Audio / CW
Tone on = mark. Train with the audio generator and learn hub.
Morse works with dits, dahs, and timed gaps (1:3:1:3:7) on sound, light, radio, or taps. Timing table, SOS/HELLO examples, and practice tools.
Direct answer: Morse code works by encoding each character as a unique sequence of short signals (dits/dots) and long signals (dahs/dashes), separated by precisely timed silences. A dash lasts 3× a dot; gaps inside a letter = 1 unit, between letters = 3, between words = 7. The same encoding travels as sound, radio CW, light, or taps.
Morse is an on/off timing language. The carrier can be a tone, a flashlight, a keying radio wave, or a knuckle on a table. What never changes is the relative timing: characters are patterns of short and long ON periods plus OFF gaps that tell the receiver where letters and words end.
Without gaps, ... could be one S or three E’s. Timing is the grammar.
| Element | Duration | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dit (dot) | 1 unit ON | Short mark |
| Dah (dash) | 3 units ON | Long mark |
| Intra-character gap | 1 unit OFF | Between dots/dashes in one letter |
| Letter gap | 3 units OFF | Between letters |
| Word gap | 7 units OFF | Between words |
Speed (WPM) changes unit length; ratios stay fixed. Details: Morse timing & WPM · Farnsworth.
S = ..., O = ---, S = .... Written with letter spaces: ... --- .... Hear it with Play SOS above, or open the dedicated SOS Morse code page.
.... . .-.. .-.. --- — five letters, letter spaces only (one word). Compare on hello in Morse.
Tone on = mark. Train with the audio generator and learn hub.
Short flash = dit, long = dah. Guide: flashlight Morse · tool: flasher.
Short tap vs long press. Guide: how to tap Morse.
Dots, dashes, letter spaces, / between words. Guide: how to write Morse.
Mechanism pages that skip timing force users onto a second article.
Operators recognise whole sounds (“didah”). Chart staring without audio fails at real WPM.
Dash must feel ~3× the dit. Equal-length “dots and dashes” are not Morse.
Gaps carry meaning. Merged letters become garbage for decoders.
This site and modern CW use International Morse only.