1 in Morse code
The number one
1 in Morse code is .----, one dot followed by four dashes, said di-dah-dah-dah-dah. The single dot at the front is the number itself: digits 1 to 5 open with as many dots as their value. Played backwards, the same five marks make 9. At 18 words per minute, 1 lasts about 1.13 seconds.
.---- (dot dash dash dash dash)
“di-dah-dah-dah-dah”dot dash dash dash dash
5 elements · 1 dot, 4 dashes · 17 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
1133 ms at 18 WPM
1 at a glance
- Morse code
- .----
- Said as
- di-dah-dah-dah-dah
- Elements
- 5
- Length
- 17 units
- At 18 WPM
- 1133 ms
- Koch order
- 37 of 41Then D
- Pattern
- 1 dot, then 4 dashes
- Cut number
- A, saves 12 unitsCommon in contests
One dot for one: how the digits count
1 starts the counting rule that makes the ten digits easy to learn. Each digit is five elements long, and from 1 to 5 the number of dots in front tells you the value. So 1 is .----, 2 is ..--- and 3 is ...--, with a dot added and a dash dropped each time.
Once you hear 1 as one short tick before a long tail, the next digits follow by ear. The only thing that changes from 1 to 5 is where the short tones stop.
Hear it
- 2..---
- 3...--
1, J, the apostrophe and 9
Several characters sit one change away from 1, and they are easy to mix up at speed:
The letter J:
.---is 1 without its last dash, four elements instead of five.The apostrophe:
.----.is 1 with a dot added at the end.The digit 9:
----.is 1 played backwards, its dot moved from the front to the end.The digit 6:
-....is 1 with every dot and dash swapped.
The Sound-alike drill plays pairs like these until you can tell them apart without counting.
Hear it
- J.---
- '.----.
- 9----.
Sending 1 short as A
When both stations expect figures, as in a contest serial number, digits can be sent as cut numbers: the dashes are trimmed to one and the dots stay. For 1 that leaves a dot and a dash, the letter A, which saves 12 of its 17 units. A serial 110 can then go out as .- .- -, AAT.
The cut forms of all ten digits are on the numbers page. In any other message, send 1 in full so the receiver does not copy a letter.
Hear it
- AAT.- .- -
Fractions and ordinals with 1
ITU-R M.1677-1 joins a whole number to its fraction with a hyphen, so one and three quarters is sent as 1-3/4 and not as 13/4. In Morse that is .---- -....- ...-- -..-. ....-, with the hyphen and the slash each sent as a character.
Ordinal numbers keep their letters, which the standard writes as 25TH. First is therefore sent as 1ST, .---- ... -, figure and letters with no space between them.
Hear it
- 1-3/4.---- -....- ...-- -..-. ....-
- 1ST.---- ... -
How to tap, flash and write 1
Tap it:
one quick tap, then four long presses. At 18 words per minute the dot lasts about 67 ms, each dash 200 ms, and the whole 1 about 1.13 seconds.
Flash it:
as light it takes longer, because a flashing light on this site runs at 7 words per minute at most, which stretches 1 to about 2.9 seconds.
Write it:
a period, then four hyphens, with no spaces inside. The translator reads it back if you want to check.
Characters to compare
Close to 1 in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- 1 in reverse: 9, dash dash dash dash dot
- 1 minus its last dash: J, dot dash dash dash
- 1 plus a dot: Apostrophe, dot dash dash dash dash dot
- 1 with dots and dashes swapped: 6, dash dot dot dot dot
- 1 with its 1st dot as a dash: 0, dash dash dash dash dash
- 1 with its 2nd dash as a dot: 2, dot dot dash dash dash
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try 1 in a word
Tap 1 yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- .----
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about 1.
What do numbers look like in Morse code?
Each digit is five dots and dashes. The dots lead from 1 to 5 and the dashes lead from 6 to 0, so 1 is one dot and four dashes. The numbers chart shows all ten.
How do you read 1 in Morse code out loud?
Say it as it sounds: di-dah-dah-dah-dah. Operators say di for a dot inside a character and dit for a dot at the end, which helps you learn the rhythm instead of counting marks.
Is 1 the same as J in Morse code?
No. J is .---, one dot and three dashes. 1 has four dashes, so it is one element longer.
What does 1 mean in Morse code?
It means the figure one and nothing else. It has no special meaning as a signal, though in contest exchanges it may be sent as A, its cut form.
Has 1 always been sent this way?
Not everywhere. American (Railroad) Morse, once used on US telegraph lines, sent 1 as .--., dot dash dash dot, which International Morse reads as P.