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Phrase

"Keep going" in Morse Code

-.- . . .--. / --. --- .. -. --.

Keep going
-.- . . .--. / --. --- .. -. --.

About this phrase

“Keep going” is a two-word, nine-letter motivational phrase — 22 morse symbols — the simplest expression of forward momentum. Popular as a running tattoo and general resilience keepsake.

Cultural context

'Keep going' is perhaps the most stripped-back motivational instruction in English — two words with no subject, no qualifier, just pure forward momentum. In running and endurance-sports culture the phrase appears on pace wristbands, race bibs, and finish-line banners; ultra-marathoners report it as the phrase that gets them through the hardest miles. In addiction recovery, 'keep going' is used in twelve-step contexts as a meeting close. The phrase also has strong associations with Winston Churchill's 'Keep buggering on' ethos in the British wartime imagination. As a morse tattoo, it is one of the most commonly requested motivational phrases.

When to gift this phrase

Endurance sports milestones (marathon debut, first triathlon, ultra-marathon entry), sobriety anniversaries, ongoing cancer treatment pieces, and as a tattoo for someone building a habit — running streak, daily writing, year-long project. Works particularly well for someone who describes themselves as a 'one day at a time' person.

When this phrase is the wrong fit

Avoid after a serious failure or health crisis where forward motion is genuinely not possible yet. Skip for celebratory milestone moments — the phrase implies struggle, which is the wrong note for a graduation or promotion. Don't pair with memorial pieces.

Variations you might prefer

How the morse encodes

'KEEP GOING' has a notable double-E at the start of 'KEEP' (K-E-E-P: dah-di-dah / dot / dot / di-dah-dah-dit), which creates three elements in a row that are just single dots before P breaks the pattern. The double-G in 'GOING' does not exist, but the G-O-I-N-G pattern (dah-dah-dit / three dashes / di-dit / dah-dit / dah-dah-dit) gives the second word a very satisfying dash-heavy rhythm.

Most common use cases

Letter-by-letter breakdown

Here is “Keep going” spelled out one character at a time, so you can copy it by hand, check a tattoo stencil, or space the beads on a bracelet correctly:

LetterMorse
K-.-
E.
E.
P.--.
␣/
G--.
O---
I..
N-.
G--.

A single space between letters and a slash (/) between words keeps the pattern readable — the most common mistake in engraved and tattooed morse is running the letters together with no gaps.

GOING carries most of the dashes

Split the phrase and the weight lands unevenly. KEEP spends its nine symbols almost evenly — five dots against four dashes — but GOING tilts hard, packing eight of the phrase’s twelve dashes into a single word. That imbalance is what gives the piece its forward lean on a bracelet: a light, chattering first word that resolves into a longer, dash-driven second. The engine is O (---), three solid dashes sitting dead centre, flanked by the two G’s (--.) that each add two more. Laid out as beads, GOING reads as a stretch of heavy marks broken only by the quick I (..) near its close, then settling back onto a final G.

KEEP hides a three-dot run

The quietest passage of the whole phrase sits inside the opening word. Spell KEEP out — -.- . . .--. — and the two E’s land back to back, each a single dot, before P opens on a dot of its own. Read straight through, that is three dots in a row, the longest unbroken light patch the phrase offers. There is a trap here worth knowing before you engrave: if the gap between the two E’s is squeezed too tight, the pair collapses into I (..). Keep the letter spacing honest and the doubled E stays legible as two separate beats rather than one letter.

G opens and closes the second word

GOING is bookended by the same letter. G (--.) starts the word and G repeats to end it, so the second half opens and closes on the identical dash-dash-dot figure — a small symmetry that reads well on a cuff where the eye travels from one clasp toward the other. Between them sit O (---), I (..) and N (-.). One seam to mind: let the O drift into the following I and the join can be misread as the numeral 8 (---..), so give that boundary a clear, deliberate beat when you set it.

Buy "Keep going" in morse

Custom-phrase morse jewelry and prints from independent sellers. Send them this page and they'll match the layout above.

Custom-phrase morse bracelet

Any short phrase, made to order in 1–2 weeks.

$28–$72

Custom morse necklace

Longer phrases, vertical pendant.

$48–$140

Custom morse ring

Up to 8 morse symbols comfortably.

$95–$280

Custom morse poster (any phrase)

Wall-art version of any phrase.

$32–$95

Turn it into something physical

This phrase fits a range of keepsake formats:

Related phrases

Frequently asked questions

What is "Keep going" in morse code?

"Keep going" in international morse code is -.- . . .--. / --. --- .. -. --..

How long does this phrase take to send?

At 15 WPM this phrase takes about 2.6 seconds to transmit. You can hear it at any speed between 5 and 40 WPM by pressing Play above.

Can I put "Keep going" on a bracelet or necklace?

Yes — use our bracelet or necklace mockup tool to preview how it will look as beads, then screenshot and send to a jeweler or an Etsy seller specializing in morse pieces.

How many dots and dashes are in "Keep going" in Morse code?

Nine letters encode as 22 symbols total: 10 dots and 12 dashes. KEEP accounts for 9 of those symbols and GOING for 13, so the second word does most of the work.

What is the longest run of the same symbol in "Keep going"?

Three. It happens twice: three dots in a row where the two E's of KEEP meet the opening dot of P, and three dashes in a row from the letter O in GOING. Nothing longer appears.

Can any part of "Keep going" be misread if it is spaced wrong?

Yes. The two E's in KEEP will read as a single I if their gap is too tight, and the O-into-I join in GOING can look like the numeral 8. Clear letter spacing keeps both readable.