A Morse message is built from two signal elements: a short mark, usually written as a dot (.), and a longer mark, written as a dash (-). A character is a group of these elements. For example, A is .-, N is -., and S is ....
The receiver must also recognise the gaps. Without pauses, a stream of dots and dashes would be hard to divide into characters. International Morse therefore uses a timing system with fixed relationships.
The basic timing rules
A dot is the reference time unit. Under standard International Morse timing:
| Element | Duration |
|---|---|
| Dot | 1 unit |
| Dash | 3 units |
| Gap between elements in one character | 1 unit |
| Gap between characters | 3 units |
| Gap between words | 7 units |
These proportions apply whether the signal is heard as a tone, seen as a light or entered by tapping. The actual duration changes with transmission speed, but the ratios stay the same.
A simple example: SOS
SOS is three dots, three dashes and three dots. In a written display, spaces help people read the three groups: ... --- .... When the distress signal is actually transmitted, it is sent as one continuous group, ...---..., without letter gaps inside it. A learning tool should make clear whether its spaces are notation or real transmission gaps. The SOS guide explains more.
How does a receiver know where one letter ends?
The character gap is longer than the gap between elements inside a character. That is why .- is A, while . followed by a character gap and then - is E followed by T. Listen to the difference below.
| Example | Written pattern | Note | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | .- | 1-unit gap inside the character | |
| ET | . - | 3-unit gap between two characters |
Text converters often show a slash between words as a readable convention. The slash itself is not transmitted; it stands for the 7-unit word gap.
What is WPM?
Morse speed is usually described in words per minute (WPM). The standard reference word, PARIS, is 50 units long, so at a higher WPM the dot and every gap become shorter. The WPM and Farnsworth guide shows the formula, and the Morse timing explorer lets you inspect a message at different speeds.
What is Farnsworth timing?
Farnsworth timing sends individual characters at a relatively brisk character speed but adds longer gaps between characters and words to lower the overall speed. A learner hears each character's rhythm without being overwhelmed by a fast stream of text. The ARRL describes the method and its calculations in its technical note on Morse timing.
Try the timing rules
Open the Morse Orbit audio generator, enter a short message and adjust the speed. Watch the signal timeline while listening. Compare the length of a dot with a dash, then compare the gap inside a character with the gap between letters.
Try it in Morse Orbit
See every gap in a message
The timing explorer draws each dot, dash and gap to scale at the speed you choose.
Open the timing explorerCommon questions
Is a dash three times longer than a dot?
Yes. In standard International Morse timing, a dash lasts three dot units.
Is the slash between Morse words part of the code?
No. It is a display convention that some translators use to mark the 7-unit gap between words.
Does Farnsworth timing change the dots and dashes?
No. It keeps character elements at the chosen character speed and lengthens only the spacing between characters and words.
About this guide
Written and published by Morse Orbit, a free educational Morse code site. Facts are checked against the sources listed, and Morse patterns come from the same International Morse (ITU-R M.1677-1) engine as our tools.
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