dash (dah) | 3 units |
| gap between signals in a letter | 1 unit of silence |
| gap between letters | 3 units of silence |
| gap between words | 7 units of silence |
Here is the word MORSE on a timeline (█ = signal on, space = silence):
Speed is measured in words per minute (WPM) using the reference word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long including the word gap. At 20 WPM a dot lasts just 60 milliseconds. The official code-copying world record is 75.2 WPM, set by Ted McElroy in 1939. You can hear any speed from 5 to 40 WPM on the Morse code translator — and if you're learning, start slow with character speed high (the Farnsworth method) on the practice page.
Common Words & Phrases in Morse Code
The words people look up most, pre-translated. A / marks the space between words. Click play to hear any of them, or open the guide for the full breakdown.
| Word / phrase | Morse code | |
|---|---|---|
| SOS | ··· ––– ··· | |
| HELLO | ···· · ·–·· ·–·· ––– | |
| HI | ···· ·· | |
| HELP | ···· · ·–·· ·––· | |
| I LOVE YOU | ·· / ·–·· ––– ···– · / –·–– ––– ··– | |
| YES | –·–– · ··· | |
| NO | –· ––– | |
| OK | ––– –·– | |
| THANK YOU | – ···· ·– –· –·– / –·–– ––– ··– | |
| GOODBYE | ––· ––– ––– –·· –··· –·–– · | |
| GOOD NIGHT | ––· ––– ––– –·· / –· ·· ––· ···· – | |
| LOVE | ·–·· ––– ···– · | |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | ···· ·– ·––· ·––· –·–– / –··· ·· ·–· – ···· –·· ·– –·–– |
Want to send one of these to a friend as a mystery? The secret Morse message tool turns any text into a private link that plays only beeps until they hit reveal. And the Morse dictionary has hundreds more pre-translated words.
Ham Radio Shorthand: The Chart Beyond the Chart
Real operators rarely spell everything out. A century of telegraph and amateur radio use produced a compact shorthand — numbers and Q-codes that stand for whole sentences:
| Code | Morse code | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CQ | –·–· ––·– | Calling any station — "seek you" | |
| 73 | ––··· ···–– | Best regards | |
| 88 | –––·· –––·· | Love and kisses | |
| QTH | ––·– – ···· | My location is… | |
| QSL | ––·– ··· ·–·· | I confirm receipt | |
| QRZ | ––·– ·–· ––·· | Who is calling me? |
These six are just the start — the full list of ham radio abbreviations and Q codes covers 73, 88, QTH, CQ, and dozens more, each with audio. For how they're used in a real contact, see the ham radio Morse code guide.
How to Memorize the Morse Code Chart
Nobody memorizes this chart by staring at it. The proven route is sound first: learn each letter as a rhythm ("di-dah" is A) and build up from the easiest characters. A realistic plan:
| Step | What to do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start with E, T, A, N — the four shortest codes — then add letters in small groups with audio lessons. | Learn Morse code |
| 2 | Drill sending: tap dots and dashes like a real Morse key and let the site check your rhythm. | Practice drills |
| 3 | Test receiving: decode characters by ear against the clock. | Morse code quiz |
| 4 | Make it automatic with arcade games that force instant recognition. | Morse code games |
Most people can learn the full alphabet in 2–4 weeks with 15 minutes a day. The 30-day learning plan lays out the schedule day by day, and it's all free — see the free curriculum.
Four ways to send Morse code without a radio
Sound — beep it with the translator's audio playback. Light — flash a torch or phone light: short flash for a dot, long for a dash (you can even blink it). Taps — knock it on a table or wall (tapping guide). Writing — dots, dashes and slashes on paper (notation guide).
Where This Chart Comes From
Samuel F. B. Morse and Alfred Vail developed the original code in the 1830s–1840s for the electric telegraph. The international version on this page derives from Friedrich Clemens Gerke's 1848 revision, was standardized in Paris in 1865, and is maintained today by the International Telecommunication Union as ITU-R M.1677-1. SOS was adopted at the 1906 Berlin International Radiotelegraph Convention and became effective on July 1, 1908. The full timeline — telegraph, Titanic, wartime, and today's ham bands — is in the Morse code history guide, with more surprises in Morse code facts.