Morse Code Decoder

Free Morse code decoder — paste dots and dashes to get English text instantly. Spaces between letters, / between words. Play, copy, tap. No signup.

Paste Morse in the Morse panel below — readable text appears instantly in the Text panel.

ProSignal Ready
0 characters
Text → Morse

Short tap = dot · hold longer = dash

  • Free
  • Instant decode
  • No signup

Quick Morse Alphabet Reference

Click a character to insert its pattern into the Morse panel when building or checking a decode.

How to Decode Morse Code to Text

Four steps — paste dots and dashes, read English in the same screen.

1

Paste into the Morse Panel

Copy the signal from notes, a book, or a message. Put it in the Morse box — that panel is the decoder input on this page.

2

Space Between Letters

Each letter is a group of dots and dashes with no gaps inside the letter. Put a single space between letter groups: .... then space then .-.. for HELLO.

3

Slash Between Words

Separate words with a forward slash (/) in written Morse, or a longer pause when the signal came from audio. Example: .. / .-.. --- ...- . for I LOVE.

4

Read the Text Output

The Text panel updates live as you edit Morse. Copy the result, or press Play signal to hear the pattern back and check timing.

Morse Decoder Examples

Paste these into the Morse panel to see the decoder in action.

SOS

... --- ... decodes to SOS — the international distress pattern (S, O, S as three separate letters).

HELLO

.... . .-.. .-.. --- decodes to HELLO — note the space between each letter group.

HELP

.... . .-.. .--. decodes to HELP.

Two Words

.... .. / .-.. .. ..-. . decodes to HI LIFE — the slash marks the word break.

Dot and Dash Characters Accepted

The decoder normalises common symbols people paste from different sources.

Standard ASCII

Full stop . for a dot (dit) and hyphen - for a dash (dah). These are the most reliable in pasted text.

Unicode Alternatives

Middle dot · and em dash are also recognised when copied from charts or word processors.

What to Avoid

Do not mix letters into the Morse string, and do not run two letter groups together without a space — the decoder needs clear letter boundaries.

Common Decoding Mistakes

Most failed decodes come from spacing, not from wrong dots and dashes.

Missing Spaces Between Letters

.....-..-..--- runs HELLO together. The decoder cannot split it reliably — add spaces: .... . .-.. .-.. ---.

Confusing Dashes and Dots

A dash is three times longer than a dot when sending, but in written form both are just characters. Double-check - (dash) versus . (dot), especially on mobile keyboards.

Forgetting Word Separators

Without / or a clear word gap, multi-word messages merge into one unreadable string. Use a slash between words in written Morse.

Encoding When You Meant to Decode

Typing English in the Text box encodes to Morse. For decode-first use, paste into the Morse panel — or use the swap button if you started in the wrong field.

Decoder vs Encoder vs Full Translator

This page prioritises Morse → text. Encoding is still available but secondary.

Morse Decoder (This Page)

Paste dots and dashes, read English instantly. Best for “what does this Morse say?” searches and checking copied signals.

Text to Morse Encoder

Type English and get Morse output — use the dedicated text to Morse page when encoding is the main job.

Full Translator

The home Morse code translator covers both directions plus audio, light, and tap — same ProSignal engine as this decoder.

Morse Code Decoder FAQ

Direct answers for decode-first searches.

A Morse code decoder turns patterns of dots and dashes back into readable letters, numbers, and punctuation using International Morse. This free tool decodes live in your browser as you paste or edit the Morse panel.

Decode Your Next Morse Message

Jump back to the tool — paste dots and dashes, copy the English result, or open the alphabet chart to check a letter you are unsure about.

Use the decoder

View Morse code alphabet chart →