É in Morse code

É, E with an acute accent, is dot dot dash dot dot in Morse code, said “di-di-dah-di-dit”. It is the only accented letter in the ITU standard. It lasts 11 units, which is 660 ms at 20 WPM.

Will the other station understand it?

Yes. É is defined in ITU-R M.1677-1, the International Morse code standard, so any trained operator should copy it, whatever their language.

É on a timing ruler

How to remember É

É is F with one more dot on the end.
..-.. reads the same forwards and backwards.
Say it as “di-di-dah-di-dit” and learn the rhythm rather than counting.

Characters that sound like É

These standard characters are one step away from É, so they are the likeliest mix-ups.

Can you hear the difference?

Listen, then pick the one you heard.

É on the air

É is the only accented letter in ITU-R M.1677-1, so every trained operator should copy it.
It is common in French, where the accent can change the meaning of a word, so French operators use it far more than other accented codes.

É at a glance

Morse code: ..-..
Sounds like: di-di-dah-di-dit
Length: 11 units
ITU standard: Yes
Safe fallback: Not needed
Used in: French, Italian and Spanish

Sources: ITU-R M.1677-1, the International Morse code standard (É). Other codes follow the national tables in common use; shared codes and fallbacks reflect on-air practice.

Hear É at your speed