How to Use Morse Code

Problem

You need to convert text to Morse code or decode Morse code back to text.

Prerequisites

• Knowledge of Morse code symbols
• Understanding of dots and dashes

Steps

1. 1. Learn the Morse code mapping

   Each letter and digit maps to a sequence of dots (.) and dashes (-). A is .-, B is -..., etc. Letters are separated by a space, words by a larger gap (often represented as / or three spaces). Numbers and some punctuation also have mappings.

   Input

   HELLO

   Output

   .... . .-.. .-.. ---

2. 2. Encode text to Morse

   Convert each character to its Morse sequence using the mapping. Separate letters with a single space and words with a slash or multiple spaces. Uppercase the input first, as Morse is case-insensitive. Unknown characters can be skipped or marked with a placeholder.

   Input

   SOS HELP

   Output

   ... --- ... / .... . .-.. .--.

3. 3. Decode Morse to text

   Split the Morse string on word separators first, then on letter separators. Map each Morse sequence back to its character. Handle ambiguous separators: a single space separates letters, a slash or multiple spaces separates words.

   Input

   ... --- ...

   Output

   SOS

Expected result

Correct Morse code encoding or decoding of the input text.

Common errors

Word boundaries lost in decoding

Use a clear word separator (like /) between words. A single space between letters and / between words is the common convention.

Lowercase letters not handled

Morse code is case-insensitive. Uppercase the input before encoding, and output uppercase when decoding.

Troubleshooting

• If decoding produces wrong characters, verify the Morse mapping table.
• Ensure consistent use of separators: one space between letters, / or three spaces between words.

Security limits

• Morse code is a simple substitution encoding with no security properties.