How to send Morse code
The full alphabet, numbers, key words and how to signal by light, sound or tapping — no battery needed.
Start here — the basics
- Learn one idea: a short signal is a dot, a long one is a dash
- Memorise SOS first: three short, three long, three short
- Leave gaps — short between symbols, longer between letters and words
- You can signal by light, by sound or by tapping
Morse code turns any on/off signal — a torch, a whistle, a tapped pipe, a car horn — into letters. It needs no battery, no phone and no shared language, which is exactly why it still matters when everything else fails. You only have to learn one idea: short and long.
The two building blocks
- A dot (·) is a short signal — call it "dit".
- A dash (—) is a long signal, about three times as long — call it "dah".
- Leave a short gap between dots and dashes, a letter-length gap between letters, and a word-length gap between words.
The one to memorise first: SOS. Three short, three long, three short — · · · — — — · · · — sent as one unbroken group. It is the international distress call and needs no spacing between the letters.
The full alphabet
| Letter | Code |
|---|---|
| A | ·— |
| B | —··· |
| C | —·—· |
| D | —·· |
| E | · |
| F | ··—· |
| G | ——· |
| H | ···· |
| I | ·· |
| J | ·——— |
| K | —·— |
| L | ·—·· |
| M | —— |
| N | —· |
| O | ——— |
| P | ·——· |
| Q | ——·— |
| R | ·—· |
| S | ··· |
| T | — |
| U | ··— |
| V | ···— |
| W | ·—— |
| X | —··— |
| Y | —·—— |
| Z | ——·· |
Numbers
| Number | Code |
|---|---|
| 1 | ·———— |
| 2 | ··——— |
| 3 | ···—— |
| 4 | ····— |
| 5 | ····· |
| 6 | —···· |
| 7 | ——··· |
| 8 | ———·· |
| 9 | ————· |
| 0 | ————— |
A few words worth knowing by heart
- SOS — · · · — — — · · · — distress, send help.
- OK — — — — / — · — — all is well.
- YES — · — —— / · / · · · NO — — · / — — —.
- HELP — · · · · / · / · — · · / · — — ·.
- WATER, FOOD, HURT — practise these; in a real emergency they say almost everything.
How to send it
- By light: a quick flash for a dot, a held flash for a dash. At night a torch carries a long way.
- By sound: a whistle blast — short and long. Sound beats shouting and saves your voice.
- By tapping: on a pipe, wall or hull — rescuers listen for exactly this.
Tip. Sending slowly and clearly is far better than fast and ragged. A steady rhythm is what makes Morse readable.
What to do and what to avoid
Do
- Start with SOS and the few words you would most need
- Send slowly and keep a steady rhythm
- Use a whistle or torch — they carry much further than your voice
- Practise until the common letters are automatic
Avoid
- Don't rush — ragged timing is unreadable
- Don't run symbols together without gaps
- Don't rely on shouting when a whistle carries further
- Don't break up SOS — it is sent as one unbroken group
Further information
International Morse reference ↗