Speech and Morse Code
Dictate a sentence and get the code. Or let it be read aloud - not as dots and dashes, but the way operators say it: di-dah, dah-di-di-dit.
Why operators say di-dah
Nobody who can read Morse thinks in dots and dashes. They hear a rhythm and a letter appears. That is why the code has a spoken form, and why almost every textbook prints it: A is di-dah, B is dah-di-di-dit, S is di-di-dit.
The endings are not decoration. A dot in the middle of a character is "di", which leans forward and tells the ear that more is coming; the last dot is "dit", which is closed and finished. Say di-di-dit out loud and then di-di-di - only the first one sounds like a letter that has ended.
This matters for learning because the two ways of storing a character are not equally useful. "Dot dot dot" is three pieces of information you have to assemble; "di-di-dit" is one sound you recognize. Learners who start with the written symbols usually have to unlearn them later, at around 10 words per minute, when there is no longer time to assemble anything.
Dictating
The Dictate button uses the browser's own speech recognition, which Chrome and Safari provide and Firefox does not. Speak a sentence, and it lands in the text field and becomes code.
Worth knowing, because everywhere else on this site the opposite is true: dictation is not local. Chrome sends the recording to its own servers to turn it into text. The translator, the decoder and the trainers all run entirely in your browser, but this one feature does not. If that matters to you, type instead - the result is identical.
Reading aloud is local again. It uses the voices installed on your operating system, the same ones a screen reader uses.
What to use it for
- Learning a new character. Have the spoken form read out, repeat it aloud, then listen to the tone. Three ways into the same rhythm.
- Checking your own pronunciation. Most people say the dashes too short when they speak the code, exactly as they send them too short on a key.
- Hands-free. Dictate a message while your hands are busy and take the code away with you.
- Teaching. The spoken form is what makes a class say the letter in chorus, and that is the point where it starts to stick.
Frequently asked questions
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Why does dictation not work in my browser?
Firefox has no speech recognition at all, and some Chromium builds ship without it. The button hides itself when the browser cannot do it.
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Is my voice sent anywhere?
For dictation in Chrome, yes - to Google, which is how that feature works. Nothing else on this site sends anything anywhere. Reading aloud uses local system voices.
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What is the difference between di and dit?
Position. Inside a character, a dot is "di"; the final dot is "dit". It marks the end of the letter for the ear, which is exactly what a written dot cannot do.
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Can it read the code in another language?
The spoken form is the same in every language - di and dah are international. The reading voice follows the language of the page.