Morse Code Words

Why short, common words are good practice

People who read Morse code well don't count dots. They hear the rhythm of a letter as one sound, and with time a short, common word starts to sound like one pattern too, the way you read a word without spelling it out.

Short words are the quickest way to get there. YES, NO, OK, TU and 73 each take under 2 seconds at 20 WPM, so you can play one, say it out loud, and play it again many times in a minute. Load a word, turn on Loop and listen without looking at the code. When you can name it before it ends, move on to the next one.

Start with the letters first if they are new to you. Learn Morse code has a free listening practice that adds letters one at a time, and the Morse code alphabet plays every character.

Short forms save time

Every letter costs time, so Morse code users shorten what they can. Morse code is timed in units: a dot is 1, a dash is 3, the gap between letters is 3 and the gap between words is 7. Compare:

Radio operators settled on these short forms because they send them in every contact. You can use them in a note or a bracelet too, if the other person knows what they mean.

• THANK YOU is 85 units; TU is 13.
• GOODBYE is 79 units; 73 is 29 and means best regards.
• I LOVE YOU is 93 units; 88, love and kisses, is 33.
• HELLO is 49 units; HI is 13.

Radio shorthand in a real exchange

The radio list above makes more sense in order. A ham radio contact in Morse code often goes like this, with N0CALL standing in for a call sign:

Nobody spells out "this is" or "over". DE and K do that work in two letters. SOS in Morse code is the one signal everyone should know even without a radio.

• CQ CQ CQ DE N0CALL K: calling anyone, this is N0CALL, go ahead.
• GE OM TU: good evening, friend, thank you. OM, old man, is radio slang for any male operator.
• R TNX ES 73: received, thanks and best regards.

How to send a long sentence

Type the whole sentence in the Text box. The translator puts a space between letters and a slash between words, and the slash plays as a gap of 7 units. That word gap is what lets a listener tell MEET ME from MEETME, so keep it when you tap or flash by hand.

Long messages take longer than people expect. MEET ME AT THE PARK AT NOON is 7 words and plays for about 12 seconds at 20 WPM. Punctuation adds time too: a question mark is 6 marks. Leave out commas and periods unless they change the meaning.

If the person listening is still learning, open Sound settings and turn on Farnsworth spacing. The letters keep their full speed, so each one still sounds like itself, but the gaps between letters and words get longer. That gives the listener time to think between letters. Pick a speed with the presets, from Beginner at 5 WPM to Fast at 30 WPM.

Pages for popular words and phrases

Some phrases come up so often that they have their own page, with the code broken down letter by letter and the ways people send them:

• SOS in Morse code: why SOS is sent as one run of 9 marks, and how to signal it with a light, a whistle or knocks.
• Hello in Morse code: HELLO, HI and HEY side by side, and how radio operators greet each other instead.
• Help in Morse code: HELP and HELP ME, and when to send HELP rather than SOS.
• I love you in Morse code: the code letter by letter, replies like I love you too, and ideas for bracelets and notes.
• Happy birthday in Morse code: the code for cards and cakes, a picture to print, and the short form HBD.