X in Morse code
The twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet
X in Morse code is -..-, a dash, two dots and a dash, spoken dah-di-di-dah. It is 11 units long, about 733 milliseconds at 18 WPM, and it reads the same backward as forward. International Morse has no separate times sign, so X is also sent for multiplication: 2×3 goes out as 2, X and 3.
-..- (dash dot dot dash)
“dah-di-di-dah”dash dot dot dash
4 elements · 2 dots, 2 dashes · 11 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
733 ms at 18 WPM
X at a glance
- Morse code
- -..-
- Said as
- dah-di-di-dah
- Elements
- 4
- Length
- 11 units
- At 18 WPM
- 733 ms
- Koch order
- 41 of 41
- NATO word
- X-ray
- Frequency in English
- 0.15%24th of 26
- American Morse
- .-..International L
How X sounds and a phrase to remember it
X is framed by two long tones with two short ones in between. With the gaps counted it is 11 units, so at the site's 18 WPM it takes about 733 milliseconds.
X marks the SPOT fits it: X and SPOT are stressed for the dashes, while marks and the stay light for the dots. CROSS at the DOOR works the same way, and the memory phrases for every letter have more.
Because the pattern is a palindrome, it is the same whichever end you start from. Written, X is a hyphen, two periods and a hyphen; on a key or a light, hold the first and last tones three times as long as the middle two.
Telling X from P, D and its neighbors
Swap every element of X and you get P, .--., its mirror image in lengths. Drop the last dash and it is D, -.., so wait for the letter gap before you write D.
Change one element and X becomes V (...-) or B (-...), where a dash turns into a dot, or Q (--.-) and Y (-.--), where a dot turns into a dash. Each is a common slip when copying fast.
X shares a set with K, C and Y in the sound-alike drill, all letters that start with a dash and mix dots and dashes after it. The full alphabet chart shows the four together.
Hear it
- P.--.
- D-..
- V...-
X as the times sign and as a period
ITU-R M.1677-1 says that for the multiplication sign the signal of the letter X is transmitted. To send 2×3 you key 2, X and 3 as separate characters, and the X between two figures is read as times.
Add one dot to the end of X and you get -..-., the slash, which the same standard uses as the fraction bar and the division sign. Times and divide differ only by that last short beat.
In the ARRL radiogram, the message form used for amateur traffic handling, X stands for a period in the text and counts as a group in the check. It is never the last group, and on voice nets it is read as X-ray.
Hear it
- /-..-.
Characters to compare
Close to X in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- X minus its last dash: D, dash dot dot
- X plus a dot: Slash, dash dot dot dash dot
- X with dots and dashes swapped: P, dot dash dash dot
- X with its 1st dash as a dot: V, dot dot dot dash
- X with its 2nd dot as a dash: Q, dash dash dot dash
- X with its 3rd dot as a dash: Y, dash dot dash dash
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try X in a word
Tap X yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- -..-
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about X.
What is X in Morse code to English?
The pattern -..- decodes to X. Between two figures it means times, and inside an ARRL radiogram it marks the end of a sentence.
What is V in Morse?
V is ...-, di-di-di-dah. It differs from X in its first element only, a dot in V and a dash in X, so the opening sound tells them apart.
Is there a Japanese Morse code?
Yes. Wabun code sends Japanese kana in Morse, and many of its patterns match International letters while meaning different kana.
Operators announce a switch to it with the prosign DO. The Japanese Morse code guide has the full table.
How do you write a multiplication sign in Morse code?
You send the letter X. International Morse has no separate sign for times, so 2×3 is keyed as 2, X and 3, and the receiver reads the X between figures as multiplication.