8 in Morse code
The number eight
8 in Morse code is ---.., three dashes followed by two dots, said dah-dah-dah-di-dit. Its marks are those of 2 in reverse, so listen to how it starts: a long tone first means 8, a short one means 2. Doubled as 88, it is the telegraph-era sign-off for love and kisses.
---.. (dash dash dash dot dot)
“dah-dah-dah-di-dit”dash dash dash dot dot
5 elements · 2 dots, 3 dashes · 15 units
Hear it at your speed (WPM)
1000 ms at 18 WPM
8 at a glance
- Morse code
- ---..
- Said as
- dah-dah-dah-di-dit
- Elements
- 5
- Length
- 15 units
- At 18 WPM
- 1000 ms
- Koch order
- 31 of 41Then B
- Pattern
- 3 dashes, then 2 dots
- Cut number
- D, saves 8 unitsRarely used
Three dashes, then two dots
Every one of the ten digits has five elements. From 6 on, the leading dashes count up from one, so 8, five plus three, opens with three dashes and ends with two dots.
At 18 words per minute 8 lasts 15 units, exactly one second, the same as 2.
8, 2 and the colon
The digit 2:
..---has the same marks as 8 in the opposite order.The digit 3:
...--is 8 with every dot and dash swapped.The colon:
---...is 8 with one more dot.
2 and 8 are the pair most often mixed up, because both have two dots and three dashes. The Sound-alike drill plays them against each other until the opening tone decides it for you.
Hear it
- 2..---
- 3...--
- :---...
88: love and kisses
Like 73, 88 comes from the 92 Code that Western Union adopted in 1859, where it meant love and kisses. In Morse it is ---.. ---.., ten elements and a letter gap. The 88 page covers its other meanings, which matter before you engrave it.
143 is a different kind of number. It stands for I love you by counting the letters in each word and is not a Morse signal; the 143 page explains it.
Hear it
- 88---.. ---..
Sending 8 short as D
In exchanges where both sides expect figures, a digit's dashes can be trimmed to one while its dots stay. 8 becomes -.., the letter D, saving 8 of its 15 units. See every digit's cut form on the numbers page.
Hear it
- D-..
How to tap, flash and write 8
Tap it:
three long presses and two quick taps, one second in all at 18 words per minute.
Flash it:
as light it takes longer, because light on this site flashes at no more than 7 words per minute, so 8 takes about 2.6 seconds.
Write it:
three hyphens and two periods, no spaces inside. The translator reads it back as 8.
Characters to compare
Close to 8 in sound, so the likeliest mix-ups.
- 8 in reverse: 2, dot dot dash dash dash
- 8 plus a dot: Colon, dash dash dash dot dot dot
- 8 with dots and dashes swapped: 3, dot dot dot dash dash
- 8 with its 3rd dash as a dot: 7, dash dash dot dot dot
- 8 with its 4th dot as a dash: 9, dash dash dash dash dot
- The cut form of 8: D, dash dot dot
Which one did you hear?
Listen, then pick or type the one you heard.
Try 8 in a word
Tap 8 yourself
Press for a dot, hold for a dash. Space works too.
- Send
- ---..
- Yours
- Nothing yet
Questions about 8.
What is I love you in Morse code?
It is the three words spelled letter by letter. The I love you page has the code and the sound.
Is 143 I love you in Morse code?
No. 143 stands for I love you by counting letters: one in I, four in love, three in you. In Morse it is just the three digits, one, four and three.
What does 8 mean in Morse code?
On its own it is the figure eight. Doubled as 88, operators read it as love and kisses.
What do numbers look like in Morse code?
Five dots and dashes each, dots first for 1 to 5 and dashes first for 6 to 0. All ten are on the numbers chart.
Has 8 always been sent this way?
No. American (Railroad) Morse sent 8 as -...., a dash and four dots, which International Morse reads as 6.