Common Words & Phrases in Morse Code (with Examples)

Some words come up again and again in Morse code — greetings, quick replies, and the odd emergency signal. Here are the most common ones written out in dots and dashes. Type any of them into the English to Morse translator to hear the rhythm, or paste them into Morse code to English to check your own.

Greetings and everyday words

• HELLO — ···· · ·−·· ·−·· −−−
• HI — ···· ··
• YES — −·−− · ···
• NO — −· −−−
• OK — −−− −·−
• THANK YOU — − ···· ·− −· −·− / −·−− −−− ··−
• PLEASE — ·−−· ·−·· · ·− ··· ·

Help and emergency signals

The one to know is SOS — ··· −−− ··· — sent as one unbroken sequence, which is why it is the universal distress call. The plain word HELP is ···· · ·−·· ·−−·, but in a real emergency SOS is faster to send and impossible to mistake. There is more on why SOS is ··· −−− ··· if you are curious.

Something sweeter

The most-searched phrase of all is I LOVE YOU — ·· / ·−·· −−− ···− · / −·−− −−− ··−. It is short, symmetrical and a favourite for bracelets and tattoos; there is a full letter-by-letter breakdown here.

Your own name

After the common words, the first thing most people spell is their name. Because each letter is independent, a name is just its letters run together — SAM is ··· ·− −−. Try yours in the English to Morse code tool, or generate it as sound and an image with the generator. For every letter and number, keep the Morse code alphabet and numbers chart handy.