WPM is the standard way to describe the speed of a Morse transmission. Because Morse characters have different lengths, the measurement uses a standard reference word rather than treating every English word as the same size. That reference word is PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long including the gap after it.
How long is a dot?
With standard timing based on the 50-unit PARIS model, one dot unit is:
dot duration in seconds = 1.2 ÷ WPM
For example, at 12 WPM one dot unit is 0.1 seconds, and a dash lasts three units, or 0.3 seconds. The gaps follow the same relationships: one unit between elements inside a character, three units between characters and seven units between words.
| Speed | Dot (1 unit) | Dash (3 units) | Word gap (7 units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 WPM | 240 ms | 720 ms | 1,680 ms |
| 12 WPM | 100 ms | 300 ms | 700 ms |
| 20 WPM | 60 ms | 180 ms | 420 ms |
This formula describes standard timing. Training tools that use Farnsworth spacing have an effective overall speed lower than the character speed.
What is Farnsworth timing?
Farnsworth timing keeps characters sounding at a chosen character speed but adds extra space between characters and words. A learner hears each character at a faster rhythm while getting more time to identify it. The ARRL's technical note describes the method and the calculations used to add spacing while keeping the timing relationships intact.
| Element | Standard length | At these settings |
|---|---|---|
| Dot | 1 unit | 67 ms |
| Dash | 3 units | 200 ms |
| Gap inside a character | 1 unit | 67 ms |
| Gap between characters | 3 units | 621 ms |
| Gap between words | 7 units | 1449 ms |
What speed should a beginner choose?
There is no single perfect setting. Choose a character speed that pushes you to recognise the sound pattern instead of counting, then add spacing if you need more time between characters. Increase the overall pace gradually as recognition becomes reliable, and focus on accuracy before chasing a particular WPM target. The beginner's learning guide suggests a simple routine.
Experiment with the timing
Use the Morse Orbit timing explorer to inspect dot length, dash length and every gap in a message. Then play a short message in the audio generator at different WPM settings and compare standard and Farnsworth timing.
Try it in Morse Orbit
Inspect timing interval by interval
Type any message and see every dot, dash and gap drawn to scale at your chosen speed.
Open the timing explorerCommon questions
What does WPM mean in Morse code?
WPM means words per minute. Morse speed is calculated with the standard 50-unit reference word PARIS, so one unit lasts 1.2 ÷ WPM seconds.
How long is a Morse code dash?
A dash lasts three times as long as a dot under standard timing — 300 ms at 12 WPM, for example.
Does Farnsworth timing make dots and dashes slower?
No. It adds spacing between characters and words to reduce the overall speed while keeping the character elements at their chosen speed.
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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