Everyday words
No in Morse Code
"No" in Morse code is –· –––. It is a short, practical message that works well for practice and for quick taps or flashes between friends.
The word
Timeline: 1 unit per dot, 3 per dash, 3 between letters.
Spoken aloud: dah dit · dah dah dah
Breakdown
No, letter by letter
Morse code has no symbol for a whole word. You send each character in order and leave a pause of three units between them. Click any character to hear it on its own.
Longest character: O (---, 3 signals). Shortest: N (-.). Time units follow the standard 1-3-1-3-7 rule; at 15 words per minute one unit is 0.08 seconds, so the whole word takes about 1.5 seconds. At a beginner's 5 WPM it takes about 4.6 s, at 20 WPM about 1.1 s.
Four ways
How to send "No" in Morse code
The pattern is always –· –––. What changes is the medium. Here is the same word as sound, light, taps and text, with timing that works for this exact message.
By sound
Whistle, hum, beep or press the Listen button above. A dot is one short beep, a dash is three times longer. For "No" that is 1 short and 4 long beeps, about 1.5 seconds at a normal 15 WPM. If you are humming it for someone who is still learning, slow down to 5 WPM (about 4.6 s) and keep the gaps generous.
By light
With a flashlight or your phone's torch, use a pace of roughly 0.25 s on for a dot and 0.75 s on for a dash, with the light off for 0.25 s between signals and 0.75 s between letters. Sent that way, "No" takes around 4.6 seconds. The Flash it button above shows the rhythm on the small lamp. More in Morse code with light.
By tapping
Knock on a table, a wall or a pipe: 1 quick tap for the dots and 4 longer knocks for the dashes, with a clear pause between letters. Most people make the dash by holding the knuckle on the surface a beat longer, or by a short double-tap, as long as both sides agree beforehand. Our Morse code tapping guide covers the conventions.
As text
Paste the dots and dashes into a chat, a card or a caption. Keep one space between letters so the reader can decode it without guessing:
-. ---
Ideas
Use "No" in real life
On a bracelet
Thread 1 small round bead for the dots and 4 long tube beads for the dashes, in this order: -. ---. Add one spacer bead between letters, about 1 in total.
As a tattoo
5 signals is short enough for a wrist, a finger or behind the ear. Keep the dot-to-dash ratio at 1:3 so it stays readable.
In a message
Copy the code and drop it into a text, a note or a caption. The dots and dashes survive in any app. Anyone can read it with our Morse code decoder.
FAQ
Questions about No in Morse code
How do you write No in Morse code?
"No" in Morse code is written -. ---. Letter by letter: N = -., O = ---. Leave one space between letters.
How many dots and dashes are in No?
"No" uses 5 signals in total: 1 dots and 4 dashes across 2 characters. In timing units it adds up to 19, so it takes about 1.5 seconds at 15 words per minute.
How do you say No in Morse code?
Out loud, operators say "dit" for a dot and "dah" for a dash, so "No" is spoken as: dah dit · dah dah dah. Press Listen on this page to hear the real tones at 15 WPM.
How long does it take to send No in Morse code?
About 1.5 seconds at 15 WPM, 4.6 seconds at a beginner-friendly 5 WPM, and 1.1 seconds at 20 WPM. The length is set by the 1-3-1-3-7 timing rule: a dot is one unit, a dash three, with one unit inside a character, three between characters and seven between words.
Translate any word or phrase
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