Morse Code Fonts: Signals, Spacing and Written Examples

The International Telecommunication Union’s Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1 defines International Morse characters and operational provisions. Its table covers letters, figures, punctuation and additional signals. Start with that actual reference rather than inferring codes from a decorative font specimen. The fact that an alphabet uses dots and dashes does not establish that each sequence has been correctly assigned.

The recommendation gives a dash the duration of three dots. Gaps within a letter equal one dot, between letters three dots and between words seven dots. These are signal timing relationships, not an instruction to apply arbitrary typographic tracking to an entire line. A written teaching example should make the letter and word boundaries explicit so readers can understand how the sequence is grouped.

Retain the ordinary source message alongside its encoded representation and identify the convention used for visible separators. A typeface may alter appearance without checking the message or representing transmission timing. The typeface-versus-font guide and Unicode explanation provide related terminology, but neither is a substitute for a Morse character reference.

Choose a short message and show the original wording above the encoded version. Check each character against the reference, then label the boundaries used between letters and words. Use a restrained text face for the explanation and give the signal sequence enough room to scan. If an interactive example adds sound or light, implement the timing relationships explicitly rather than treating a decorative line of symbols as a ready-made transmission.