Morse Code Translator (Audio Playback)

Convert text to International Morse Code and back, with audio playback at adjustable speed. International Morse covers A-Z, 0-9, and common punctuation; this tool also accepts the standard prosigns (SOS, AR, KN) and emits them correctly. Audio playback uses Web Audio at 600 Hz, downloadable as a WAV file.

Morse alphabet reference

How to use the Morse Code Translator (Audio Playback)

Text → Morse: each letter encodes per the International Morse Code standard. Letters separate with one space; words separate with / . WPM (words per minute) sets playback speed — 5 WPM is very slow learning speed, 15 is standard, 30+ is operator speed.

Morse → Text: paste dots and dashes (use the period/hyphen ASCII characters or the proper Unicode ·–). Letters separated by spaces, words by / or extra spaces.

About Morse Code Translator (Audio Playback)

Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail invented Morse code in the 1830s for the electric telegraph; it remained the dominant long-distance communication encoding until voice telegraphy and digital data took over. International Morse (slightly different from the original American Morse) was standardized in 1865 and still has practical use in amateur radio, where a Morse-only contact can complete a connection in conditions too weak for voice. The encoding is also used as an emergency fallback (SOS = ...---...) and in some accessibility devices where users can input text via two-state switches.

The encoding optimises for English letter frequency: ‘e’ (the most common letter) is one dot, ‘t’ (second most common) is one dash, less-common letters get longer sequences. Audio playback uses traditional 600 Hz sine waves with Farnsworth timing: dot length and dash length scale with WPM, but inter-character spacing stays constant at slower speeds to aid learners.

Common use cases

  • Amateur radio practice — train ear for receiving Morse at progressively higher WPM.
  • Education — teach encoding concepts, prefix codes, signal theory.
  • Puzzles and escape rooms — generate / decode Morse clues.
  • Accessibility prototyping — test two-switch input prototypes.

Frequently asked questions

Is this American Morse or International Morse?
International. American Morse (used originally by US telegraphs) has slightly different encodings for some letters and numbers.

What's Farnsworth timing?
A training technique where individual letters are sent at full speed (so the listener learns letter sound shapes) but inter-letter spacing is extended at slower overall WPM. Standard in modern ham radio training.

Can I encode non-English characters?
No standard exists for most non-Latin scripts. Some additional letter codes exist for accented Latin (\xC3\xA9, \xC3\xBC, \xC3\xB1) and are included here. Non-Latin scripts need to be transliterated first.