Morse Code Light Translator
Before radio, ships talked with flashing lamps. Type any message below and this page flashes it as real Morse light signals — go full-screen and your phone or monitor becomes a signal lamp.
Tip: for real signalling, slow down. Even experienced lamp operators send at 8–12 WPM, because eyes need time to read light.
In a real emergency: call your local emergency number first — 911 in the US and Canada, 112 across Europe and much of the world, 999 in the UK, or your local equivalent — or use an official distress channel such as a marine radio or a registered distress beacon. This page is an educational signalling tool for learning and practising Morse: it is not a replacement for emergency services or proper safety equipment. Morse is the backup for when normal channels fail — not a substitute for them.
How to send a message by light
- Type your message in the box above (or paste Morse code directly). The code appears underneath so you can learn the pattern as it flashes.
- Face your partner. Light signalling needs line of sight — stand where the other person can see your screen or lamp clearly, ideally against a dark background.
- Press ⛶ Full screen, then ▶ Flash it. The whole screen becomes the lamp: short flash = dot, long flash = dash.
- Repeat the message. Real operators always send important traffic twice. If your partner flashes a single long dash (T), that is not in the book — but the classic answer-back is to flash your own light so they know you are copying.
Signalling tips from the lamp room
- Darkness is your amplifier. The same screen that is invisible at noon can be read across a valley at midnight.
- Keep it steady. Brace the phone or rest the lamp — a wandering light blurs dots into dashes.
- Slow beats fast. A message copied perfectly at 8 WPM beats a garbled one at 25 WPM, every time.
- Silent options: untick Sound on for silent flashing, or tick Vibrate phone to feel the code in your hand — a trick used in everything from classrooms to spy films.
- In trouble? Flash ... --- ... — the SOS signal — three short, three long, three short, and repeat.
A short history of light signalling
Navies were flashing Morse across the water long before reliable radio. Sailors first used flags and shuttered lanterns, then powerful carbon-arc and xenon signalling lamps — the Royal Navy's Aldis lamp being the most famous — which could throw a readable beam for miles in daylight and much further at night. Lamp operators ("buntings" in Royal Navy slang) were among the fastest Morse copyists in the world, reading flickers of light at speeds typists would envy.
Light signalling never fully retired. Navies still teach it because light cannot be jammed, intercepted from over the horizon, or heard by anyone not looking at it. This page is a modest descendant of those great lamps: same code, same timing, pocket-sized.
Light translator questions
How does a Morse code light translator work?
It converts your text into the standard Morse timing pattern and flashes it as light: a short flash is a dot (1 unit), a long flash is a dash (3 units), with 1 unit of darkness between elements, 3 units between letters and 7 units between words — exactly how naval signal lamps send Morse.
Can I use my phone as a Morse signal lamp?
Yes. Open this page on your phone, type your message, switch to full-screen mode and hold the phone up facing the person you are signalling. In a dark place a bright phone screen is clearly visible across a room, a garden, or a campsite. Enable the vibration option if you also want to feel the signal silently.
How far can Morse light signals be seen?
Professional naval signalling lamps can be read many miles away in clear conditions. A phone or tablet screen is far dimmer, so think in terms of line of sight across a room, a street, or a valley at night. Darkness, a steady hand and repeating the message all help more than brightness alone.
What is the SOS light signal?
Three short flashes, three long flashes, three short flashes — then a pause and repeat. It is the light version of ... --- ... and is recognised worldwide as a call for help. See the SOS page to hear it as well.
Can the light translator flash silently, without sound?
Yes. Untick the Sound on box and the message flashes with no audio at all. You can also tick Vibrate phone so a phone buzzes each dot and dash into your hand — silent Morse you can feel in a pocket.