Morse code converter with umlauts, audio playback, and tap-input mode for learners

A Morse code converter turns text into dots and dashes - and back. This one adds three things most converters skip: German umlauts in Continental Morse, audio playback at a speed you pick, and a tap-input mode for practising how Morse is keyed by hand.

How do you write German umlauts in Morse code?

Ä, Ö, and Ü have codes of their own in Continental Morse, the form of the alphabet used internationally today. Ä is keyed as dot-dash-dot-dash, Ö as three dashes and a dot, Ü as two dots and two dashes. Only ß has no code of its own in the international standard: this converter expands it to ss.

Many online converters drop umlauts silently or swap them for Ae, Oe, and Ue without telling you. Switch the character set to German instead, and the code table shows the umlaut rows. On Auto, the converter spots German input by common words like "der" and "und" - an umlaut in the text usually counts as a hint too.

How do you decode Morse code?

Set the direction to Morse to text and paste your sequence. Dots and dashes form one letter, a single space separates letters, and a slash separates words. A long gap of three or more spaces counts as a word boundary too. Unknown sequences show up as [?] instead of vanishing.

Three things help with reading:

• .... . .-.. .-.. --- reads HELLO - each group between spaces is one letter.
• The unbroken run ...---... is the distress signal SOS. It is keyed without pauses between the letters and counts as a single sign.
• Flipping the direction moves your current output up into the input box, so you can cross-check a translation in seconds.

What does WPM mean in Morse code?

WPM (words per minute) measures keying speed. The reference is the PARIS method: the word PARIS plus one word gap takes exactly 50 time units. One unit therefore lasts 1200 divided by WPM milliseconds - at 18 WPM that is roughly 67 milliseconds per dot.

The whole rhythm hangs on that single unit: a dot lasts one unit, a dash three, the gap between letters three, between words seven. Rough speed bands:

1. 5 to 15 WPM: beginner speed, good for listening along and writing down.
2. 18 to 25 WPM: practised speed - which is why 18 is the default here.
3. 25 to 40 WPM: fast keying, typical for practised radio amateurs.

Pitch is adjustable between 400 and 800 hertz; 600 to 700 is typical. You can change both during playback. The pulsing dot-dash row runs in sync with the tone. In browsers without audio support, the dot-dash row stays visible - only playback is unavailable.

How do you type Morse code by tapping?

Turn on tap input and hold the space bar or the on-screen pad: a short press counts as a dot, a long press as a dash. The cutoff sits at two time units of your speed setting. Your pauses set the letter and word boundaries, and the decoded text appears live.

Getting started:

1. Turn the speed down first - 5 to 10 WPM leaves room to find the rhythm.
2. Activate tap input. The input field locks; you key with the space bar or the pad.
3. Keep dots short and dashes about three times as long. A short pause stays inside the letter, around three units starts the next letter, seven a new word.
4. If your rhythm looks uneven, a hint appears. Lowering the speed and keeping dots clearly shorter usually fixes it.

On the pauses - the letter and word boundaries - the classifier forgives around 30 percent of deviation. Whether a press counts as a dot or a dash is decided by the two-unit cutoff alone. Human timing is never machine-precise, and that is what the practice mode is for.

Who invented Morse code?

Samuel Morse gave the code its name, but his partner Alfred Vail had a significant share in the dot-dash alphabet. The first Morse telegraph line in the US opened between Washington and Baltimore in 1844. The form in use today was shaped by Friedrich Clemens Gerke, who simplified the code for German telegraph lines in 1848.

The International Telegraph Union adopted Gerke's version as the worldwide standard in 1865 - which is why it is called Continental or International Morse. The older American Morse, with its irregular pauses inside individual characters, remained mostly a code of the American landlines and faded from use over the 20th century.

Morse is not dead, though. Radio amateurs still key CW (continuous wave) daily, many aviation beacons identify themselves in Morse, and the code doubles as an input method for people who can move only a switch or their eyes. Commercial shipping retired Morse for distress calls in 1999 in favour of the satellite-based GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) - SOS is still recognized worldwide anyway.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between American and Continental Morse code?

American Morse was the original code of the US telegraph lines, with pauses and dash lengths that varied inside individual characters. Continental Morse - Gerke's 1848 simplification, standardized internationally in 1865 - uses only dots, dashes, and fixed gap lengths. Umlauts exist only in the Continental set, and that is the set this converter uses.

What does SOS stand for?

Nothing: SOS is not an abbreviation. The sequence became the international distress signal in 1906 because it is unmistakable - three short, three long, three short, keyed as one unbroken sign. Readings like "Save Our Souls" are backronyms invented after the fact.

What happens to characters without a Morse code?

Emoji and other unmapped characters show up as [?] in the result, with a hint listing which ones were affected. Nothing is dropped silently. The special case ß is expanded to ss, because the international standard assigns it no code of its own.