Alphabet · A–Z

A in Morse code

Standard Morse code for A. Copy it, hear it, or practice with real examples.

2 signals (1 dot, 1 dash)Dots are short • dashes are longLetters use spaces • words use “/”

Memory mnemonic

a-LOOOOONG

Say it aloud with the stresses shown. The phrase carries the same dit/dah rhythm as the Morse for A. Once the rhythm sticks the dots and dashes follow.

This is the widely-circulated Scout-meeting variant. Many teachers develop their own — the words don't matter, only that the chosen phrase carries the same dit/dah rhythm.

About A in Morse code

Pattern: .-
Length: 5 Morse units
Spoken as: Alfa (AL fah)
In English text: 8.2% of letters — the 3rd most common
Sent backwards: -. is N
Dots ↔ dashes: -. is N

A takes 5 units to send. 3 letters are shorter and 2 others are the same length. Alfred Vail reportedly counted the type in a printer's case and gave the shortest codes to the letters used most, so frequency and length roughly track each other: A is the 3rd most common letter and has the 4th-shortest code.

How long A takes to send

Speed	Unit length	A takes
5 WPM	240 ms	1.2 s
13 WPM	92 ms	0.46 s
20 WPM	60 ms	0.30 s
25 WPM	48 ms	0.24 s

Standard PARIS timing: one unit is 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds; a dot is 1 unit, a dash 3, and the gap inside a character 1. Add 3 units between letters and 7 between words.

Easily confused with

These are one dot or dash away from A. Mishearing a single element — or clipping one off the end — turns A into one of them, so they are worth drilling side by side.