E in Morse code

E is dot in International Morse code, said “dit”. It has 1 element and lasts 1 unit, which is 60 ms at 20 WPM.

E 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 E

Add a dot and you get I or a dash and you get A.
Say it out loud as “dit”. Learning the rhythm, not counting dots and dashes, is what lets you recognise it at speed.
E is character 5 of 41 in the Koch learning order, followed by S. Practise it in the Koch trainer.

Letters that sound like E

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

Can you hear the difference?

Listen, then pick the one you heard.

E on the air

E is the most common letter in English, which is why it got the shortest code of all: one dot.
Eight dots in a row (........) is the ITU error signal. Operators send it, then repeat the last word correctly.

E at a glance

Morse code: .
Sounds like: dit
Length: 1 unit
At 20 WPM: 60 ms
NATO word: Echo
Frequency in English: 12.7% (1st 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 E at your speed