Word · Copy · Practice
Underscore (_) in Morse Code
Copy the Morse code for Underscore (_), hear it played back, or open it in the translator to edit it.
Letter by letter
How "Underscore (_)" is built in Morse
Underscore (_) is 1 character — 3 dots and 3 dashes in all. Here is each letter with its Morse code so you can send or write it one symbol at a time:
Sending Underscore (_) by sound or light
Underscore (_) is 17 Morse units long, counting a 1-unit gap inside each character. At a beginner's 5 words per minute that is 4.1 seconds of signal; an experienced operator at 25 WPM sends it in 0.8 seconds.
| Speed | 5 WPM | 13 WPM | 20 WPM | 25 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to send | 4.1 s | 1.6 s | 1.0 s | 0.8 s |
Easily confused with
One dot or dash separates Underscore (_) from each of these. They are the likeliest misreadings when copying by ear.
What the standard says
Underscore (_) is not in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1, the standard that defines International Morse code. ..--.- is the widely listed extension, and it sounds exactly like the letters I and Q sent without a gap. If the person receiving may not know it, spell the symbol out in words.
Compare every symbol on the punctuation chart.
How to read it
The format in one line
- Dot
- . one short signal (1 unit)
- Dash
- - one long signal (3 units)
- Letter gap
- a single space between letters (3 units)
- Word gap
- / with surrounding spaces (7 units)
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