Morse Code Translator NZ
This tool translates between ordinary text and Morse code, in both directions, so you can encode a message into dots and dashes or decode one back into letters. Morse code is a method of representing letters, numbers and punctuation as sequences of short and long signals, the familiar dots and dashes, or dits and dahs. Developed in the 1830s for the electric telegraph, it transmitted messages over wires and later by radio, light and sound, and it played a defining role in communication for over a century, most famously in the distress signal SOS. Though largely retired from professional use, Morse code remains alive among amateur radio operators, in aviation and navigation beacons, as an accessibility tool, and as a popular puzzle and hobby. This translator makes converting effortless. You type text to encode it into Morse, with each letter turned into its dot-and-dash pattern, letters separated by spaces and words by a slash, or you paste Morse code, using dots and dashes, to decode it back into readable text. The tool detects which way you are going and converts instantly. The result updates as you type. Use it to send a Morse message, to decode one you have received, to learn the code, or to make and solve puzzles. The standard conventions are followed: a space separates the code for individual letters, and a slash separates words, which keeps decoding unambiguous. Morse code covers the 26 letters, the digits 0 to 9, and common punctuation. Learning even a little is rewarding, and the rhythmic patterns of common letters, like the three dots of S and the three dashes of O, are surprisingly memorable once you start.
Letters are separated by spaces and words by a slash (/). Covers A-Z, 0-9 and common punctuation. Runs entirely in your browser.
How it works
For text to Morse, each character is looked up in the Morse alphabet and replaced by its dot-and-dash pattern, with spaces between letters and a slash between words. For Morse to text, the input is split on spaces and slashes, and each code group is matched back to its character, rebuilding the original message.
Worked example
The text SOS becomes the Morse code dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot, written as ... --- ... the world's best-known distress signal. Switching to decode mode and entering ... --- ... returns SOS, since each group of three signals maps back to S, O and S.
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