Hello in Morse Code: How to Write, Tap and Say It

By the Morse Code Translator team · Published October 24, 2026 · Facts checked against the sources below · How we work

Hello is often the first word people want to send in Morse code. It is a good one to start with. It has only four different letters, and two of them are the same. Here is how to write it, tap it and hear it.

The code

Here is hello in Morse code:

···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−−

There is one space between each letter. Press play in the translator to hear it at the speed you like.

Letter by letter

Letter	Code	Say it
H	`····`	di di di dit
E	`·`	dit
L	`·−··`	di dah di dit
L	`·−··`	di dah di dit
O	`−−−`	dah dah dah

Notice how it starts with five dots: four for H and one for E. The only thing that splits them is a short pause. If you do not pause, the listener will hear five dots in a row, which is the number 5. So take your time after the H.

How it should sound

Morse code is a rhythm. The rules come from the world standard, ITU-R M.1677-1:

A dot is one unit long. A dash is three units.
The gap inside a letter is one unit.
The gap between letters is three units.
The gap between words is seven units.

At 20 words per minute, one unit is 60 milliseconds. Hello takes just under 3 seconds at that speed. At 10 words per minute, it takes about 6 seconds. You can see the exact length in the translator as you change the speed.

Hello world

Coders love to say “hello world”. In Morse code it is:

···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−− / ·−− −−− ·−· ·−·· −··

The slash shows the longer gap between the two words. When you send it by sound, that gap lasts as long as seven dots.

Hi and hey

Want something shorter? Try these:

Word	Morse code
HI	`···· ··`
HEY	`···· · −·−−`
YO	`−·−− −−−`
HOWDY	`···· −−− ·−− −·· −·−−`

Hi is just six dots, split four and two. It is one of the easiest words to send.

How hams say hello on the air

Ham radio operators do not usually send “hello”. They have their own short way to start a talk. To call any station, they send CQ, which means “calling anyone who hears me”. Study material for the Canadian amateur radio exam says to send CQ three times, then DE, then your call sign three times. Then you send K. A call looks like this:

CQ CQ CQ DE (call sign) (call sign) (call sign) K

CQ means a call to all stations.
DE means “from” or “this is”.
K means “go ahead, over to you”. The ITU calls it an invitation to transmit.

The ITU standard uses the same idea for any call: DE, then your own call sign, then K.

To say goodbye, many send 73. The Palo Alto Amateur Radio Association explains that 73 means “best regards”. It comes from an old Western Union list of number codes. To close the contact, operators often send the prosign SK, which the ITU calls “end of work”.

Ways to send hello

Sound

Use the translator or the Morse code generator. You can save a WAV file and use it as a ringtone or notification sound.

Light

Flash a flashlight or a phone screen. Make the dash about three times as long as the dot. Turn on Light in the translator and it will flash in time with the sound.

Tapping

Tap it on a desk with a fingertip. Quick tap for a dot, slow press for a dash. Try it with a friend in the next room.

Typing

Open the tap key in the translator. Press and hold the big button or your space bar. A short press makes a dot, and a long press makes a dash. Watch your hello appear in the text box.

Hello in other languages

Morse code sends letters, not words, so you can use it for any language that uses the same alphabet. Here are a few ways to say hello. Accents are left out, since the ITU list only has an accent on É.

Language	Word	Morse code
Spanish	HOLA	`···· −−− ·−·· ·−`
French	SALUT	`··· ·− ·−·· ··− −`
German	HALLO	`···· ·− ·−·· ·−·· −−−`
Italian	CIAO	`−·−· ·· ·− −−−`

Type any of them in the translator to hear how they sound. You will notice that HALLO and HELLO sound almost the same. Only the second letter changes, from a short dot to “di dah”.

Check your sending

Want to know if your hello is clear? Record yourself tapping or beeping it. Then open the recording in our audio decoder. If it reads HELLO, your timing is good. If you see “5LLO” or strange letters, slow down and leave longer gaps.

Common mistakes

No pause after H. H then E can sound like the number 5. Leave a clear gap.
Mixing up L and F. L is ·−·· and F is ··−·. The dash is in a different place.
Short dashes. If dashes are too short, they sound like dots. Make each one three times as long.
Long gaps inside a letter. If you pause in the middle of L, it may sound like two letters.

Learn it for good

Learning the letters in hello gives you H, E, L and O. Add a few more and you can send lots of short words. The ARRL says to learn each letter by its sound, not by counting dots and dashes. Say each pattern out loud, like “di dah di dit” for L.

Next, try I love you in Morse code or read what Morse code is. When you want a plan, see how to learn Morse code. Keep the alphabet chart handy as you go.

Tools for this guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello world in Morse code?

Hello world is .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. . The slash marks the gap between the two words.

How do you say hi in Morse code?

Hi is two letters: H is four dots and I is two dots. Put a short gap between them so it does not sound like six dots in a row.

What does CQ mean?

CQ is a general call. A ham radio operator sends it to say they want to talk with any station that hears them.

How do hams say goodbye in Morse code?

Many send 73, which means best regards. To end the contact they often send the prosign SK, which means end of work.