A in Morse code

A is dot dash in International Morse code, said “di-dah”. It has 2 elements and lasts 5 units, which is 300 ms at 20 WPM.

A on a timing ruler

Dots last one unit, dashes three, and the gaps inside the letter one unit each. The numbers under the ruler are the length of each part.

How to remember A

A is E with one more dash on the end.
Add a dot and you get R or a dash and you get W.
Say it out loud as “di-dah”. Learning the rhythm, not counting dots and dashes, is what lets you recognise it at speed.
A is character 8 of 41 in the Koch learning order, followed by P. Practise it in the Koch trainer.

Letters that sound like A

These are the letters most often copied by mistake for A, and why.

Can you hear the difference?

Listen, then pick the one you heard.

A on the air

A run together with R gives the prosign AR (.-.-.), which means “end of message”. It is the same signal as the plus sign.
Sent twice without a gap (.-.-), A is the code many European operators use for Ä.

A at a glance

Morse code: .-
Sounds like: di-dah
Length: 5 units
At 20 WPM: 300 ms
NATO word: Alfa
Frequency in English: 8.2% (3rd of 26)

Sources: codes from ITU-R M.1677-1, the International Morse code standard; English letter frequencies from Robert Lewand’s analysis; American Morse from the historical US telegraph code.

Hear A at your speed