Alphabet · A–Z

D in Morse code

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

-..

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

Practice in translator →

Memory mnemonic

DOH-ga-da

Say it aloud with the stresses shown. The phrase carries the same dit/dah rhythm as the Morse for D. 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 D in Morse code

Pattern: -..
Length: 7 Morse units
Spoken as: Delta (DELL tah)
In English text: 4.3% of letters — the 10th most common
Sent backwards: ..- is U
Dots ↔ dashes: .-- is W

D takes 7 units to send. 6 letters are shorter and 4 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: D is the 10th most common letter and has the 7th-shortest code.

How long D takes to send

Speed	Unit length	D takes
5 WPM	240 ms	1.7 s
13 WPM	92 ms	0.65 s
20 WPM	60 ms	0.42 s
25 WPM	48 ms	0.34 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 D. Mishearing a single element — or clipping one off the end — turns D into one of them, so they are worth drilling side by side.