Morse Code Alphabet

All letters, numbers and signs from the international standard. Tap any sign to hear it at 18 WPM.

Morse code letters A to Z

Numbers 0 to 9

Every number is five signals long. See Morse code numbers for the easy pattern behind them.

Punctuation and signs (ITU)

Punctuation in ITU-R M.1677-1
Sign	Name	Code
É	Accented E	··−··
.	Full stop (period)	·−·−·−
,	Comma	−−··−−
:	Colon	−−−···
?	Question mark	··−−··
'	Apostrophe	·−−−−·
-	Hyphen or minus	−····−
/	Slash or fraction bar	−··−·
(	Left bracket	−·−−·
)	Right bracket	−·−−·−
"	Quotation marks	·−··−·
=	Double hyphen (also BT)	−···−
+	Plus or cross (also AR)	·−·−·
@	At sign	·−−·−·
×	Multiplication sign (sent as X)	−··−

Common signs that are not in the ITU list

These are used by many apps and radio operators, but the ITU standard does not include them. Not every listener will know them.

Sign	Name	Code
!	Exclamation mark	−·−·−−
&	Ampersand (same as AS, wait)	·−···
;	Semicolon	−·−·−·
_	Underscore	··−−·−
$	Dollar sign	···−··−

Prosigns

A prosign is two or more letters sent as one, with no gap between them. We write them with a bar on top or in angle brackets, like <AR>. Type them that way in the translator.

Prosign	Meaning	Code
<SOS>	Distress signal	···−−−···
<AR>	End of message (ITU: cross sign, ends every telegram)	·−·−·
<SK>	End of work (ITU)	···−·−
<BT>	Break, same as = (ITU: double hyphen)	−···−
<KN>	Go ahead, named station only (same code as "(")	−·−−·
<AS>	Wait (ITU)	·−···
<CT>	Starting signal (ITU)	−·−·−
<SN>	Understood (ITU)	···−·
<HH>	Error, eight dots (ITU)	········

By the Morse Code Translator team · Codes checked against ITU-R M.1677-1 · Translator and audio decoder covered by automated tests · Last updated: October 24, 2026 · How we work

How to read this Morse code chart

A dot is a short beep and a dash is a long one. A dash lasts as long as three dots. Inside a letter, the gap between signals is one dot long. Between letters the gap is three dots, and between words it is seven. These rules come from ITU-R M.1677-1, the standard used by radio around the world.

When you see ·−, that is A. You hear it as "di dah". People who know the code well do not see dots and dashes. They hear a rhythm for each letter, the same way you know a word when you hear it.

Tips to learn the letters

Learn by ear. The ARRL says to learn the code as sounds. Do not stop to count dots.
Start with a few letters. The Koch method starts with two letters at full speed and adds one more when you get 90 percent right.
Use Farnsworth spacing. Keep the letters fast and make the gaps long. You can set this in the translator.
Practice a little every day. Short daily practice works better than one long session a week.

Read our full guide on how to learn Morse code for a simple plan.

Letter groups that help you remember

Some letters are mirror images of each other. If you know one, you know the other:

A ·− and N −·
D −·· and U ··−
G −−· and W ·−−
B −··· and V ···−
Q −−·− and Y −·−−

Others grow one dot at a time: E, I, S, H and 5 are one, two, three, four and five dots. T, M, O and 0 are one, two, three and five dashes.

Where the alphabet came from

Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail worked on the code in the 1830s and 1840s. The Library of Congress says the first public message went from Washington to Baltimore on May 24, 1844. That early "American Morse" was later changed into the International Morse code you see here. Read who invented Morse code for the full story.

Frequently asked questions

How many letters are in the Morse code alphabet?

There are 26 letters, A to Z, plus É with an accent. The ITU list also has 10 figures and 14 punctuation signs, including the multiplication sign, which is sent like X.

What is the easiest way to learn the Morse code alphabet?

Learn it by sound, not by looking at a chart. The ARRL says counting dots and dashes slows you down. Play each letter, say its rhythm out loud (E is "dit", A is "di dah"), and add letters a few at a time.

Which letters are the shortest?

E is one dot and T is one dash. Next come I (two dots), A, N and M. Common English letters got short codes so messages take less time.

Is there a Morse code for lowercase letters?

No. Morse code has only one form of each letter. A and a are sent the same way.

What is the difference between American Morse and International Morse?

American Morse was the first version, used on US telegraph lines from 1844. It was later changed into International Morse, the code used by radio around the world and on this page. Several letters are sent differently in the two codes.