Morse Code Sound Effects
Hear what Morse code sounds like and download free sound effects: SOS, radio calls, static, telegraph clicks and beeps, as MP3 or WAV. Every clip is CC0, free for any use.
Morse code sound clips
All 20 clips are CC0: free to use anywhere, no credit needed.
SOS, slow
Three short, three long, three short, as one signal.
Spells: SOS, one signal
dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
13 WPM · 600 Hz · 3×
8.5s · MP3 about 136 KB · WAV about 749 KB
SOS, fast
The same signal, quick and high.
Spells: SOS, one signal
dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
25 WPM · 800 Hz · 5×
7.6s · MP3 about 122 KB · WAV about 674 KB
SOS over radio static
A distress call from far away.
Spells: SOS, one signal
dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
18 WPM · 600 Hz · Static · 3×
7.7s · MP3 about 124 KB · WAV about 681 KB
CQD and SOS, as on the Titanic
CQD as three letters, then SOS. A re-creation, not a recording.
Spells: CQD CQD SOS SOS
dash dot dash dot, dash dash dot dash, dash dot dot; word space; dash dot dash dot, dash dash dot dash, dash dot dot; word space; dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot; word space; dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
20 WPM · 600 Hz · Static · 2×
19.0s · MP3 about 305 KB · WAV about 1.7 MB
CQ call
Calling any station.
Spells: CQ CQ CQ
dash dot dash dot, dash dash dot dash; word space; dash dot dash dot, dash dash dot dash; word space; dash dot dash dot, dash dash dot dash
20 WPM · 600 Hz
5.8s · MP3 about 93 KB · WAV about 513 KB
Ship's radio in static
A message through hiss and fading.
Spells: MSG FOR CAPTAIN
dash dash, dot dot dot, dash dash dot; word space; dot dot dash dot, dash dash dash, dot dash dot; word space; dash dot dash dot, dot dash, dot dash dash dot, dash, dot dash, dot dot, dash dot
18 WPM · 650 Hz · Static
9.1s · MP3 about 146 KB · WAV about 804 KB
Distant station, heavy static
VVV, the test signal, barely there.
Spells: VVV VVV
dot dot dot dash, dot dot dot dash, dot dot dot dash; word space; dot dot dot dash, dot dot dot dash, dot dot dot dash
18 WPM · 650 Hz · Static · 2×
11.4s · MP3 about 182 KB · WAV about 1.0 MB
Sign-off: 73 SK
Best regards, end of work.
Spells: 73 SK
dash dash dot dot dot, dot dot dot dash dash; word space; dot dot dot dash dot dash
22 WPM · 600 Hz
2.9s · MP3 about 46 KB · WAV about 256 KB
What hath God wrought
American MorseThe first official telegraph message (1844), in American Morse. Sounders came after 1850.
Spells: WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT
dot dash dash, dot dot dot dot, dot dash, dash; word space; dot dot dot dot, dot dash, dash, dot dot dot dot; word space; dash dash dot, dot space dot, dash dot dot; word space; dot dash dash, dot space dot dot, dot space dot, dot dot dash, dash dash dot, dot dot dot dot, dash
15 WPM · Sounder
14.0s · MP3 about 225 KB · WAV about 1.2 MB
Telegram: ARRIVE TUESDAY STOP
American MorseA telegraph office at work, in American Morse.
Spells: ARRIVE TUESDAY STOP
dot dash, dot space dot dot, dot space dot dot, dot dot, dot dot dot dash, dot; word space; dash, dot dot dash, dot, dot dot dot, dash dot dot, dot dash, dot dot space dot dot; word space; dot dot dot, dash, dot space dot, dot dot dot dot dot
20 WPM · Sounder
8.7s · MP3 about 139 KB · WAV about 767 KB
Telegraph clicks, slow
Hear the click and the clack.
Spells: HELLO
dot dot dot dot, dot, dot dash dot dot, dot dash dot dot, dash dash dash
10 WPM · Sounder · 2×
13.4s · MP3 about 214 KB · WAV about 1.2 MB
Newsroom ticker
Fast and high, for a bulletin intro.
Spells: NEWS NEWS NEWS
dash dot, dot, dot dash dash, dot dot dot; word space; dash dot, dot, dot dash dash, dot dot dot; word space; dash dot, dot, dot dash dash, dot dot dot
28 WPM · 1000 Hz · 2×
9.2s · MP3 about 147 KB · WAV about 809 KB
Spy code groups in static
Random five-letter groups.
Spells: QXRTZ KLMWP
dash dash dot dash, dash dot dot dash, dot dash dot, dash, dash dash dot dot; word space; dash dot dash, dot dash dot dot, dash dash, dot dash dash, dot dash dash dot
22 WPM · 700 Hz · Static
6.7s · MP3 about 108 KB · WAV about 593 KB
V for Victory
Three dots and a dash, three times.
Spells: V V V
dot dot dot dash; word space; dot dot dot dash; word space; dot dot dot dash
15 WPM · 600 Hz
3.4s · MP3 about 54 KB · WAV about 300 KB
Airport beacon: YYZ
A beacon identifier, repeated.
Spells: YYZ
dash dot dash dash, dash dot dash dash, dash dash dot dot
10 WPM · 1000 Hz · 3×
19.6s · MP3 about 314 KB · WAV about 1.7 MB
One dot (dit)
60 ms at 20 WPM.
Spells: E
dot
20 WPM · 600 Hz
0.2s · MP3 about 3 KB · WAV about 16 KB
One dash (dah)
180 ms at 20 WPM.
Spells: T
dash
20 WPM · 600 Hz
0.3s · MP3 about 5 KB · WAV about 27 KB
SMS text alert
S, M, S, twice.
Spells: SMS
dot dot dot, dash dash, dot dot dot
22 WPM · 800 Hz · 2×
3.2s · MP3 about 52 KB · WAV about 285 KB
OK
A short confirmation.
Spells: OK
dash dash dash, dash dot dash
20 WPM · 800 Hz
1.5s · MP3 about 24 KB · WAV about 132 KB
I love you
For a card, a video or a proposal.
Spells: I LOVE YOU
dot dot; word space; dot dash dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot dash, dot; word space; dash dot dash dash, dash dash dash, dot dot dash
18 WPM · 600 Hz
6.3s · MP3 about 101 KB · WAV about 557 KB
Make your own
For longer messages, use the Morse code generator.
Code table
Sound
Your sound
1.5s · MP3 about 24 KB · WAV about 132 KBdot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot
How to use
Pick a group, or scroll the list. Each card shows what the clip spells and its Morse code.
Press Play to listen. One clip plays at a time.
Press MP3 or WAV to save it. The card shows its length and size first.
To change a clip, press Customize. It opens in Make your own with the same words and settings.
Or type your own words in Make your own, pick Beep, Radio static or Telegraph sounder, set the speed and repeats, then download.
What it does
A library of 20 Morse code sound effects, from SOS to telegraph clicks, made in your browser, plus a maker for your own.
- MP3 or WAVMP3 at 128 kbps for sharing; WAV, 16-bit mono at 44.1 kHz, for a video or audio editor. Each Morse code sound download is named after the clip, like
morse-code-sos-slow.mp3. - Labels you can checkEach card prints the words and code it plays; the sound is made from them.
- CC0Use any clip anywhere, without credit or an account.
- Three soundsA clean radio beep, a radio static sound effect with hiss and fading, or the click of a telegraph sounder.
- American MorseThe telegraph clips use the code of US landline telegraphs.
- Make your ownUp to 200 characters, 5 to 40 WPM with Farnsworth spacing, pitch 200 to 1200 Hz, static, volume and up to 10 repeats.
How it works
Timing
Every clip follows ITU-R M.1677-1: a dot is one unit and a dash three; gaps are one unit inside a letter, three between letters and seven between words. Speed is counted with the word PARIS, 50 units with its word gap, so one unit lasts 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds: 60 ms at 20 WPM, 92 ms at 13. SOS as one signal is 23 units, so the slow clip’s signal lasts 2.1 seconds.
The sounds
- Beep: a sine tone that rises and falls over 5 milliseconds (a raised-cosine edge), so it never clicks.
- Radio static: the tone with band noise around its pitch, and a slow, uneven fade from two waves at 0.13 and 0.31 Hz. At 50% fading the signal dips to 55% of full level.
- Telegraph sounder: no tone. A sharp click as each dot or dash starts and a softer one as it ends.
The telegraph clips use American (Railroad) Morse, the code of US landline telegraph companies. 11 of its letters differ from International Morse: some have a short space inside (O is . .), and L is a long dash.
The files
Each clip is rendered once in your browser by the site’s Morse engine, the one the translator plays. Play and the download use that same audio, so the file is what you heard. A file adds a 20 ms lead-in and a 100 ms tail, so no edge is cut off.
Examples
The 20 clips, with what each one sends:
| Clip | Morse code | Speed and sound | File |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOS, slow | ...---... ×3 | 13 WPM, 600 Hz | 8.5 s |
| SOS, fast | ...---... ×5 | 25 WPM, 800 Hz | 7.6 s |
| SOS over radio static | ...---... ×3 | 18 WPM, static | 7.7 s |
| CQD and SOS, as on the Titanic | -.-. --.- -.. / -.-. --.- -.. / ...---... / ...---... ×2 | 20 WPM, light static | 19.0 s |
| CQ call | -.-. --.- / -.-. --.- / -.-. --.- | 20 WPM, 600 Hz | 5.8 s |
| Ship's radio in static (MSG FOR CAPTAIN) | -- ... --. / ..-. --- .-. / -.-. .- .--. - .- .. -. | 18 WPM, static | 9.1 s |
| Distant station (VVV VVV) | ...- ...- ...- / ...- ...- ...- ×2 | 18 WPM, heavy static | 11.4 s |
| Sign-off: 73 SK | --... ...-- / ...-.- | 22 WPM, 600 Hz | 2.9 s |
| What hath God wrought | American: O is .., R is ... | 15 WPM, sounder | 14.0 s |
| Telegram: ARRIVE TUESDAY STOP | American: R ..., Y ...., O .., P ..... | 20 WPM, sounder | 8.7 s |
| Telegraph clicks, slow (HELLO) | .... . .-.. .-.. --- ×2 | 10 WPM, sounder | 13.4 s |
| Newsroom ticker (NEWS ×3) | -. . .-- ... / -. . .-- ... / -. . .-- ... ×2 | 28 WPM, 1000 Hz | 9.2 s |
| Spy code groups (QXRTZ KLMWP) | --.- -..- .-. - --.. / -.- .-.. -- .-- .--. | 22 WPM, static | 6.7 s |
| V for Victory | ...- / ...- / ...- | 15 WPM, 600 Hz | 3.4 s |
| Airport beacon: YYZ | -.-- -.-- --.. ×3 | 10 WPM, 1000 Hz | 19.6 s |
| One dot (dit) | . | 20 WPM, 600 Hz | 0.2 s |
| One dash (dah) | - | 20 WPM, 600 Hz | 0.3 s |
| SMS text alert | ... -- ... ×2 | 22 WPM, 800 Hz | 3.2 s |
| OK | --- -.- | 20 WPM, 800 Hz | 1.5 s |
| I love you | .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- | 18 WPM, 600 Hz | 6.3 s |
Check one by hand: SOS at 13 WPM is 23 units of 92 ms, 2.1 s. Three passes with 1 s gaps, plus the lead-in and tail, make the 8.5 s file.
Frequently asked questions
About Morse code sound effects
Like a beep switched on and off: short beeps are dots (dits), long ones are dashes (dahs), three times as long. Morse "is usually received as a high-pitched audio tone", as Wikipedia puts it. Landline telegraphs clicked instead. The One dot and One dash cards play both lengths.
Three short beeps, three long beeps and three short beeps, sent as one unbroken signal with no gaps between the letters. That is how the distress signal was defined, and why SOS is often written with a bar over it. At 13 WPM it lasts 2.1 seconds. For its meaning, light and tapping, see SOS in Morse code.
Yes. Every ready-made clip here is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0: copy, change and share it, even commercially, without asking or giving credit. That covers YouTube videos, games, apps, podcasts and escape rooms. A clip you make from your own words is yours to use too.
A telegraph sounder clicks; it does not beep. Its armature makes a click when the current pulls it down and a clack when it springs back, and operators read the time between them. US landline telegraph companies used American Morse, which has short spaces inside some letters. The Telegraph cards play it that way.
The letter V, ...-. In the Second World War the BBC used its rhythm as a call sign in broadcasts to occupied Europe; the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has the same rhythm. The V for Victory card plays it three times at 15 WPM.
Yes, mixed with CQD. Jack Phillips first sent CQD, the older Marconi distress call, then alternated it with SOS. CQD goes out as three separate letters and SOS as one run-together signal. The CQD and SOS card sends both that way over light static. It is a re-creation, not a recording.
Yes. Type up to 200 characters in Make your own, pick a sound, set the speed, pitch and repeats, and press MP3 or WAV. For longer messages, the Morse code generator takes up to 5,000 characters in eight code tables. To turn words into a Morse tune instead of beeps, use the Morse code song generator.
Trust and limits
The sounds are made in your browser by the site’s Morse engine. Nothing is uploaded, and no clip is fetched from a server. Every ready-made clip is CC0 1.0. As the CC0 deed says, it comes with no warranty and does not cover anyone’s trademark rights.
The clips are synthesized, not recordings: the Titanic, ship and beacon clips are re-creations. Static is random, so a static clip saved on another visit hisses slightly differently. Make your own takes 200 characters; static only plays under a signal, so there is no static-only clip. Maintained by Translate Morse Code, an independent site; last updated October 2026.