B in Morse code
The second letter of the alphabet
B in Morse code is -..., one dash followed by three dots, said dah-di-di-dit. It has four elements and lasts nine units, 600 ms at 18 WPM. The long tone opens the letter. If the dash comes last instead, you are hearing V, which is B played backward.
-... (dash dot dot dot)
“dah-di-di-dit”dash dot dot dot
4 elements · 3 dots, 1 dash · 9 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
600 ms at 18 WPM
B at a glance
- Morse code
- -...
- Said as
- dah-di-di-dit
- Elements
- 4
- Length
- 9 units
- At 18 WPM
- 600 ms
- Koch order
- 32 of 41Then question mark (?)
- NATO word
- Bravo
- Frequency in English
- 1.5%20th of 26
How B sounds, and ways to remember it
B is one long tone and then three quick ones: dah-di-di-dit. It sounds like a downbeat followed by a short drumroll, and the three dots run at an even pace.
BOB is the man:
the stressed BOB is the dash, and "is the man" gives the three dots.
BE a good boy:
one heavy word, then three light ones.
bean:
in Douglas Harder's one-word system the tall b is the dash and the short e, a and n are the dots.
There is a phrase like this for every letter in the guide to Morse code memory phrases. Use one for your first few days, then listen for the sound itself.
B, V, D and 6: telling them apart
Several characters are built from one dash and a few dots, so two questions settle almost every mix-up: where is the dash, and how many dots follow it?
V:
...-has the same four elements with the dash at the end. Dash first means B.D:
-..is one dot shorter. Count the dots after the dash: two is D, three is B.Six:
-....is one dot longer, with four dots after the dash.J:
.---swaps every element, a dot then three dashes.
The Sound-alike drill plays these groups against each other, and the whole alphabet chart lists every letter with its code and sound.
Hear it
- V...-
- D-..
- 6-....
How to write, tap and flash B
Write it:
a hyphen and three periods,
-...with a space before the next letter.Tap it:
one press held about three times as long as a tap, then three quick taps, each followed by a gap one tap long.
Flash it:
one long blink and three short ones. The light on this page plays at 7 WPM, under three flashes a second, so each blink is easy to see.
In a word, B keeps its four elements and gets a three-unit gap on each side. BED is -... . -.., a B, a lone dot for E and then D, which sounds like B with a dot missing.
Hear it
- BED-... . -..
B on the air: the break signal and the cut 7
Add a dash to the end of B and you get -...-, the double hyphen. Operators call it BT, and the ITU standard uses it to separate the parts of a message, for example the text from the signature. It is sent as one signal, with no gap between the B and the T.
B also stands in for the digit 7 when both stations expect a number. That cut number is nine units against 13 for --..., the full 7.
Hear it
- =-...-
- 7--...
Characters to compare
Close to B in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- B in reverse: V, dot dot dot dash
- B minus its last dot: D, dash dot dot
- B plus a dot: 6, dash dot dot dot dot
- B plus a dash: Equals sign, dash dot dot dot dash
- B with dots and dashes swapped: J, dot dash dash dash
- B with its 1st dash as a dot: H, dot dot dot dot
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try B in a word
Tap B yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- -...
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about B.
What does the dot stand for in Morse code?
A dot is the short signal, one unit long, and it is the yardstick for everything else. The ITU standard makes a dash three dots long, the gap inside a letter one dot, the gap between letters three dots and the gap between words seven. B uses one dash and three dots.
How do you write baby in Morse code?
BABY is -... .- -... -.--, with B at the first and third places. Leave a space between letters so the two Bs do not run into the As beside them. Sent at 18 WPM, the word takes three seconds.
How do you type hi in Morse code?
HI is .... .., four dots for H, a letter gap, then two dots for I. Radio operators also use HI as written laughter. The hi page plays it and explains both uses.
How does Morse code work?
Each character is a fixed pattern of short and long signals, and the spaces carry meaning too: one unit inside a letter, three between letters and seven between words. Any on-off signal can carry it, from a tone or a light to a tap. The guide what is Morse code covers the rest.
How long does it take to learn Morse code?
Learning to hear every letter by ear takes most people a few weeks to a few months of short daily practice. Copying at conversation speed takes longer. The guide to how long it takes to learn Morse code sets out realistic timelines.