U in Morse code
The twenty-first letter of the alphabet
The Morse code for U is ..-, two dots and a dash, spoken di-di-dah. It is seven units long, about 467 milliseconds at 18 WPM. The easiest way to hold it is the word uniform, said u-ni-FORM: two light syllables for the dots and a stressed one for the dash. Its closest look-alikes are D, the same code reversed, and F, which adds a dot.
..- (dot dot dash)
“di-di-dah”dot dot dash
3 elements · 2 dots, 1 dash · 7 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
467 ms at 18 WPM
U at a glance
- Morse code
- ..-
- Said as
- di-di-dah
- Elements
- 3
- Length
- 7 units
- At 18 WPM
- 467 ms
- Koch order
- 3 of 41Then R
- NATO word
- Uniform
- Frequency in English
- 2.8%13th of 26
How U sounds and how to remember it
U opens with two quick dots and lands on a dash three times as long, so the weight falls on its last beat. Counting the gaps it is seven units, which at the site's 18 WPM comes to about 467 milliseconds.
Uniform is also the word radio operators use to spell U by voice, so u-ni-FORM covers both systems. Un-der-NEATH and kiss a EWE have the same short-short-long stress, and the memory phrases for every letter work the same way.
Written, U is two periods and a hyphen. Tapped on a key or flashed with a light, keep the first two short and even and hold the third about three times as long.
Telling U from D, F and its neighbors
Reverse U and you get D, -.., so listen to how the letter starts: short first means U, long first means D. F, ..-., begins exactly like U and adds a dot, so wait for the letter gap before you decide.
Change a single element and U turns into S (...), W (.--) or K (-.-), each a letter it is easily mistaken for. Drop the dash and it is I; flip every element and it is G, --., two long tones and a short one.
In the sound-alike drill, U sits in a set with A, V and 4, the characters that end on a dash after a run of dots. The full alphabet chart lists them together if you want to compare them by eye first.
Hear it
- D-..
- F..-.
- S...
Where U turns up in real sending
In a contest exchange U can stand in for the digit 2. The full 2 is ..---, 15 units long; cutting it to U saves eight units, and it works because both operators know a figure is due.
U is also the second letter of TU, operator shorthand for thank you, sent as T and then U with a normal letter gap.
Run the two together and the dash and the ..- merge into -..-, which is X, so the gap matters.
Hear it
- 2..---
- X-..-
Characters to compare
Close to U in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- U in reverse: D, dash dot dot
- U minus its last dash: I, dot dot
- U plus a dot: F, dot dot dash dot
- U with dots and dashes swapped: G, dash dash dot
- U with its 1st dot as a dash: K, dash dot dash
- U with its 2nd dot as a dash: W, dot dash dash
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try U in a word
Tap U yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- ..-
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about U.
What is U in Morse code to English?
The pattern ..- decodes to the letter U. For a longer string of dots and dashes, paste it into the translator on the home page and it decodes every letter at once.
How do you say U in Morse code?
Say di-di-dah: two short syllables and one long one. The word uniform, stressed on its last syllable, has the same rhythm.
What does K mean in Morse code?
K, -.-, is the invitation to transmit: sent at the end of a transmission, it tells the other station to go ahead. It differs from U only in its first element, a dash where U has a dot.
Is U the same as the digit 2 in Morse code?
No. The digit 2 is ..---, five elements long. Operators only send U in place of 2 when both sides know a figure is expected, as in a contest exchange; in normal text a 2 is always sent in full.