X in Morse Code
X is -..- - dah-di-di-dah, 11 units, 660 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 - X is already in it.
How long X takes
X is 2 dots and 2 dashes. With the gaps that comes to 11 units, number 22 of 26 by length.
- 5 WPM: 2,640 ms
- 13 WPM: 1,015 ms
- 20 WPM: 660 ms
The arithmetic behind them is on the timing page.
What X gets confused with
5 characters sit one element away from X, more than most letters manage:
- B
-...- a dot in fourth place instead of a dash - D
-..- the last dash missing - Q
--.-- a dash in second place instead of a dot - V
...-- a dot in first place instead of a dash - Y
-.--- a dash in third place instead of a dot
X in the tree
- Built from:
-= T,-.= N and-..= D, then-..- - Carries on into: no other letter - a leaf of the tree
- Backwards:
-..-= itself, a palindrome - Koch position: 26 of 26
The tree shows the whole shape, the trainer teaches it by ear.
Why X has this code
X makes up about 0.15 per cent of English text, which is number 24 of 26 by frequency, against number 22 by length. Close enough that the code is doing its job for this letter.
The lengths were set by counting, not by theory - the alphabet page has that story.
X in American Morse
The American code, used on the landline telegraph until the 1920s, wrote X as .-.. instead of -..-. That sequence is L in the international code, so the same rhythm meant two different letters depending on which side of the Atlantic you were sitting.
The full table has the other ten.
Frequently asked questions
-
What is X in Morse code?
-..-- 2 dots and 2 dashes, spoken dah-di-di-dah. -
How long does X take to send?
11 units: 660 milliseconds at 20 words per minute, 2,640 at 5.
-
Which letters sound like X?
B, D, Q, V and Y - each one element away from
-..-.