Morse Code Translator

What morse code is, and why people still use it

Morse code turns letters, numbers, and punctuation into short and long pulses — dots and dashes — that can be sent as sound, light, or written marks. Samuel Morse's team finalised the system in the 1830s for the American electrical telegraph, and the international variant we use today was standardised in 1865 for European telegraph interoperability.

Long after telegraphs retired, morse still shows up in three places: ham radio (where continuous-wave operators cross thousands of miles on a few watts), emergency signaling (SOS — ... --- ... — remains the universal distress call), and hidden-message jewelry and tattoos that let people wear a private word, name, or date.

How to use this translator

1. Type any word or phrase. Punctuation and numbers are supported.
2. Pick Text → Morse or Morse → Text with the toggle at the top.
3. Adjust the WPM slider to change playback speed. Enable Farnsworth spacing to keep characters at full speed while lengthening the gaps — the easiest way to learn by ear.
4. Press Play to hear the code. The screen subtly flashes in time so you can signal with your phone's flashlight or any bright screen.
5. Use Share link to copy a URL that opens this page with your message pre-loaded.

Frequently asked questions

Is this translator accurate?

Yes. The core uses the full ITU international morse table — A–Z, 0–9, plus punctuation — and the converter is unit-tested on every character in that table so encode → decode always round-trips.

What speed (WPM) should I use?

20 WPM is the speed used by most amateur-radio exams. Learners usually start at 5–8 WPM. Competition CW operators can receive at 30–40 WPM comfortably. The slider covers all of it.

Does it work offline?

Once the page is loaded, the translator and audio playback run entirely in your browser — no server calls. If you lose your network connection mid-session, translation and audio keep working.