About Morse Code Decoder
This Morse code decoder reads dots and dashes in the formats you find in the wild and turns them into text, without making you clean the input first. It is free, needs no sign-up and runs in your browser, so nothing you enter is uploaded.
For a dot it accepts the full stop and the middle dot, the bullet and the asterisk. For a dash it accepts the hyphen, the en dash, the em dash and the underscore. Letters are split on any whitespace. Words are split on a slash, on a vertical bar, or on three or more spaces, so Morse written as a block of text with wide gaps works too.
If the result looks wrong, work through it in this order. First, look for letters that were run together, such as .-... instead of .- ... . Second, look for a word break that is missing or doubled. Third, compare a suspect group with the chart, because a single extra dot makes a different letter. For example .-.. is L and .-. is R. Groups that match nothing are dropped silently, so the output is shorter than expected when something is wrong.
The decoder reads written Morse. It cannot listen to audio or read a picture of a code. To hear a code, press Play audio, which is useful for checking your ear against the written version.
How to use Morse Code Decoder
- Choose Text to Morse to translate text, or Morse to Text to decode Morse code.
- Type or paste your input. For text, normal words are fine. For Morse code, separate letters with a space and words with a slash.
- To use a prosign, type it in angle brackets in the text, such as <SOS>, <AR> or <SK>.
- Read the result in the output box and use Copy to take it.
- To hear it, set the Speed slider (5 to 40 WPM) and press Play audio. Tick Flash light to see the signal as well.
- Press Download WAV to save the audio, or Show Morse code chart to look up a character.
Features
- Translates text to Morse code and Morse code to text in the same tool.
- Letters, digits and 18 punctuation marks and symbols, in International Morse code.
- Prosigns written as <SOS>, <AR>, <SK>, <BT>, <KN>, <AS>, <CT> and <HH>.
- Audio playback of a 600 hertz tone with a speed slider from 5 to 40 words per minute.
- Standard timing: a dash is three dots, letters are three units apart and words seven.
- Flashing light that blinks on the page in time with the sound.
- WAV download of the audio, as 16-bit mono at 8 kHz.
- Forgiving decoder: it accepts dots written as . or a middle dot and dashes written as - or a long dash, and words split by /, | or three spaces.
- Automatic hint when you paste Morse code into the text direction.
- A chart of the full alphabet, numbers, punctuation and prosigns.
Worked examples
·−·· ·−· −·− gives lrk
Middle dots and long dashes are read as dots and dashes.
... --- ... ... --- ... gives sos sos
Three spaces mark a word break.
.... .. | - .... . .-. . gives hi there
A vertical bar also works as a word break.
.- / -... .-.-. gives a b+
.-.-. is the prosign AR, but it shares its code with the plus sign, so it decodes as a plus.
Privacy: how it works
- The text, the Morse code and the audio are all produced by code in your browser tab. Nothing is sent to Ulkaa or to any other server, which you can confirm in the Network tab of your browser developer tools.
- The WAV file is made on your device and saved straight to your downloads.
Tips
- To practise reading, translate a short phrase, press Play audio at 15 WPM with the box hidden, and try to write what you heard before looking.
- Use Flash light and a dark room to try signalling with a lamp, a torch or a mirror. The on-screen light blinks at the same rhythm as the sound.
- If decoding gives odd results, check the spacing. One space between letters and a slash with spaces around it between words works best.
- Pasting Morse from a web page often brings in long dashes or middle dots. The decoder accepts them, so you do not have to clean them first.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no price, no trial and no credit card. Ulkaa Tool does the work with your own device, so there is no server bill to pass on to you.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no login. Open the page and use it. An Ulkaa account is not needed for anything on this tool.
Does it run in my browser?
Yes. Your text are processed by code running in your browser tab, on your own device.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Your text are never sent to Ulkaa or to anyone else. You can check this yourself by watching the Network tab in your browser developer tools while you use the tool.
Can it decode Morse code from audio or an image?
No. It decodes written dots and dashes only. It can play written Morse as audio, but it cannot listen to a recording or read a photo.
What separators does the decoder understand?
A space between letters. A slash, a vertical bar or three or more spaces between words.
Which dot and dash symbols are accepted?
Dots as . or a middle dot, a bullet or an asterisk. Dashes as - or a minus sign, en dash, em dash or underscore.
What happens to a code it does not know?
It is skipped and the rest of the message still decodes. The text is shorter than you expect when that happens.
More Morse Code Translator pages
- Morse Code TranslatorTranslate text into Morse code and back, play it as sound or a flashing light, and look up any letter in the chart.
- Text to Morse Code TranslatorType a message and see it as dots and dashes straight away.
- Morse Code to Text TranslatorPaste dots and dashes and read the message.
- English to Morse Code TranslatorTurn English words, numbers and punctuation into Morse code.
- Morse Code to English TranslatorDecode Morse code into English words.
- Morse Code Audio GeneratorHear your message as Morse code, blink it as light, and save it as a WAV file.
- Morse Code Alphabet ChartEvery letter, number, punctuation mark and prosign in Morse code.