Morse Code Decode
Decode Morse code into readable text. Paste dots and dashes, get the decoded message instantly, and fix errors with clear warnings.
Enter your Morse Code
What this does
Got a string of dots and dashes you need to make sense of? This turns Morse code back into plain, readable text. Paste the Morse into the top box and the decoded message appears in the box below. It also works the other way, so if you type ordinary text into the lower box, its Morse code shows up above. Decoder and encoder together, with Morse taking the lead here.
How to use it
- Paste or type your Morse code into the top box.
- The decoded text appears in the box below.
- Copy the text to use it. To encode instead, type plain text into the lower box and read the Morse above.
The decoding is done in your browser, so your message stays on your own device.
Getting your Morse in the right shape
For a clean decode, the spacing of your Morse matters, because that is how the tool tells the pieces apart. Keep each letter as its own group of dots and dashes, with a single space between one letter and the next. Then leave a larger gap where one word ends and the next begins, so words do not merge together. If your decode comes out looking scrambled, the spacing is the first thing to check, since dots and dashes crammed together without the right gaps cannot be split into the correct letters.
About the code itself
Morse code represents each letter and number as a pattern of short and long signals, the dot and the dash, a system that dates back to the telegraph and the earliest days of sending messages over distance. It spread into a global standard for getting text across by sound, by flashing light, or by any signal that can be switched on and off. What this tool reads is International Morse Code, the recognised standard that maps the letters A to Z, the numbers 0 to 9, and a set of common punctuation marks.
Good to know
Two honest things to keep in mind. The tool needs valid Morse to decode, so if what you paste in does not form recognisable patterns, it will tell you the Morse is invalid, which is a prompt to check your dots, dashes, and spacing rather than a fault with the tool. And because Morse carries no sense of capital letters, decoded messages come back in plain lower case, which is simply how the code works rather than anything being lost.
Questions people ask
Why does it say my Morse is invalid?
Usually the spacing is off, or there is a stray character that is not a dot, a dash, or a gap. Check that letters are spaced apart and words separated by a larger gap, and it should decode.
Can I use it to create Morse as well?
Yes. Type plain text into the lower box and the Morse appears above, so the same tool encodes as well as decodes.
How should I separate letters and words?
Put a single space between letters and a larger gap between words. That spacing is what lets the tool break the dots and dashes into the right letters and words.
References
- International Telecommunication Union. Recommendation ITU-R M.1677, International Morse code. https://www.itu.int/rec/R-REC-M.1677/en
Sarayu is an Assistant Lecturer at Herald College, currently studying Masters of Engineering at KU. She is a Software engineer and educator who enjoys writing, and publishes essays and articles. She helps to review word/text utilities for clarity and usability.