Morse Code Quiz

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Ten levels from Rookie to Master. Level 1 is just E and T — six questions, 25 seconds each. Level 10 is 30 questions at 8 seconds each. Levels unlock as you pass them. Your best scores save to your device automatically.

Select Quiz Level

How scoring works

Each correct answer scores 100 base points. Faster answers earn a speed bonus — up to 50 extra points depending on how much time is left. Wrong answers score zero. Perfect score on any level is 100 × number of questions + speed bonuses.

What This Morse Code Test Actually Measures

Knowing the Morse code alphabet and recognizing it under pressure are two different things — and radio only cares about the second. This quiz tests both directions of the skill: some questions show you a character and ask for its code, others play a signal and ask which character it was. Every question is timed, and the clock is part of the scoring: a correct answer earns 100 points plus a time bonus of up to 50, shrinking as the timer drains. Run out of time and the question simply scores nothing and moves on — so hesitation costs points even when you would have gotten there eventually. That's deliberate: it measures whether a code has become a reflex or is still a calculation.

The ten levels climb from Rookie (just E and T, six questions, a relaxed 25 seconds each) to Master (thirty questions covering all letters and numbers at 8 seconds apiece). Finish a level — don't quit mid-run — and the next one unlocks.

1 3 5 7 10 Rookie: E+T, 25s Master: A–Z + 0–9, 8s
Ten levels: more characters, more questions, less time per answer

How to Score Higher

Answer on the first hearing. The time bonus decays every tenth of a second, so a confident answer in the first seconds is worth nearly half again as much as a slow one. If you routinely need the replay button, drop back a level — the points you protect by "being sure" are smaller than the bonus you're burning.

Use the first signal to halve the field. The moment you hear a dot, every dash-first answer is dead. On four-choice questions that one habit often leaves only two candidates before the signal has even finished.

Fix your misses at the source. A wrong answer here is nearly always one of the classic confusion pairs (E/I, S/H, U/V, D/B, G/W). The quiz reveals the correct answer when you miss — note the pair, then drill exactly those two letters in practice mode before your next attempt. Learning the alphabet from scratch? Start with the step-by-step lessons and come back level by level.

Is Morse Code Still Required for a Ham Radio License?

No — and this surprises people. The international requirement was dropped at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2003, and the United States FCC removed the Morse code test from all amateur license classes in February 2007. Nobody has to learn Morse anymore, which makes it more remarkable that so many operators still do: CW (continuous wave, the ham term for Morse) punches through noise that defeats voice, works with tiny low-power transmitters, and needs only a few hundred hertz of bandwidth. If you're heading toward the hobby, the Q codes and abbreviations reference covers the shorthand real operators use on the air, and the ham radio Morse guide explains how a first contact actually works.

Morse Code Quiz Questions with Answers — Try These on Paper

A warm-up set you can decode by eye before you face the timed audio above. Work left to right: split at every space (new letter) and every slash (new word), then walk each group through the alphabet — or the decoding tree on the learn page. Tap a question to reveal its answer:

·· −
IT — I (··) + T (−). The two shortest letters in the code.
···· ··
HI — H (····) + I (··). Six dots, two rhythms.
−· −−−
NO — N (−·) + O (−−−).
−−− −·−
OK — O (−−−) + K (−·−). All long signals; K is also the operator's "over".
··· −−− ···
SOS — the one everyone should know. As a real distress signal it's sent as one continuous sign with no letter gaps.
−·−· ·− −
CAT — C (−·−·) + A (·−) + T (−).
−− ·− −·
MAN — M (−−) + A (·−) + N (−·). All three letters live in the top rows of the decoding tree.
··· − ·− ·−·
STAR — S (···) + T (−) + A (·−) + R (·−·).
···· · ·−·· ·−−·
HELP — H (····) + E (·) + L (·−··) + P (·−−·). The word — remember the real distress signal is SOS.
−− −−− ·−· ··· ·
MORSE — M (−−) + O (−−−) + R (·−·) + S (···) + E (·). Naturally.

Got all ten? Then the audio quiz above is your next stop — decoding by ear is the real skill. Keep the printable Morse code chart beside you for the ones that got away, or generate endless new puzzles with the translator.

Morse Code Quiz FAQ

How does the quiz scoring work?
Each correct answer is worth 100 points plus a time bonus of up to 50 points, proportional to how much of the question timer is left. Wrong answers and timeouts score zero. Your best score per level is saved in your browser.
How do I unlock the next quiz level?
Finish the level you're on — answer every question to the end rather than quitting. Accuracy doesn't gate progression; completing a run unlocks the next level, so you can always move forward while your scores show what to revisit.
Is this a real Morse code proficiency test?
It's a recognition test, not an official certification — no formal Morse certification is required for amateur radio anymore (the FCC dropped it in 2007). Clearing the Master level comfortably means you know every letter and number by sound, which is genuinely harder than the old 5 WPM license test.