Morse Code Numbers
Morse code numbers are the easiest part of the whole system, because you don't memorize them: you count them. Every digit from 0 to 9 is exactly five elements long, and the dots and dashes follow one rule with no exceptions.
For 1 through 5, start with that many dots and fill the rest of the five slots with dashes. So 1 is one dot and four dashes, 3 is three dots and two dashes, and 5 is five dots. For 6 through 9, flip it: start with dashes, one for each unit above five, and fill the rest with dots. 6 is one dash and four dots, 9 is four dashes and one dot. 0 caps the sequence with five dashes.
The fixed five-element length is also why numbers are so reliable to copy by ear: you always know when a digit ends. Click any digit below for its timing breakdown and the radio shorthand built around it, or try a whole phone number in the translator.
| Digit | Code | Pattern | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | −−−−− | Five dashes and zero dots, the mirror of 5. | |
| 1 | ·−−−− | One dot, then dashes fill the remaining slots: 1 dot + 4 dashes. Every digit uses exactly five elements. | |
| 2 | ··−−− | Two dots, then three dashes to complete the five elements. | |
| 3 | ···−− | Three dots, then two dashes. | |
| 4 | ····− | Four dots, then one dash. | |
| 5 | ····· | Five dots. All five slots are dots, so 5 marks the halfway point of the system. | |
| 6 | −···· | One dash, then four dots. From 6 to 0, the dash count is the digit minus five. | |
| 7 | −−··· | Two dashes (7 minus 5), then three dots. | |
| 8 | −−−·· | Three dashes, then two dots. | |
| 9 | −−−−· | Four dashes, then one dot. |
Hearing the difference
Spoken aloud, 3 is "di-di-di-DAH-DAH" and 7 is "DAH-DAH-di-di-dit", exact mirrors of each other. Every digit pairs up that way with its ten's-complement (1 with 9, 2 with 8, and so on), which makes the whole set faster to learn than it looks.