4 in Morse code
The number four
4 in Morse code is ....-, four dots and then one dash, said di-di-di-di-dah. Four dots on their own are the letter H, so the closing dash is what makes it a 4. The player on this page sounds it at 18 words per minute, where the whole character takes about 733 ms.
....- (dot dot dot dot dash)
“di-di-di-di-dah”dot dot dot dot dash
5 elements · 4 dots, 1 dash · 11 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
733 ms at 18 WPM
4 at a glance
- Morse code
- ....-
- Said as
- di-di-di-di-dah
- Elements
- 5
- Length
- 11 units
- At 18 WPM
- 733 ms
- Koch order
- 34 of 41Then 7
- Pattern
- 4 dots, then 1 dash
- Cut number
- NoneSent in full
Four dots is H, not 4
Most searches for four dots in Morse code are after ...., the letter H. The digit needs one more element: four dots and a dash. Five dots with no dash are 5, ....., so H, 4 and 5 differ only in their last place.
Four dashes, ----, are not in the ITU table at all. German, Czech and Slovak tables use them for CH, a letter pair sent as one character, but never for a figure.
Hear it
- H....
- 5.....
- CH----
4 in the number pattern
Every one of the ten digits has five elements, and 1 to 5 open with as many dots as their value. 4 has four dots, then a single dash to fill the fifth place.
Two other digits share its marks. 6 is -...., the same dash and four dots in reverse order, and 9 is ----., 4 with every dot and dash swapped. The Sound-alike drill trains pairs like 4 and 6 until you hear the difference at once.
Hear it
- 6-....
- 9----.
Why 4 is never shortened
Cut numbers, used in contest exchanges, cut a digit's dashes down to one and keep its dots. 4 already has just one dash, so it stays ....-, and the same is true of 6. Every other digit has a shorter form, listed on the numbers page.
4 is also the one digit that American (Railroad) Morse, the older code of US telegraph lines, sends exactly as International Morse does: four dots and a dash.
Worked examples with 4
- For July 4, written 7/4 in the US short form, send
--... -..-. ....-, with the slash as its own character. - For four and a half, ITU-R M.1677-1 links a whole number to its fraction with a hyphen, so 4-1/2 is
....- -....- .---- -..-. ..---and never 41/2 written together. - The number 143, which stands for I love you, is
.---- ....- ...--, three digits with 4 in the middle. The 143 page explains why it is not a Morse signal itself.
For a longer message with 4 in it, type it into the translator and it converts every character for you.
Hear it
- 7/4--... -..-. ....-
- 4-1/2....- -....- .---- -..-. ..---
- 143.---- ....- ...--
How to tap, flash and write 4
Tap it:
four quick taps and one long press. At 18 words per minute a dot lasts about 67 ms and the dash 200 ms; the four gaps inside take about 67 ms each.
Flash it:
as light it takes longer, because this site flashes light at no more than 7 words per minute, so 4 takes about 1.9 seconds. The Flashlight signaler uses the same limit for whole messages.
Write it:
four periods and a hyphen with no spaces inside. The player at the top of the page copies the code for you, and its download saves the sound as an MP3.
Characters to compare
Close to 4 in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- 4 in reverse: 6, dash dot dot dot dot
- 4 minus its last dash: H, dot dot dot dot
- 4 with dots and dashes swapped: 9, dash dash dash dash dot
- 4 with its 1st dot as a dash: Equals sign, dash dot dot dot dash
- 4 with its 4th dot as a dash: 3, dot dot dot dash dash
- 4 with its 5th dash as a dot: 5, dot dot dot dot dot
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try 4 in a word
Tap 4 yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- ....-
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about 4.
What do four dots mean in Morse code?
Four dots, ...., are the letter H. Add a dash at the end and you get the digit 4; add a fifth dot instead and you get 5.
What do numbers look like in Morse code?
Each digit is five dots and dashes, dots first for 1 to 5 and dashes first for 6 to 0. The full set is on the numbers chart.
How do you write July 4 in Morse code?
Write the date as 7/4 and send each character in turn: 7, the slash and 4. That is --... -..-. ....- in full.
What do four dashes mean in Morse code?
Nothing in the international standard. Some national alphabets use ---- for CH, but it is never a digit. The figure with four dashes is 9, which ends with a dot.
Is 4 the same in American Morse code?
Yes. It is the only digit that American (Railroad) Morse and International Morse send the same way, four dots and a dash.