H in Morse Code: ····
The letter H in Morse code is ····, spoken as "di-di-di-dit": four short. That is 4 dots, with a dash held three times as long as a dot. To remember it, think hip-pi-ty-hop (four quick beats, no stress anywhere).
Timing: how long each part lasts
Morse timing is built from one unit, the length of a dot. A dash is 3 units, and the silence between the elements of a single character is 1 unit. At 20 words per minute, one unit is 60 ms, so H breaks down like this:
| Element | Signal | Length (units) | At 20 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot | · | 1 | 60 ms |
| Gap | (silence) | 1 | 60 ms |
| Dot | · | 1 | 60 ms |
| Gap | (silence) | 1 | 60 ms |
| Dot | · | 1 | 60 ms |
| Gap | (silence) | 1 | 60 ms |
| Dot | · | 1 | 60 ms |
| Total for H | 7 | 420 ms | |
How to signal H
- Tap it: four short. A short is a quick tap; a long is a heavier tap, or a quick tap followed by a slight hold, about three times as long.
- Blink it: four short. Use quick blinks for dots and slow, deliberate eye closes for dashes, keeping the rhythm steady.
- Flash it: four short. Short flashes for dots; for dashes, hold the light on about three times longer. Any flashlight or phone screen works.
How to remember H
Say hip-pi-ty-hop (four quick beats, no stress anywhere) in rhythm with the code and the pattern sticks: "di-di-di-dit".
Words that start with H: Hotel ···· −−− − · ·−··, harbor ···· ·− ·−· −··· −−− ·−·, hill ···· ·· ·−·· ·−··, honey ···· −−− −· · −·−−. The first is H's NATO phonetic name, which operators use to spell aloud.
H is four plain dots. Double it and you get the error prosign HH, eight dits in a row that mean 'scratch that, I'm re-sending'.