Text to Morse Code

What this tool is used for

• Preparing a message to send by lamp, buzzer or key where you need the exact dot-dash pattern in front of you.
• Building a puzzle, escape-room clue or CTF challenge whose solution is a Morse sequence.
• Producing a timing reference for practising sending at a particular target speed.
• Encoding a short callsign or identifier for a beacon that transmits it on a loop.
• Checking which characters in a message cannot be sent before committing to Morse as the channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the timing standard?

Everything is measured in units: a dot is 1, a dash is 3, the gap inside a letter is 1, between letters 3, between words 7. Speed in words per minute is calibrated on the word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long.

Which characters cannot be sent?

Most punctuation beyond a small set (period, comma, question mark, slash and a few others), and all lowercase distinction — Morse is case-insensitive, so encoding loses capitalisation permanently.

What is Farnsworth timing?

Sending the CHARACTERS at a fast speed but stretching the gaps between them. It teaches the rhythm of each letter correctly from the start, avoiding the plateau learners hit when they learn slowly and then must relearn at speed.

How should the output be written?

Conventionally dots and dashes with single spaces between letters and a forward slash between words: .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. . Using hyphens for dashes is common but can be ambiguous next to punctuation.

Why is SOS written as one symbol?

Because it was chosen for its unmistakable rhythm, not as an abbreviation — it stands for nothing. Sent as a continuous ...---... with no letter gaps, it is unambiguous even through heavy interference.

How is sending speed measured?

In words per minute against the standard word PARIS, which is exactly 50 dit-lengths. That fixed reference is what makes speeds comparable — measuring against real text would vary with the letters chosen.

How is Morse actually transmitted?

Usually as a keyed carrier — the transmitter switches on and off, which is why the mode is called continuous wave. Light and sound work identically; the code is a timing pattern, independent of the medium carrying it.

Common errors and gotchas

• Assuming every character converts. Most punctuation has no Morse equivalent and has to be spelled out or dropped.
• Writing the output with single spaces throughout, which loses the letter and word boundaries the receiver depends on.
• Treating the dash as an arbitrary length. A dash is three dot units, and getting that wrong makes the sending unreadable by ear.
• Forgetting the gap between letters is three units and between words seven. Uniform gaps sound like one very long letter.
• Expecting case to matter. Morse has a single case, so any capitalisation in the source is simply lost.