Numbers in Morse code (0–9)

How the ten digits are built

Every digit is exactly five dots and dashes, which is why numbers are easy to recognise by rhythm. For 1 to 5 the count of dots is the digit itself, followed by dashes to make up five: 3 is three dots then two dashes. For 6 to 9 the pattern flips — the dashes come first — and 0 is five dashes.

Because dashes are three times as long as dots, the digits are not the same length. 5 is the shortest at 9 units and 0 the longest at 19. At 20 words per minute one unit lasts 60 ms, so a 5 takes 540 ms and a 0 takes 1140 ms.

The last column lists the letters a single missed or extra element turns each digit into — the usual copying mistakes. A 5 that loses one dot is heard as H; a 4 missing a dot is V.

Numbers from 10 to 100

Morse code has no symbols for multi-digit numbers. You send each digit as its own character, leaving the normal three-unit gap between them, exactly as you would between letters of a word. A year works the same way: 2026 is ..--- ----- ..--- -...., 69 units long.

Fractions, percentages and ordinals

The international standard, Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1, sets out how figures are written inside a message. A group made of figures and letters is sent without spaces, so an ordinal such as 25th is sent as 25TH. A fraction is tied to its whole number with a single hyphen, and because Morse has no per cent symbol, % is spelled out with the fraction bar.

• × — Multiplication is sent as the letter X.
• % — Per cent is sent as the figure 0, the fraction bar, then 0.
• ‰ — Per thousand is sent as 0, the fraction bar, then 00.

Cut numbers in contests

In radio contests, where the same numbers are sent thousands of times, operators often replace a digit with a short letter. ARRL's contest glossary gives N for 9, A for 1 and T for 0. The most familiar case is the signal report 599, usually sent as 5NN: N (-.) is far quicker than 9 (----.). Cut numbers are a convention between operators, not part of the ITU code, so the translator on this site always sends full digits.

FAQ

How do you write a number with more than one digit in Morse code?

Send each digit in turn, with a normal three-unit letter gap between digits. There is no separate code for 10, 25 or 100: 25 is written ..--- ..... (a 2, then a 5).

Which digit is the longest in Morse code?

0 (-----) is the longest at 19 units; 5 (.....) is the shortest at 9 units.

How are fractions and percentages sent?

ITU-R M.1677-1 joins a whole number to a fraction with a hyphen (1 3/4 becomes 1-3/4) and sends % as 0/0, joined by a hyphen: 2% becomes 2-0/0.

What are cut numbers?

Letters sent in place of digits to save time, mainly in contests, such as T for 0, A for 1 and N for 9. They are an operating shortcut, not part of the ITU code.