Complete Morse Code Alphabet Reference
The International Morse alphabet contains 26 letters, each encoded as a unique rhythm of dots and dashes. Unlike written language, Morse has no separate uppercase or lowercase — A and a both encode as .-. This chart covers the ITU-R M.1677-1 standard used on amateur radio CW bands worldwide.
Expert operators recognize letters by sound shape, not by counting dots. Use this page to look up unfamiliar letters while training, and always practice new letters with audio at 10–15 WPM before increasing speed.
Letter Groups by Difficulty
| Group | Letters | Why Learn Together |
|---|---|---|
| First two | E (.) · T (-) | Shortest patterns — start here |
| Core Six | E T A O I N | Most common English letters |
| Three dots/dashes | S · O · H | Length discrimination practice |
| Four elements | B · C · F · L · etc. | Longer patterns — slow down WPM |
| Last Koch letters | Q · J · X · Z | Rare in English — learn after core |
Morse Spacing When Writing Letters
When letters combine into words, separate each letter with a space and each word with /. The word CAT is -.-. .- -. Multi-letter practice builds the spacing habit essential for decoding.
1 unitDot length
3 unitsDash length
3 unitsBetween letters
7 unitsBetween words
Common Alphabet Mistakes
- Memorizing the chart before listening — builds slow visual translation instead of ear recognition
- Confusing similar patterns — S (...), H (....), and I (..) differ by one dot; slow down and listen again
- Using American Morse sources — older charts differ from ITU International patterns
- Skipping numbers and punctuation — learn alphabet first, then visit our numbers chart
Practice tip: Open the audio player, type five random letters you know, set 10 WPM, close your eyes, and write what you hear.