Advanced Morse Code Converter
Bidirectional Morse code converter with audio playback and microphone decode.
이 도구에 대해
Convert text to Morse code or decode Morse code back to text with full bidirectional support. In text-to-Morse mode, the output is displayed as dots and dashes with a built-in audio player that plays the signal using the Web Audio API at an adjustable words-per-minute rate. In Morse-to-text mode, paste dots and dashes or use the microphone button to decode live audio taps using amplitude detection. Supports the full ITU character set including letters, digits, and punctuation.
사용 방법
- 1 Select the conversion direction: Text → Morse or Morse → Text.
- 2 Type your message (or paste Morse code with spaces between letters).
- 3 Click Convert to see the result.
- 4 In Text → Morse mode, click Play to hear the Morse code signal.
- 5 In Morse → Text mode, optionally click the Mic button to decode live audio.
How Morse code encodes language
Morse code represents each letter, number, and punctuation mark as a sequence of short signals (dots, or "dits") and long signals (dashes, or "dahs"). It was designed in the 1830s to be sent over a single telegraph wire by tapping a key, and the same logic still works today over radio, light, or sound. This tool converts text to Morse and back, plays the code as audio, and can even decode Morse you tap into your microphone — all in your browser, with no data leaving your device.
The genius of the original encoding is that the most common English letters got the shortest codes. E is a single dot, T a single dash, while a rare letter like Q is --.-. This frequency-based design makes typical messages quick to send. This tool uses the international (ITU) standard table, which covers A–Z, 0–9, and common punctuation like the period (.-.-.-), comma (--..--), and question mark (..--..).
The four timing units that make it readable
Morse is not just dots and dashes — the gaps carry meaning too. Everything is measured in one base unit, the length of a single dot. The international standard fixes the proportions:
| Element | Length |
|---|---|
| Dot (dit) | 1 unit of sound |
| Dash (dah) | 3 units of sound |
| Gap between dots/dashes in a letter | 1 unit of silence |
| Gap between letters | 3 units of silence |
| Gap between words | 7 units of silence |
This is why spacing is everything. In text input, separate letters with a single space and words with / — for example ... --- ... is "SOS" as one word, while .... .. / - .... . .-. . is "HI THERE."
Speed: what "WPM" really means
The WPM (words per minute) slider sets how fast the audio plays. The standard rests on the word "PARIS," which conveniently contains exactly 50 units of dots, dashes, and gaps. So the tool computes the dot duration directly from your chosen speed:
dot length (seconds) = 60 / (WPM × 50)
At 13 WPM — a classic learning speed — a dot lasts about 0.092 seconds, a dash three times that, and a word gap seven times a dot. Crank the slider to 30 WPM and every element shrinks proportionally. The frequency slider (400–900 Hz) just sets the pitch of the tone; 600 Hz is a comfortable, traditional default that is easy on the ear.
A worked example
Type SOS and convert. S is three dots and O is three dashes, so the output is ... --- .... Press Play at 13 WPM and you will hear three quick beeps, a slightly longer gap, three long beeps, another gap, and three quick beeps again. The audio is generated on the fly with the Web Audio API: each dot and dash is a short oscillator tone with a tiny fade-in and fade-out (about 5 milliseconds) so the beeps do not click harshly. The total rhythm follows the unit table above exactly, which is what makes a trained ear able to read it.
Decoding by microphone
Switch to "Morse → Text" mode and you can start the microphone to decode tapped or buzzed Morse. The tool listens to the audio amplitude and watches for tone-on and tone-off transitions. A tone shorter than two dot-lengths is read as a dot, longer as a dash; a silence longer than roughly 1.8 dot-lengths ends a letter, and a longer silence (about 5 dot-lengths) ends a word. Because it keys off your WPM setting for these thresholds, tapping at a steady rhythm close to the selected speed gives the cleanest results. The microphone is used only in your browser for live decoding; no audio is recorded or transmitted.
Practical uses and tips
- Learning and practice: Start slow, paste short words, and play them repeatedly to train your ear. The expandable reference card lists every supported character.
- Amateur radio: Hams still use Morse (CW) because it cuts through noise and weak signals far better than voice.
- Emergencies:
SOScan be flashed with a light or tapped on a pipe when nothing else works — three short, three long, three short. - Accessibility and fun: Encode a hidden message, or tap a phrase into the mic to test your sending rhythm.
Common mistakes
- Wrong word separator. Use
/between words, not extra spaces; a plain double space will not be read as a word break in text input. - Uneven tapping for mic decode. The decoder judges dots versus dashes by relative length, so inconsistent timing produces wrong letters. Keep a metronome-steady rhythm near your set WPM.
- Expecting case or accents. Morse has no upper/lowercase and no accented letters; input is treated case-insensitively and unsupported characters are skipped.
- Setting WPM too high to learn. Beginners do better building accuracy at a slower speed before pushing the slider up.