Morse Code for Kids
A secret writing you can tap, flash and whistle.
Morse code is a way of writing with only two signs: short and long. A short one is called a dot, a long one a dash. Every letter has its own pattern. A is short-long, S is short-short-short. You can write anything with it - and because there are only two signs, it also works with a torch or by tapping.
How to read it
Take the chart and look up the signs one at a time. The gaps matter:
- Inside one letter there is almost no gap.
- Between two letters there is a small gap.
- Between two words there is a big gap, often written as a slash.
Try this one: .... . .-.. .-.. ---
Five letters, so five groups. The first is four shorts. Look up what four shorts means. When you have all five you will have a word people say when they meet.
Four things that are fun
- Your name. Type it on the name page. You get a picture you can print out.
- Tapping. Two short taps for an I, a short and a long for an A. Under the table nobody notices.
- Flashing. With a torch across a dark room. The light page shows you how. Start slowly or nobody can follow.
- Secret messages. On the puzzle page you write a message and get a link. Whoever opens it only sees the code and has to work it out.
Why is E so short?
E is a single dot, while Q is four signs long. That is not an accident.
When the code was invented almost two hundred years ago, somebody walked into a print shop and counted the letters in the printers' cases. Letters that get used a lot were there in large numbers. Those got the shortest patterns, so you have the least to send.
That is a genuinely clever trick, and computers still do something similar today when they make files smaller.
SOS: the most important code
Three short, three long, three short: ...---...
This is the sign for "we need help". Ships used to send it across the sea. It is built so that you cannot mistake it for anything else.
Important: SOS is a real distress signal. Listening to it and practicing is fine. But never send it out for real when nothing has happened - then people go looking for someone who is not in trouble. On the SOS page you can listen to it safely.
Frequently asked questions
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How quickly can you learn Morse code?
With the chart next to you, straight away. Without looking things up it takes a few weeks if you practice five minutes a day. Five minutes daily beats a whole hour at the weekend.
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Do I need a radio?
No. A torch is enough, or just a finger for tapping. That is the handy thing about Morse code: it works with anything you can switch on and off.
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Can I write secretly with it?
Tapping or flashing really does go unnoticed by most people. But anyone who knows the code, or finds the chart, can read along. Morse code is no good for real secrets - and all the better for fun.