Morse Code Translator

Translate Text to Morse Code and Back

The Tools Kit's free Morse Code Translator converts English text into Morse code and decodes Morse code back into readable text, all in one box. You do not pick a mode: if what you type is made only of dots, dashes, slashes and spaces, it is decoded; anything else is encoded. The result updates as you type and can be copied with one click.

It works as a Morse code decoder for puzzles and radio practice, and as a text to Morse code converter for messages, crafts and games. Translation is a simple lookup that runs in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded.

How to Use the Morse Code Translator

1. 1

   Type or paste your input

   Enter plain text to encode, or paste Morse code written with dots (.) and hyphens (-), a space between letters and a slash (/) between words.

2. 2

   Let the translator detect the direction

   If the input contains only dots, dashes, slashes and spaces it is decoded as Morse code; anything else is encoded from text into Morse code. The result box is labeled with the detected direction.

3. 3

   Read the translation

   The result updates as you type. Decoded text is shown in capital letters, and encoded Morse code uses one space between letters and a slash between words.

4. 4

   Copy or clear

   Click Copy Result to put the translation on your clipboard, or Clear to empty the input and start again.

How Written Morse Code Works

Morse code spells each character as a short pattern of two signals: a short one, the dit, written as a period, and a long one, the dah, written as a hyphen. Common letters get the shortest codes, so E is a single dot and T a single dash, while Q is --.-. On a radio or telegraph key, the timing carries the structure: a dah lasts three dits, letters are separated by a gap of three dits and words by a gap of seven.

Written down, those gaps need visible markers. This translator uses the most common convention: a single space between letters and a forward slash between words. That is why the format matters when you decode Morse code. Without spaces, ........ could be HH, EEEEEEEE or several other words, and the tool cannot guess which you meant, so it returns nothing for a code it does not recognize.

Morse code is a substitution code, much like the way a binary converter turns each character into ones and zeros or an ASCII converter turns it into a number. The difference is that Morse code has variable-length codes and no distinction between uppercase and lowercase, which is why decoded text always comes back in capitals.

Morse Code Examples

Each of these was produced by the translator above, so you can paste the right-hand column back in to check it decodes.

SOS is the international distress signal. CQ is the call radio amateurs use to invite any station to reply, and 73 is shorthand for “best regards” at the end of a contact. Note how the comma and exclamation mark in “Hello, world!” get their own codes, while the space between the words becomes the slash.

Supported Characters and Formatting Rules

The table covers the 26 letters A to Z, the digits 0 to 9, and 18 punctuation marks: . , ? ' ! / ( ) & : ; = + - _ " $ @. The letters and digits follow International Morse Code. A few of the symbols, such as the exclamation mark, ampersand, semicolon, underscore and dollar sign, are widely used conventions rather than part of the official ITU character set, so some radio operators may not recognize them.

• Case: lowercase input is treated as uppercase, and decoded text is always uppercase. If you need sentence case afterward, run it through the case converter.
• Unsupported characters: accented letters, emoji and other symbols are dropped when encoding, so café encodes as CAF.
• Line breaks and extra spaces: when encoding, any run of spaces or a line break becomes a single slash.
• Notation: use the period and the hyphen. Bullets (•), long dashes (—) or underscores make the input read as text, so it is encoded instead of decoded.
• Unknown codes: when decoding, a dot-dash group that matches no character is skipped without a warning, so double-check spacing if a letter seems to be missing.
• Punctuation-only input: because direction is detected from the characters used, typing only periods or hyphens is treated as Morse code. Add a letter if you meant to encode punctuation.

Common uses

• Learning the Morse alphabet and checking your own hand-written translations
• Decoding Morse code in escape rooms, geocaches and puzzle hunts, alongside tools like the reverse text generator and the Roman numeral converter for other classic cipher steps
• Writing a name or date in Morse code for jewelry, a tattoo design, a bracelet or a gift
• Practicing common amateur radio abbreviations such as CQ, 73 and SOS
• Creating a coded message for a classroom activity, scout badge or game, or comparing it with other encodings such as the Base64 encoder
• Producing a decorative caption, then styling the plain-text version with the fancy text generator

Browse more free text utilities in the writing and citation tools collection.

Morse code terms explained

Frequently Asked Questions