L in Morse Code
L is .-.. - di-dah-di-dit, 9 units, 540 milliseconds at 20 words per minute.
At this speed the screen flashes more than three times per second. If you are sensitive to flashing light, set the speed to 7 WPM or lower.
Advanced settings
.-..
Press play in the box above - L is already in it.
How long L takes
L is 3 dots and 1 dash. With the gaps that comes to 9 units, number 16 of 26 by length.
- 5 WPM: 2,160 ms
- 13 WPM: 831 ms
- 20 WPM: 540 ms
The arithmetic behind them is on the timing page.
What L gets confused with
4 characters sit one element away from L:
- H
....- a dot in second place instead of a dash - P
.--.- a dash in third place instead of a dot - R
.-.- the last dot missing - Z
--..- a dash in first place instead of a dot
L in the tree
- Built from:
.= E,.-= A and.-.= R, then.-.. - Carries on into: no other letter - a leaf of the tree
- Backwards:
..-.= F - Koch position: 9 of 26
The tree shows the whole shape, the trainer teaches it by ear.
Why L has this code
L makes up about 4 per cent of English text, which is number 11 of 26 by frequency, against number 16 by length. That is a mismatch in the expensive direction: L turns up more often than its code length allows for, so it costs airtime on every message.
The lengths were set by counting, not by theory - the alphabet page has that story.
L in American Morse
The American code, used on the landline telegraph until the 1920s, wrote L as _ instead of .-... That is a single long dash - longer than an ordinary dash. American Morse had three element lengths where the international code has two.
The full table has the other ten.
Frequently asked questions
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What is L in Morse code?
.-..- 3 dots and 1 dash, spoken di-dah-di-dit. -
How long does L take to send?
9 units: 540 milliseconds at 20 words per minute, 2,160 at 5.
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Which letters sound like L?
H, P, R and Z - each one element away from
.-...