3 in Morse code

Many people searching for three dots in Morse code mean one of three characters that start the same way:

• S:

  ..., three dots and nothing else.

• V:

  ...-, three dots and one dash.

• The digit 3:

  ...--, three dots and two dashes.

The digit is the longest of the three, five elements like every digit in the set. Its three leading dots match its value, which is the rule for all digits from 1 to 5.

7 is --..., the marks of 3 played in reverse. Together they spell 73, the operators' sign-off for best regards, which comes from the 92 Code that Western Union adopted in 1859. Sent in full, 73 is --... ...--: dashes on the outside, dots in the middle, the same from either end.

That symmetry is a handy check when you copy it. The 73 page covers how operators use it and why it is never written 73s.

Cut numbers trim a digit's dashes to one and keep its dots, for exchanges where both sides expect figures. 3 becomes V, ...-, which saves 4 of its 13 units.

Every digit's cut form is listed on the numbers page.

• Tap it:

  three quick taps and two long presses. At 18 words per minute the whole 3 takes 13 units, about 867 ms.

• Flash it:

  as light it takes longer, because light on this site flashes at 7 words per minute at most, so 3 takes about 2.2 seconds.

• Write it:

  three periods and two hyphens, no spaces inside. The translator turns it back into 3 if you want to check.

ITU-R M.1677-1 joins a fraction to the number after it with a hyphen, so three quarters followed by 8 is sent as 3/4-8 and not 3/48. In Morse that is ...-- -..-. ....- -....- ---.., five characters.