Morse Code Quiz – Test Your Dot & Dash Knowledge Free

Work through each section below. Each question shows a morse pattern; try to identify the letter, digit, or word before you expand the answer. Be honest with yourself — glancing at the answer and then agreeing counts as a miss.

Beginner level: the first 10 letters

These are the Koch starting set — the letters most beginners learn first because they contrast clearly by ear. If you struggle here, start at the learn page and work through the beginner plan before continuing.

Question 1: -.-

K — dah-di-dah. One of the two Koch starting letters, along with M. Its distinctive long-short-long rhythm makes K one of the most recognizable characters in morse.

Question 2: --

M — dah-dah. Two long pulses, nothing else. One of the simplest letters in morse and a common source of confusion with O (three dashes) at speed.

Question 3: ...

S — three dots. Together with O (three dashes), S forms the famous SOS pattern: three dots, three dashes, three dots. Three even dots with no dashes.

Question 4: .-

A — di-dah. The original, simplest two-element letter. A short pulse followed by a long one.

Question 5: -

T — one dash. The second most common letter in English gets the second shortest code. Often confused with M (two dashes) by beginners; the distinction is purely about count.

Intermediate level: full alphabet

Five questions from across the A–Z set, including some of the trickier letters. If you get four out of five, you are ready for the speed-push phase.

Question 6: ..-.

F — di-di-dah-dit. Two dots, one dash, one dot. The pattern breaks the “dots then dashes” rule, which makes F a common stumbling block for learners who pattern-match on digit structure.

Question 7: -..-

X — dah-di-di-dah. Two dots sandwiched between two dashes, creating a symmetrical pattern. X is one of the rarer letters in English and often one of the last mastered.

Question 8: .--.

P — di-dah-dah-dit. Dot, two dashes, dot. The symmetric pattern with two dashes in the middle makes P easier to remember than its neighbor Q.

Question 9: --..

Z — dah-dah-di-dit. Two dashes followed by two dots. Sometimes remembered as “sleep” — the ZZzz pattern, long-long-short-short, like a snore fading out.

Question 10: -.--

Y — dah-di-dah-dah. One short between three longs. Y is the longest-sounding letter for its four-element count, because three of the four elements are dashes.

Advanced: numbers and phrases

Digit codes are five elements each; common phrases combine multiple letters with word gaps. If you can get four out of five here, you are operating at a solid intermediate-to-advanced level.

Question 11: -----

0 — five dashes. Zero is the longest-to-send digit, which is why contest operators use T (one dash) as a cut-number shorthand for 0. Five equal dashes with no dots.

Question 12: ...--

3 — three dots, two dashes. The midpoint of the 1-through-5 series where dots count from the left. 1=one dot, 2=two dots, 3=three dots, and so on up to 5=five dots.

Question 13: ... --- ...

SOS — the international distress signal. Three dots, three dashes, three dots. Technically sent as a single prosign with no inter-letter gaps, though in normal letter notation it looks like three separate letters.

Question 14: .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.--

I LOVE Y? Almost — the last character is Y (-.--), not U (..−). The full phrase “I love you” ends with Y-O-U, and Y is dah-di-dah-dah. Common confusion: many learners mishear Y as something shorter at speed.

Question 15: --. --

GM — “good morning” in CW shorthand. G is dah-dah-dit; M is dah-dah. Ham radio operators use two-letter abbreviations constantly: GM (good morning), GN (good night), GE (good evening), 73 (best regards), 88 (love and kisses).

How to score yourself

Count the number of questions you got right before expanding the answer:

0–6 correct: Beginner. You are at the very start of the morse journey. That is normal and expected. Start at the learn page and work the Koch method.
7–10 correct: Early intermediate. You know the common letters but the full alphabet is not solid yet. Focus on drilling the letters you missed, then come back to the intermediate and advanced sections in a week.
11–13 correct: Solid intermediate. You have the alphabet and basics of digits. Work on speed and head copying; use the practice guide to find your next drill focus.
14–15 correct: Advanced. You know your symbols cold. At this level your limit is speed and fluency, not accuracy. See the advanced drills in the practice page.

What to do next based on your score

Scored under 50% (fewer than 8 correct)? Go to learn morse code and work through the full Koch-method plan. The quiz will feel easy after eight weeks of daily drills.

Scored 50–80% (8–12 correct)? You need focused drilling on weak spots. Use the practice guide to build a targeted session plan. The interactive alphabet is the fastest tool for re-drilling specific letters.

Scored over 80% (13–15 correct)? You are past the reference-lookup stage. Your focus should be speed and head copying rather than accuracy. The advanced drills section covers exactly what to do next.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an interactive morse code quiz?

This page is a written self-test. An interactive version where you hear morse and type the letter is more effective for training your ear — use the Morsify translator's playback mode and pause after each character to test yourself. Any text you paste becomes a listening quiz: play it, try to copy, then check your answer against the original.

How do I know if I am ready to take a ham radio exam?

For the US amateur radio exams (Technician, General, Amateur Extra), there is no longer a morse code requirement — it was eliminated by the FCC in 2007. However, if you want to use CW on air and pass the ARRL's recommended self-assessment, aim for 5 WPM accurate copy of plain English text before getting on the air. Most operators find that 5 WPM sending and receiving feels comfortable for casual QSOs.

What is the fastest way to improve my quiz score?

Daily listening drills using the Koch method. Score your weak letters from this quiz, then drill those specific letters for five minutes at the start of every session. Targeted weak-letter drilling produces faster improvement than random full-alphabet drills because it addresses your actual gaps instead of re-practicing what you already know.