MORSE REFERENCE
How Morse code timing works
One unit defines the entire signal
International timing uses a dot as one unit. A dash lasts three units. A one-unit silence separates marks inside a character; a three-unit silence separates characters; a seven-unit silence separates words. Those silences are alternative boundaries, not extra gaps that should be added on top of one another.
For A (.-), play one unit of sound, one unit of silence and three units of sound. For separate E and T, the silence between those same marks is three units instead. The mark lengths are unchanged, but the gap tells a listener whether the marks belong together.
The main tool shares one timeline between audio playback, the visual light and WAV generation. Adjusting speed changes all their durations together. Pitch changes the sound frequency and does not change which character the marks represent.
WPM, PARIS and a real duration
The speed control uses the reference word PARIS, whose conventional complete word cycle contains 50 units. At 20 WPM, one unit lasts 60 milliseconds: 1,200 divided by the selected WPM. At 10 WPM, a unit lasts 120 milliseconds. A dash takes three times the selected unit duration.
For HI, H contains four dots and three internal gaps: seven units. Its following letter gap adds three units, and I contains two dots with one internal gap: three units. Together that is thirteen units, or 0.78 seconds at 20 WPM. The playback stops at the final mark; it does not append a silent word cycle to every message.
Actual message duration depends on the characters. A string of E letters contains shorter patterns than a string of O letters. WPM is therefore a standard calibration, not a claim that every five-letter word takes the same amount of time.
Avoid common spacing errors
The slash in a written Morse message is a notation for a word gap, not an audible slash. A literal slash is encoded as -..-. from plain text. Surrounding spaces used to make / readable are normalized during playback so the word boundary remains seven units.
American railroad Morse uses different character shapes, internal pauses and longer marks. This project preserves a separate timing interpretation for that mode. Historical sending practice varied, so do not treat the International 1/3/7 rule as a full description of American signaling.
Farnsworth practice preserves faster character sounds while stretching the gaps between characters and words. The main translator uses ordinary timing at the selected WPM and does not offer a separate effective-speed control. Consult a dedicated trainer if you need independently adjustable character and spacing speeds.
Worked examples
These patterns use International Morse. Spaces separate letters; / separates words. A slash in the original text is encoded as -..-.
- HI
- Try this message
.... ..0.78 seconds at 20 WPM - E T
- Try this message
. / -0.66 seconds at 20 WPM - ET
- Try this message
. -0.42 seconds at 20 WPM