Learn Morse Code

How the trainer works

This is the Koch method, the most reliable way to learn Morse by ear. You start with two characters, K and M, sent at full character speed. You hear one, type what it was, and get the next. When your accuracy over the last 20 answers reaches 90%, a new character is added — 41 in total, in the order used by most clubs.

Don’t count dots and dashes. At 18 WPM a letter is over before you could count it — that is the point. You learn to recognise each sound as a whole, which is the only way to copy faster later.

Your progress is saved in this browser. Ten or fifteen minutes a day works better than one long session a week.

Choosing speed and spacing

Keep the speed (character speed) at 15–20 WPM even as a beginner, and slow down with spacing instead: it adds time between characters without stretching the characters themselves. As you get comfortable, raise the spacing until it matches the speed.

Single characters or groups

“Single characters” plays one character and waits for you. “Groups of 5” plays five random characters in a row — closer to real copying, and harder. Switch to groups once single characters feel easy.

After the trainer

Once you know all characters, practise reading real words: play messages in the translator with the text hidden, take the quiz by ear, and try sending with the practice key. For reading by sight, see how to read Morse code.