Decode Morse code into letters, numbers and punctuation

How to decode Morse code

1. Paste or type the code into Morse code. Use . for a short signal (dit) and - for a long one (dah).
2. Leave a space between letters and a / between words. Three spaces also work as a word break.
3. Read the result under Decoded text and copy it. Each line of input gives one line of output.

What it does and when to use it

Morse code still turns up in puzzles, escape rooms, geocaches, film and game easter eggs, ham radio practice, and school projects. Decoding it by hand means looking up every letter in a chart. This tool does the lookup for the whole message at once.

It is useful for:

• Checking your own practice. Write down what you hear from a practice audio clip, then paste your dots and dashes to see if they spell real words.
• Puzzles and hidden messages. Paste the code from a clue and read it straight away.
• Teaching. Show learners how a message breaks down into letters and words.

To go the other way, use the Morse code translator. For other hidden-message tricks, try the text reverser or pig Latin.

How it works

First the tool makes the symbols uniform: middle dots and bullets become ., and dash-like characters such as − or — become -. Each line is then split into words at a slash, a pipe or a gap of three or more spaces. Each word is split into letter codes at single spaces. Every code is looked up in a table based on the international standard (ITU-R M.1677-1). It covers A–Z, the digits 0–9 and common punctuation: . , ? ’ ! / ( ) & : ; = + - _ “ $ @. Codes that are not in the table become #. The decoding happens in your browser.

Worked examples

These outputs come from the tool’s own function.

The classic test. .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. decodes to HELLO WORLD.

Spaces instead of a slash. .... .. .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. with three spaces in the middle decodes to HI WORLD.

A typing mistake. -.-. --.-- .-.-.- decodes to C#. and adds the note (# marks codes that are not valid Morse: --.--). The middle group has one dash too many.

Punctuation. ..--.. -.-.-- .--.-. decodes to ?!@.

Limits and tips

• Letters with accents and non-Latin scripts have no codes in the table, so their codes show as #.
• Prosigns sent as one joined code, such as SK (…-.-), are not recognised. AR (.-.-.) shares its code with + and decodes as +.
• A missing space between two letters usually gives one long, invalid code. If you see #, look for a space that went missing.