Morse Code Decoder

About This Morse Code Decoder

A Morse code decoder reads a stream of dots and dashes and converts it back into letters, digits, and punctuation. This one runs entirely in your browser: paste any International Morse code signal — copied from a radio log, a puzzle, a geocache clue, or a message a friend sent you — and the decoded text appears instantly. When you want to go the other way, the same tool flips into a text to Morse translator.

How to Decode Morse Code Step by Step

Decoding Morse code is mostly about reading the spacing correctly. Follow these rules and the decoder handles the rest:

• Dots and dashes within a single letter are written with no gap, for example ·− is the letter A.
• A single space separates one letter from the next, so ·− −··· decodes to AB.
• A slash (/) or a longer gap marks a word break, so ···· ·· / − ···· · ·−· · decodes to HI THERE.

You can type the signals as . and - or paste the dot and dash characters · and −; the decoder accepts both. The most common decoding mistakes are merging two letters because a space was missed, or confusing similar patterns such as S (···) and H (····), or U (··−) and V (···−), so double-check the gaps and the number of signals when a word does not look right.

Common Decoding Examples

Paste any of these snippets into the decoder above to see how it works:

• ··· −−− ··· decodes to SOS — read the full story of the distress signal in What Is SOS in Morse Code?
• ···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−− decodes to HELLO
• −·−− · ··· decodes to YES and −· −−− decodes to NO
• ··−−− −−−−− ··−−− ····− decodes to 2024 — digits use five-signal patterns

Reference Charts for Decoding

Keep a chart at hand while you work through a signal: the printable Morse code alphabet chart (A-Z) covers every letter, and the numbers and punctuation chart covers digits 0-9 and symbols like the period, comma, and question mark. If you would rather decode without a chart at all, our guide on how to learn Morse code shows the fastest way to read it by ear.

Need to Encode Instead?

Switch the toggle above to Text → Morse, or open the text to Morse code translator, to convert plain text into dots and dashes and play it back as audio.

Private Browser Decoding

Everything the decoder does happens client-side. The Morse code you paste, the decoded text, and the audio playback never leave your browser.