How to practice effectively
Listen, don't count. The goal is to hear each letter as one rhythm, the way you recognize a doorbell without counting its chimes. If you catch yourself counting dots and dashes, the character speed is too low. Keep letters fast and use the effective speed slider for thinking time instead. That's Farnsworth spacing, and it's the default here for a reason.
Short daily sessions beat long ones. Ten to fifteen minutes a day builds the skill faster than an hour on the weekend, because this kind of memory consolidates between sessions. Stop while it still feels easy; tomorrow's session picks up the gain.
Progress in small steps. The proven route is the Koch method: practice a small set of characters at full speed, and expand the set only when your accuracy passes 90%. The accuracy counter above tells you when you're there. For the full method (session structure, timelines, and the mistakes that quietly add months), readhow to learn Morse code.
Graduate to words. Once single characters feel comfortable, switch to Words mode. Real Morse arrives as words, and hearing the boundary between letters is a separate skill that character drills alone never build. Between sessions, thetranslator makes good extra listening practice, and thealphabet reference is there when you need to check a letter: for looking things up, not for studying.
FAQ
What speed should a beginner practice Morse code at?
Keep the character speed at 18-20 WPM and the effective speed around 10 WPM (the trainer defaults). Characters at full speed teach you each letter as a rhythm; the stretched gaps give you time to recognize it. Raise the effective speed as your accuracy improves, not the other way around.
Should I repeat a character when I get it wrong?
Yes, at least once. Hearing the same character again right after seeing the correct answer ties the sound to the letter while both are fresh. The trainer does this automatically when "repeat after a wrong answer" is on. If a character keeps tripping you up across sessions, that is normal. Some pairs take a week.
How long until I can copy real words?
With daily 10-15 minute sessions, most people copy the full alphabet slowly within 2 to 4 weeks and pick out short words soon after. Switch the trainer to Words mode once single characters feel comfortable. Hearing where one letter ends and the next begins is its own skill.