The Morse code – also Morse alphabet – is a common code for transmitting letters, digits and other characters.
The code was invented by Samuel Morse in 1837 and standardized in 1865 after some modifications by Alfred Vail and Friedrich Clemens Gerke.
To visualize the code
- Dot (.) for short tone,
- dash (-) for long tone and
- space for pause in different width (sometimes also comma or slash for word separation).
are used.
For acoustic illustration and for learning and training purposes, the speech syllables di(t) (dot) and dah (dash) are used
The length of a dit determines the speed at which it can be sent. It is the basic unit of time to which all other times are referenced:
- a dah has a length of 3 dit.
- The length of the pause is:
1 dit between two symbols sent,
3 dit between letters in a word, and
7 dit between words.