Train your listening.
Learn Morse code by ear.
Get to know each letter by its sound, then practice it. A few letters at a time.
1 · Essentials. A single dot (E) and a single dash (T), and their short combinations. The most frequent letters of the language.Tap each letter to hear it.
How to read the tree
Start at the antenna. Each dot lights a lime circle and each dash a white bar, until you reach the letter.
A dash lasts as long as three dots. Letters are separated by a short silence, and words by a longer one.
Learn by sound, not by counting: every letter has its own rhythm. Start with E and T and add a few letters at a time.
Tap a letter to hear its path. Tap the key for a dot; hold for a dash.
The order to learn Morse code
Morseo doesn't teach the alphabet from A to Z. It goes from the simplest sounds to the longest, adding a few letters at a time: the idea behind the Koch method.
1 · The essentials
- E
.- T
-- A
.-- N
-.- I
..- M
--
A single dot (E) and a single dash (T), and their short combinations. The most frequent letters of the language.
2 · Whole words
- S
...- O
---- R
.-.- U
..-- D
-..- K
-.-
With these you already sound out “SEA”, “SUN”, “RADIO”, “SOS”… Start reading words, not single letters.
3 · The rest of the vowels and common ones
- L
.-..- C
-.-.- P
.--.- G
--.- H
....- W
.--
Sounds of three and four elements. Here the ear already recognizes rhythms, it doesn't count dots.
4 · The hard ones
- F
..-.- B
-...- V
...-- J
.---- Q
--.-- X
-..-- Y
-.--- Z
--..- Ñ
--.--
The least frequent and the longest. Leave them for the end; they show up rarely.
5 · Numbers
- 1
.----- 2
..---- 3
...--- 4
....-- 5
.....- 6
-....- 7
--...- 8
---..- 9
----.- 0
-----
They follow a very regular pattern: 1 to 5 start with dots; 6 to 0, with dashes.
Tricks to remember each letter
In each phrase, stressed syllables are dashes (dah) and light ones are dots (di). Use them to get started, then drop them: at real speed there's no time to think of the phrase.
- A
- “a-BOUT” — di-dah.
- B
- “BOIL-ing wa-ter” — dah-di-di-dit.
- C
- “CO-ca-CO-la” — dah-di-dah-dit.
- D
- “DOG-did-it” — dah-di-dit.
- E
- “eh” — dit. A single short tap.
- F
- “I-must-HUR-ry” — di-di-dah-dit.
- G
- “GOOD-GRA-vy” — dah-dah-dit.
- H
- “hi-hi-hi-hi” — di-di-di-dit. Four dots, a giggle.
- I
- “ti-ti” — di-dit. Two short taps: twice an E.
- J
- “to-JUMP-JUMP-JUMP” — di-dah-dah-dah.
- K
- “GO-a-HEAD” — dah-di-dah. “K” = go ahead.
- L
- “to-LOOK-a-round” — di-dah-di-dit.
- M
- “MOO-MOO” — dah-dah. Two dashes.
- N
- “NA-vy” — dah-dit.
- O
- “OLD-MO-THER” — dah-dah-dah. Three dashes, easy.
- P
- “a-POINT-LESS-plea” — di-dah-dah-dit.
- Q
- “GOD-SAVE-the-QUEEN” — dah-dah-di-dah.
- R
- “ro-TA-tion” — di-dah-dit. “R” = received.
- S
- “sa-la-mi” — di-di-dit. Three dots.
- T
- “TAAA” — dah. One long tone.
- U
- “un-der-STAND” — di-di-dah.
- V
- “did-she-like-IT” — di-di-di-dah. The “V” of victory (Beethoven).
- W
- “the-WILD-WEST” — di-dah-dah.
- X
- “X-marks-the-SPOT” — dah-di-di-dah.
- Y
- “YEL-low-YO-YO” — dah-di-dah-dah.
- Z
- “ZOOM-ZOOM-zip-zip” — dah-dah-di-dit.
Questions
What's the best way to learn Morse code?
By ear. If you memorize a chart you end up counting dots and dashes, and real Morse is too fast for that. Learn each letter as a sound, the way you'd recognize a melody.
Which letters should I learn first?
E (one dot) and T (one dash), then A, N, I and M. With the second group (S, O, R, U, D, K) you can already read real words like SOS or RADIO.
How long does it take to learn Morse code?
It depends on how often you practice. Short daily sessions of 10 to 15 minutes work better than long, occasional ones, because the goal is to recognize each sound without thinking.
Can I learn Morse code on my phone?
Yes. Morseo works in the phone's browser: a letter plays and you tap the button for the one you heard.