Morse Code Translator
Translate text to Morse and back, hear it at any speed, and download the audio as a WAV file.
What this tool does
Morse code represents each letter as a pattern of short and long signals - dits and dahs. Speed is measured in words per minute against the standard word PARIS, where one dit lasts 1200 divided by the WPM in milliseconds. This translator plays the code aloud and can export it as audio.
Translates both directions, with audio playback at any speed from 5 to 40 words per minute and a tone frequency you can set to suit your ear.
Supports Farnsworth timing, where characters are sent at full speed but spaced further apart. It is how Morse is actually taught, and almost no online translator implements it.
How to use it
- Choose your direction - text to Morse, or Morse to text.
- Type or paste your text. Use dots and dashes with spaces between letters and a slash between words when decoding.
- Set the character speed, and an overall speed if you want Farnsworth timing - or tap a speed preset such as "Learning 18 / 5".
- Press Play to hear it, or download it as a WAV file.
- Use Swap to feed the result back into the box and translate it the other way, and the alphabet list below the result as a reference chart.
Why use this translator
Morse code is still used by radio operators, pilots and puzzle makers, and learning it needs both the symbols and the sound at a realistic speed. Hearing the result at your speed makes it practical.
Why we built it
We built the Morse code translator to play audio at 5 to 40 words per minute with a tone you can set and to download it as a WAV file. Explore other codes with the binary code translator and the Caesar cipher.
Handy alongside this: the NATO Phonetic Alphabet Converter, the Pig Latin Translator and the Curved Text Generator.
Who this tool is for
- Learners of Morse code and radio hobbyists
- Escape-room and puzzle designers
- Scouts and cadets
When to use it
- Learning or practising Morse code with audio.
- Writing a message for a puzzle, escape room or gift.
- Decoding a message you received.
- Creating a WAV file to share or test with.
How the timing works
Everything is measured in dits. A dah is three dits long. The gap between elements within a character is one dit, between characters three dits, and between words seven dits.
Speed comes from the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 dits long including its trailing word space. So at 20 words per minute you send 1000 dits per minute, and one dit lasts 60000 divided by 1000, or 60 milliseconds. The general formula is 1200 divided by the WPM, in milliseconds.
| Element | Length | At 20 WPM |
|---|---|---|
| Dit | 1 unit | 60 ms |
| Dah | 3 units | 180 ms |
| Gap within a character | 1 unit | 60 ms |
| Gap between characters | 3 units | 180 ms |
| Gap between words | 7 units | 420 ms |
Farnsworth timing, and why it matters
This is the differentiator, and it is a genuine pedagogical point rather than a feature list item.
The obvious way to learn Morse is to start slow and speed up. It does not work. Learners who begin at 5 words per minute learn to count the elements in each character, and that counting habit becomes a ceiling they cannot pass at around 10 words per minute - because there is no longer time to count.
Farnsworth timing solves it by separating two speeds. Characters are sent at a full 18 or 20 words per minute from the very first lesson, so each one is heard as a single rhythmic shape rather than a countable sequence. The gaps between characters are then stretched to bring the overall rate down to something a beginner can follow.
As you improve, you close the gaps rather than speed up the characters. The character sounds never change, so nothing has to be unlearned. This is the basis of the Koch method and of essentially every modern Morse course.
Set the character speed to 18 or 20 and the overall speed to whatever you can currently follow. Leave the character speed alone as you improve, and raise the overall speed only.
Reading and writing Morse
When decoding here, separate letters with a single space and words with a slash or a wide gap. Dots and dashes can be typed as full stops and hyphens.
International Morse covers the 26 Latin letters, the digits 0 to 9, and a modest set of punctuation. It has no case, so decoded output is lower case. Characters with no Morse representation are named beneath the output rather than silently skipped.
Prosigns - procedural signals such as SOS - are sent as a single run with no internal gaps. SOS is one continuous character, not the three separate letters S, O and S, which is why it is conventionally written with a bar over the top.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | Text, or Morse using dots, dashes, spaces and slashes. |
| Controls | Speed 5-40 wpm, tone frequency and Farnsworth spacing. |
| Output | The translation, audio playback and a WAV download. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Some characters are skipped | Not every symbol exists in International Morse. | Skipped characters are listed under the result. |
| Audio does not play | The browser needs a click first, or sound is muted. | Press play again and check the volume. |
| Decoded text is lower case | Morse has no case. | Capitalise as needed. |
Assumptions and limitations
- International Morse has no representation for many characters. Anything unsupported is skipped and named beneath the output.
- Morse has no upper and lower case, so decoded text comes back in lower case.
- Prosigns are not encoded as single units here - SOS is sent as three letters with normal gaps.
- Audio playback needs a user gesture to start, which is a browser requirement rather than a limitation of the tool.
- The WAV export is a plain sine tone. It has no filtering or bandwidth shaping, so it sounds cleaner than a real received signal.
Frequently asked questions
How do you read Morse code?
Each letter is a pattern of short signals (dits) and long ones (dahs), where a dah lasts three times as long as a dit. Gaps carry meaning too: one dit between elements, three between letters, seven between words.
What is Farnsworth timing?
Characters are sent at full speed while the gaps between them are stretched, so the overall rate stays slow. It stops learners counting elements, which is the habit that otherwise caps progress at around 10 words per minute.
What does WPM mean in Morse code?
Words per minute, measured against the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 dit-lengths long. At 20 WPM you send 1000 dits per minute, making one dit 60 milliseconds.
How is Morse code timing defined?
Everything is a multiple of the dit. A dah is 3 dits, the gap within a character is 1, between characters 3, and between words 7. One dit in milliseconds is 1200 divided by the words per minute.
Can I download the audio?
Yes. The Download WAV button renders your message at the current speed and tone settings as an audio file. It is generated in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
What characters can Morse code represent?
The 26 Latin letters, the digits 0 to 9, and a limited set of punctuation. There is no case distinction. Anything without a Morse representation is skipped and named beneath the output.
Is Morse code still used?
Yes, mainly in amateur radio, where it remains popular because it gets through poor conditions at very low power. Aviation and maritime navigation beacons still identify themselves in Morse, though it is no longer required for maritime distress.