Morse Code Translator

About this tool

Translate plain text into Morse code — letters, numbers, and common punctuation — or decode Morse code back into readable text. In the Morse output, letters are separated by a space and words by a slash ( / ).

Play it back. Whatever Morse code is currently shown — typed, translated, or pasted — can be played as an audible tone, a flashing on-screen light, and (on supported devices) vibration, all synced together with the current symbol highlighted as it plays. Adjust speed (words per minute), tone pitch, and volume, then use Play/Pause/Stop to control it, or Save audio to download the sequence as a WAV file. With Repeat on, the Repeat delay slider sets a pause between loops instead of restarting instantly.

How the timing works. Every Morse symbol is built from one unit of time: a dot lasts 1 unit, a dash lasts 3, the gap between dots/dashes inside a letter is 1 unit, the gap between letters is 3 units, and the gap between words is 7 units. Speed is measured in words per minute (WPM) using the word "PARIS" as the reference — at any given WPM, the unit length in milliseconds is 1200 ÷ WPM. That's why turning the Speed slider up doesn't just play faster in a vague sense — it shrinks every dot, dash, and gap by the same ratio, keeping the rhythm recognizable.

A short history. Morse code was developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail for the electric telegraph — the first practical way to send messages faster than a horse could carry them. The original American Morse code (used on early US telegraph lines) had different timing for some letters and used gaps within a few letters; the version translated here is International Morse Code, standardized in 1865, which is what's used worldwide today in radio, aviation, and amateur ("ham") radio.

Where it's still used. Morse code hasn't been required for a professional radio license in most countries since the early 2000s, but it hasn't disappeared. Amateur radio operators still use it because a Morse signal (CW, for "continuous wave") can be understood through far more noise and interference than voice, using much simpler and lower-power equipment. SOS ( ... --- ... ) remains recognized worldwide as a distress signal, some aviation radio beacons still identify themselves in Morse, and it's a common accessibility input method for people who can't use a standard keyboard.

For other classic text transformations, see the Caesar cipher encoder, the binary translator, or the NATO phonetic alphabet converter — another code originally built for reliable radio communication. For a different kind of retro text effect, try the ASCII art generator.

Full International Morse Code reference:

Frequently asked questions

How do I format Morse code for decoding?

Separate each letter's dots and dashes with a single space, and use a forward slash ( / ) between words — for example, "... --- ..." decodes to "SOS".

Does this support lowercase and uppercase the same way?

Yes — Morse code has no concept of letter case, so encoding ignores case and decoding always produces uppercase letters.

What happens with characters that have no Morse equivalent?

Unsupported characters are skipped during encoding, and unrecognized code groups are shown as "?" during decoding, rather than stopping the whole translation.

What does "Speed" actually control?

It's the standard words-per-minute (WPM) Morse timing, based on the word "PARIS" as the reference word. Higher WPM means shorter dots, dashes, and gaps — 20 WPM is a common intermediate practice speed.

Does "Light" flash my device's actual flashlight?

No — browsers don't allow web pages to control a phone's flashlight. "Light" flashes the on-screen lamp indicator instead, which works the same way on any device.

Why doesn't Vibrate do anything on my phone?

The Vibration API isn't supported on iOS Safari at all, and some other browsers restrict it too. It works on most Android browsers.

What's in the downloaded audio file?

A WAV file of the current Morse sequence played once at your chosen speed, pitch, and volume — the Repeat setting only affects live playback, not the saved file.

What's the difference between International and American Morse code?

This tool uses International Morse Code, the 1865 standard used worldwide today. The earlier American Morse code (used on 19th-century US telegraph lines) had different timing for several letters and isn't compatible with it — if you're translating a historical American telegraph message, it won't match this chart.

Is Morse code still used today?

Yes, mainly by amateur ("ham") radio operators, for whom it remains a practical way to communicate through weak or noisy signals with simple equipment. It's no longer required for radio licensing in most countries, but SOS is still a universally recognized distress signal.

What does "Repeat delay" do?

With Repeat on, it sets a pause (0 to 5 seconds) after each full playthrough before it starts again — useful for practicing a message with a beat to reset on, rather than having it loop back-to-back instantly.