Morse Code Punctuation & Symbols
International Morse code includes punctuation and a small set of symbols alongside letters and numbers. Use this reference to hear or copy each pattern, see punctuation inside short messages, and understand which entries belong to the international standard.
Some Morse software also supports extra symbols that are widely recognized but are not defined as punctuation characters in ITU-R M.1677-1. Those entries are clearly marked as common additions instead of being presented as official International Morse punctuation.
For the complete A–Z, 0–9, and punctuation reference, use the Morse Code Alphabet.
Morse Code Punctuation & Symbols Chart
Choose Play to hear a pattern or Copy to copy its dots and dashes. Entries marked ITU standard are included in ITU-R M.1677-1. Common additions are shown separately so they are not confused with the standardized set.
Common Additions Supported by Morse Software
The mappings below are common in modern Morse charts and software, but they are not part of the standardized punctuation/sign list in ITU-R M.1677-1. They are included here only when the current Morse Code Creator mapping already supports them.
How Punctuation Works in Morse Code
A punctuation mark is encoded as its own Morse character. Its dots and dashes stay together in one pattern, just like the elements of a letter or digit.
The signal timing does not need a special extra pause simply because the character is punctuation. A dot is one time unit, a dash is three units, the gap between elements inside the same character is one unit, the gap between characters is three units, and the gap between words is seven units.
For example, the question mark is one six-element character:
? → ..--..
When it follows a word, leave the normal character gap between the final letter and the question-mark pattern.
Technical reference: ITU-R M.1677-1, International Morse code
Common Morse Punctuation Explained
Question mark — ..--..
Use the question-mark pattern when a written question mark is part of the message. Keep all six elements together as one character.
Period and comma
A period is .-.-.- and a comma is --..--. Both are longer than most letter patterns, so checking the complete sequence helps prevent dropped or reversed elements.
Slash — -..-.
A literal slash has its own Morse character: -..-. This is different from using a printed slash as a visual separator between words in written Morse notation.
At sign — .--.-.
The at sign has a standardized Morse pattern and can be represented as its own character when the symbol is part of the text.
Plus and equals
The plus pattern .-.-. and equals pattern -...- can also match procedural signals in operating contexts. On this page they are shown as typed symbols; procedural meanings belong to prosign usage.
Punctuation in Example Messages
Read each punctuation mark as a separate character. A normal character space appears between the surrounding letter pattern and the punctuation pattern.
| Text | Morse code | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| HELLO? | .... . .-.. .-.. --- ..--.. | The question mark is the final Morse character. |
| YES. | -.-- . ... .-.-.- | The period follows S with a normal character gap. |
| A/B | .- -..-. -... | The middle pattern is the actual Morse character for a slash. |
| A@B | .- .--.-. -... | The at sign is encoded between A and B as its own character. |
When written Morse uses / as a visual word separator, that printed slash is only formatting. A literal slash in the original message is transmitted with the Morse pattern -..-.
Punctuation vs Prosigns
Punctuation represents written characters such as a period, question mark, slash, or at sign. A prosign is different: it is a procedural Morse signal used to control or organize communication rather than simply reproduce a printed character.
Some patterns can appear in both roles. For example, .-.-. is the pattern shown here for the plus sign and is also associated with AR when used as a procedural signal. The pattern -...- is shown here for the equals sign and can also be used as the BT procedural signal.
The pattern alone does not always tell you the role; context matters. This page is a punctuation and symbol reference, not a prosign reference.
For joined procedural signals, meanings, and audio, see Morse Code Prosigns.
Spacing and Common Mistakes
Keep the pattern together
Do not insert a character gap inside one punctuation pattern. For example, ..--.. is one question-mark character, not several shorter Morse characters.
Separate it from neighboring letters
Use the normal character gap before and after punctuation when another character follows. Joining patterns together can change how the sequence is decoded.
Do not confuse slash roles
The Morse character for a literal slash is -..-. A slash printed between Morse groups is also commonly used as a readable word-boundary marker, but that formatting slash is not itself being transmitted.
Check standard status
A symbol appearing in Morse software does not automatically make it part of the ITU standard. Use the status labels in the chart when that distinction matters.
Copy plain Morse characters
For reliable copy and paste, use ordinary periods for dots and hyphen-minus characters for dashes. Decorative bullets and typographic dash characters can cause problems in tools that expect plain Morse text.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a question mark in Morse code?
A question mark is ..--... Keep all six dots and dashes together as one Morse character and use the normal character gap before or after neighboring letters.
What is a slash in Morse code?
A literal slash is -..-. in International Morse code. Do not confuse that transmitted character with a slash that is sometimes typed between Morse groups simply to make a written word break easier to see.
Does Morse code have an at sign?
Yes. The at sign is part of the standardized International Morse character set and is written as .--.-..
Is the exclamation mark official International Morse code?
ITU-R M.1677-1 does not define an exclamation-mark character. The pattern -.-.-- is a common addition found in many modern Morse references and software, but it should not be labeled as an ITU-standard punctuation character.
Do punctuation marks need extra spacing?
No special punctuation-only gap is required. Treat punctuation as a Morse character: keep its elements together, then use the normal character or word spacing required by the message.
Are punctuation marks and prosigns the same thing?
No. Punctuation represents written characters, while prosigns are procedural signals. Some patterns can overlap, so the meaning depends on how the signal is being used.