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Reference

Morse code chart

The full International Morse alphabet per ITU-R M.1677-1. · is a dit (short), — is a dah (three times as long).

Built by Enes Vural · Published June 2026 · Last verified July 19, 2026

Quick reference International Morse code uses two symbols: a dit (short, 1 time unit) and a dah (long, 3 time units). The chart below covers all 26 letters, 10 digits, common punctuation, prosigns, and contrast pairs beginners confuse. For audio playback of any pattern, use our Morse translator.
Heads up Reading this chart will not teach you Morse — your ear has to learn the rhythm, not your eyes. Use the chart as a reference while you do daily audio drills with the audio-first Koch training approach.

Letters

A · —
B — · · ·
C — · — ·
D — · ·
E ·
F · · — ·
G — — ·
H · · · ·
I · ·
J · — — —
K — · —
L · — · ·
M — —
N — ·
O — — —
P · — — ·
Q — — · —
R · — ·
S · · ·
T —
U · · —
V · · · —
W · — —
X — · · —
Y — · — —
Z — — · ·

Numbers

0 — — — — —
1 · — — — —
2 · · — — —
3 · · · — —
4 · · · · —
5 · · · · ·
6 — · · · ·
7 — — · · ·
8 — — — · ·
9 — — — — ·

Pattern: 1 is one dit + four dahs, 5 is five dits, 0 is five dahs. Counts shift one position per step.

Punctuation

. · — · — · —
, — — · · — —
? · · — — · ·
' · — — — — ·
! — · — · — —
/ — · · — ·
( — · — — ·
) — · — — · —
& · — · · ·
: — — — · · ·
; — · — · — ·
= — · · · —
+ · — · — ·
- — · · · · —
_ · · — — · —
" · — · · — ·
$ · · · — · · —
@ · — — · — ·

Timing rules

Prosigns — the shorthand real operators use

Prosigns are Morse patterns that don't map to a letter — they're procedural signals. They're sent as one run-together shape, with no letter gap between symbols. If you plan to actually talk on the air with CW, these will show up on the first day and every day after. Not knowing them is a giveaway that someone learned Morse from a chart and never keyed anyone.

Prosign Pattern Meaning Used for
AR· — · — ·End of messageCloses a transmission block. "Over to you."
BT— · · · —Paragraph breakSeparator between thoughts inside a message.
SK· · · — · —End of contact"73, this QSO is done." Final sign-off.
KN— · — — ·Named station only"Back to you specifically — no one else break in."
VE· · · — ·Understood"Got it, roger." Confirmation.
KA— · — · —Start of messageAttention prosign at the head of formal traffic.
SOS· · · — — — · · ·DistressInternational signal. See the SOS post.
HH· · · · · · · ·Error / correctionEight dits. "Scratch that, restart the word."

Prosigns are traditionally written with an overline (e.g. AR with a bar on top). In plain text you'll see them as <AR> or [AR]. Same shape either way.

How to use this chart for daily drills

A chart is a lookup, not a training tool. If you sit and stare at it hoping the letters will stick, you'll build passive recognition — you'll be able to name each pattern when you see it, but freeze the moment audio plays at 15 WPM. Two-way problem, two-way fix.

  1. Cover the chart while drilling. Use it only to check a letter after you missed it. Every glance at a chart during a drill is a rep your ear doesn't get.
  2. Drill in the standard Koch letter introduction order, not A-Z. Start with K and M (maximum sound contrast), then R, S, U, A, P, T, L, O. Your brain draws clean boundaries between contrast pairs faster than it does between visually similar letters.
  3. Send as much as you receive. Tapping the pattern yourself (phone screen, key, straight paddle) locks the rhythm into motor memory. Beginners who only listen take 30-40% longer to reach 15 WPM.
  4. Never slow character speed below 15 WPM. Slower speed sounds like a different code and you'll have to re-learn every letter when you push back to real timing. Widen the gaps instead — that's Farnsworth spacing.
  5. Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Saturday. Morse consolidates overnight. Skipped days silently roll back the previous session's progress.

Full plan: 21 days, 10 minutes a day. Our realistic Morse learning timeline for 2026 covers what comes after the alphabet, and our Morse decoder guide covers how to convert audio back to text.

Contrast pairs — the confusable letters

Every Morse beginner mixes up the same few pairs. Knowing which ones and drilling them together short-circuits weeks of confusion later.

A · — vs N — ·

Perfect mirrors. Cause more beginner errors than any other pair. Drill together in week one.

I · · vs S · · ·

Just count the dits — but under speed pressure the count is easy to lose. Practise as rhythms, not numbers.

R · — · vs L · — · ·

Same opening, L adds a trailing dit. Beginners cut L short and hear R.

U · · — vs V · · · —

V is the "Beethoven's Fifth" pattern. If you can hear that motif in your head, you can never miss V.

D — · · vs B — · · ·

Same opening, B has an extra dit. Same failure mode as R/L.

K — · — vs R · — ·

Near-palindromes. Both three-symbol mixed. Drill them side-by-side so your ear locks onto which way the dah leans.

Want this in your ear, not your eye?

Try any letter on our free browser Morse audio tool — hear it played back at 5-30 WPM with adjustable Farnsworth spacing. Or, for daily training, Morsy drills the chart with full-speed Koch audio. Free to start, no ads. Read our practical Morse code guide for 2026 learners if you want the background first.