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Reference
Morse Code Words & Phrases
Over 80 common words and phrases already translated into Morse code, from "hi" and "thank you" to "I miss you" and "happy birthday". Hear each one, copy it, or open its page for a letter-by-letter breakdown. Need something else? Build any sentence below.
Works for letters A–Z, digits 0–9 and common punctuation. Accents are dropped (é becomes E). For Morse to text, use the decoder.
Greetings
Greetings in Morse code
The first words most people learn to send. Short, friendly and easy to recognize by ear.
Love & affection
Love & affection in Morse code
The messages that end up on bracelets, in notes and as tattoos. "I love you" has its own full guide.
Emergency & safety
Emergency & safety in Morse code
SOS is the universal distress signal, but plain words work too when both sides know Morse.
Everyday words
Everyday words in Morse code
Yes, no, please, thank you: the building blocks of a real conversation in Morse.
Family & friends
Family & friends in Morse code
Names for the people who matter, popular for engraved rings and matching bracelets.
Celebrations & good wishes
Celebrations & good wishes in Morse code
Hide a greeting in a card, blink it with fairy lights or beep it on a birthday morning.
Names
Names in Morse code
The most searched names, each with its own page. Any other name works in the name translator.
How a sentence works in Morse code
A Morse code sentence is nothing more than a string of words, and a word is a string of letters. There is no separate code for "hello" or "I love you". What makes a sentence readable is the spacing, and that is where almost every beginner's message goes wrong.
The three gaps
- Inside a letter: one unit of silence between the dots and dashes that make up a single character. The letter R is
.-.with two tiny gaps inside it. - Between letters: three units of silence. In writing, that is one space:
.... ..is "hi". - Between words: seven units of silence. In writing, use a slash with spaces around it,
.... .. / - .... . .-. ., or three spaces if the app you are using swallows slashes.
A unit is the length of a dot. At 15 words per minute a unit is 0.08 seconds, so a word gap is just over half a second. If you are sending by hand, exaggerate the gaps: a slightly long pause is harmless, but a short one merges two letters into a different one. Run the sounds of "e" and "t" together and the listener hears "a".
Capitalization and punctuation
Morse has no uppercase or lowercase; "Hi", "hi" and "HI" are the same code. Punctuation exists (a period is .-.-.-, a question mark ..--..) but in casual messages most people leave it out, because every mark is six signals long. If you need it, the punctuation page lists every symbol.
Example sentences in Morse code
Each row is generated with the same rules you read above, so you can compare the text with the code symbol by symbol.
| Sentence | Morse code | |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning everyone Three words, so two word gaps. Note how the slash separates them. | --. --- --- -.. / -- --- .-. -. .. -. --. / . ...- . .-. -.-- --- -. . | |
| See you soon Short sentence for a text or a card. | ... . . / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- --- -. | |
| I am here A classic flashlight message between tents or across a yard. | .. / .- -- / .... . .-. . | |
| Happy birthday Emma Mixing a greeting with a name. | .... .- .--. .--. -.-- / -... .. .-. - .... -.. .- -.-- / . -- -- .- | |
| What hath God wrought The first official telegraph message, sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844. | .-- .... .- - / .... .- - .... / --. --- -.. / .-- .-. --- ..- --. .... - | |
| Meet me at 7 Letters and a digit together. Digits are always five signals. | -- . . - / -- . / .- - / --... |
Sending a longer message
Real operators rarely spell everything out. They lean on abbreviations (TNX for thanks, 73 for best regards, HI for laughter) and on prosigns, which are two letters sent as one character to control the conversation: AR for end of message, SK for end of contact. For friends tapping on a wall, a simpler trick works: agree on a handful of one-letter codes before you start, like K for "go ahead" and R for "got it". Then you only spell the new information.
Whichever words you pick, you can rehearse them by ear on the practice page, or check your own transcription against the Morse code reader.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a sentence in Morse code?
Translate each letter with the Morse alphabet, put one space between letters and a slash (or three spaces) between words. "See you soon" becomes ... . . / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- --- -.. The builder at the top of this page does it automatically.
What is an example of a Morse code message?
The most famous is SOS, ... --- .... The first telegraph message, "What hath God wrought", was sent in 1844. An everyday example is "hi", which is simply .... ..: four dots for H and two dots for I.
Is there a space between words in Morse code?
Yes. Words are separated by a silence of seven units, which is more than twice the gap between letters. In writing that gap is usually shown as a slash with spaces around it, sometimes as a vertical bar or three spaces.
Are there Morse code words for whole phrases?
Not in the standard. Every phrase is spelled letter by letter. What do exist are abbreviations and prosigns used by operators: 73 means best regards, 88 love and kisses, TNX thanks, and SOS is sent as one continuous character.
Can I write any word in Morse code?
Any word made of Latin letters and digits, yes. Accented letters are usually sent as the plain letter (é as E), and some languages have extra codes, such as Ñ (--.--) in Spanish. Emoji and other symbols have no Morse equivalent.
What are the most common Morse code words?
Judging by what people look up, the most common are SOS, "I love you", "hi" and "hello", followed by "help", "thank you", "love", "hope" and names. Every one of them has a page on this site with audio and a breakdown.
Want to see a word taken apart?
Every word page shows the letters one by one, the timing, and four ways to send it.