Morse Code Punctuation
Look up the Morse patterns for written symbols used in real messages: question marks, periods, commas, slashes, apostrophes, parentheses, quotation marks, technical symbols, and other punctuation marks.
Morse punctuation chart
MorseWords supports these punctuation marks in the translator, decoder, audio generator, and worksheet tools.
Period
END.
.-.-.-
Full stop used at the end of a sentence.
Comma
YES, COPY
--..--
Comma separator inside a sentence.
Question mark
QTH?
..--..
Used for questions and uncertain copy.
Slash
TEXT / MORSE
-..-.
Commonly used as a word separator in written Morse.
Hyphen
X-RAY
-....-
Dash or hyphen inside a word or call sign.
Apostrophe
DON'T
.----.
Apostrophe in contractions and names.
Open parenthesis
(NOTE
-.--.
Opening parenthesis.
Close parenthesis
NOTE)
-.--.-
Closing parenthesis.
Colon
TIME:
---...
Colon punctuation.
Semicolon
COPY; WAIT
-.-.-.
Semicolon punctuation.
Equals
A=B
-...-
Equals sign and a common break separator.
Plus
A+B
.-.-.
Plus sign; also overlaps with the AR prosign pattern.
At sign
NAME@SITE
.--.-.
At sign used in email-like text.
Quotation mark
"SOS"
.-..-.
Quotation mark punctuation.
Detailed punctuation and spacing pages
Use these pages when you need examples, copy-paste notes, or a clearer distinction between typed punctuation and Morse separators.
How to use Morse punctuation
Use this page when you are translating normal written symbols inside a sentence, not procedural signals or radio shorthand.
Who it is for
Use this reference when pasted text includes marks like ?, ., comma, slash, apostrophe, parentheses, colon, plus, underscore, quote marks, or @.
What it includes
The chart covers common punctuation marks and symbols supported by the MorseWords translator and decoder.
How to apply it
Find the written mark, copy or play its Morse pattern, then test the full sentence in the encoder or decoder.
Worked punctuation examples
These examples show why punctuation needs its own lookup page instead of being treated like letters.
Question mark
..--..
Use the question mark pattern when translated text contains a real written question, such as QTH? or COPY? See the question mark page for examples.
Period and comma
.-.-.- / --..--
Slash and at sign
-..-. / .--.-.
Slash and @ are useful for address-style text. If slash is being used as Morse spacing, compare it with the word separator guide. For @ examples, open the at sign page.
Technical and quote marks
-...- / .-.-. / .-..-.
Equals, plus, quotation marks, ampersand, and underscore are supported symbols in MorseWords, but they are easy to break when pasted into forms or URLs. Check the equals sign, plus sign, and quotation mark pages before sharing code-like text.
Common punctuation mistakes
Most punctuation errors come from mixing typed text marks with Morse spacing or procedural signals.
Using slash for two jobs
In plain text, slash is punctuation. In written Morse, / often marks a word break. Keep those input modes separate.
Skipping punctuation in copied text
If a sentence includes a question mark or comma, the mark changes the Morse output and should not be ignored.
Confusing plus with AR
The plus sign shares the .-.-. pattern with the AR prosign, but punctuation and prosigns have different purposes.
Punctuation vs prosigns vs Q-codes
These pages all help with non-letter Morse, but each page has a different job.
Punctuation
Use punctuation when you want to translate normal written symbols in a message.
Open PunctuationComplete chart
Use the complete chart when you want letters, numbers, supported punctuation, spacing notes, and audio checks together.
Open Complete chartProsigns
Use prosigns when you are learning procedural operating signals such as start, end, wait, or correction.
Open ProsignsQ-codes
Use Q-codes when you are learning radio shorthand meanings such as QTH, QSL, QRS, or QRZ.
Open Q-codesBest next step after checking punctuation
Once the punctuation pattern is clear, test the surrounding message in a tool that handles full text or pasted Morse.
Morse punctuation FAQ
Does Morse code include punctuation?>
Yes. International Morse includes common punctuation marks such as period, comma, question mark, slash, apostrophe, parentheses, colon, semicolon, equals, plus, at sign, ampersand, underscore, and quotation mark.
Why are punctuation patterns longer than letters?>
Punctuation marks are less common than letters, so their Morse patterns are usually longer and easier to confuse if you do not practice them separately.
Should I use punctuation when practicing Morse?>
Start with letters and numbers first, then add punctuation once you are translating real sentences or copied text that includes marks such as question marks or commas.
Is a slash the same as a word separator?>
No. A slash can be encoded as punctuation in plain text, but typed Morse often uses / as a written word break. The word separator guide explains that spacing convention.
How is punctuation different from prosigns?>
Punctuation represents written symbols inside a message. Prosigns are procedural operating signals, and Q-codes are radio shorthand groups.
