Learn Morse code the easy way

Morse code sends every letter with just two signals: a short one (dot) and a long one (dash). The rules are simple, and your fingers pick them up quickly once you start tapping.

What is Morse code?

Morse code began in the 1830s and 1840s, when Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in the United States created a code for sending letters over the electric telegraph. Their 1844 message between Washington and Baltimore is the famous first long-distance demonstration. The International Morse code used today is a later version refined in Europe, and it is standardized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The telegraph is gone, but Morse code is still used in amateur radio, in identification signals for aviation and shipping, and for signaling with light or sound in an emergency. Its strength is that anything you can switch on and off — a sound, a light, a knock — can carry it.

Dots, dashes, and pauses

Morse code separates meaning by how long each signal lasts and how long you pause between signals. Everything is measured in units, where one dot is one unit.

That is why three dots sent together are S (...), but three dots with long pauses between them are E E E.

Letter and number chart

In the app's Dictionary tab you can tap any letter to hear it.

Letters

Numbers

Every number has exactly five signals, so there is a clear pattern. From 1 to 5, dots are added one at a time from the front. From 6 to 0, dashes are added one at a time from the front, until 0 is five dashes.

Tips for memorizing

• Start with the shortest. The most common letters in English have the shortest codes. E (.) and T (-) are a single signal; A, I, M and N are two.
• Learn them in pairs. Many letters are mirror images of each other with dots and dashes swapped: E↔T, I↔M, S↔O, A↔N, K↔R, D↔U. Learn one and you almost know the other.
• Use your ears, not your eyes. Instead of counting dots and dashes on a chart, remember each letter as a rhythm. "di-dah" is A, "di-di-dit" is S. You will get faster this way.
• Practice with words. Once you know the letters, sending short words from start to finish helps a lot. The app's Practice tab lets you send HELLO, SOS and LOVE one letter at a time.

What does SOS mean?

SOS (... --- ...) is the distress signal. It does not stand for any words. It was chosen because three dots, three dashes and three dots form an unbroken pattern that anyone can recognize and send. It was adopted at the 1906 International Radiotelegraph Convention in Berlin, and it is still used to call for help with light or sound. It is sent as one continuous signal, without the usual pauses between letters.

How to use EZ Morse Code

Signal tab

Tap anywhere on the screen briefly for a dot, or hold for 0.28 seconds or longer for a dash. With each tap, the path of the signal you have made so far lights up on the map, and the letter at the end of that path is the letter you just made. If you don't tap for about 1.2 seconds, the letter is finished and you start again from the top. On a computer, you can also use the Space or Enter key.

Practice tab

Send a word one letter at a time. The code for the target letter is shown on screen, and "Play demo" plays that letter with sound and light first. If you get it wrong, just send it again.

Dictionary tab

Browse the letters A–Z and numbers 0–9, and tap any of them to hear its sound and rhythm. Type in the search box at the top to find a character right away.

Frequently asked questions

I can't hear any sound

Check that your phone is not on silent, and that the sound button at the top right of the screen is not muted. Some browsers only play sound after you tap the screen once.

I hold it down but it comes out as a dot

Anything shorter than 0.28 seconds counts as a dot. Hold a dash clearly longer than a dot, as if you were saying "dah—".

Can I enter numbers?

The map in the Signal tab shows the letters A–Z only. You can look up and listen to numbers in the Dictionary tab.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs right in your browser, with no sign-up. Use your browser's "Add to Home Screen" to open it like an app.