Morse code mnemonics

Morse code mnemonics are systems to represent the sound of Morse characters in a way intended to be easy to remember. Since every one of these mnemonics requires a two-step mental translation between sound and character, none of these systems are useful for using manual Morse at practical speeds. Amateur radio clubs can provide resources to learn Morse code.

Cross-linguistic

Visual mnemonic

Visual mnemonic charts have been devised over the ages. Baden-Powell included one in the Girl Guides handbook[1] in 1918.

Here is a more up-to-date version, ca. 1988:

Other visual mnemonic systems have been created for Morse code, mapping the elements of the Morse code characters onto pictures for easy memorization. For instance, "R" (  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ) might be represented as a "racecar" seen in a profile view, with the two wheels of the racecar being the dits and the body being the dah.

English

Syllabic mnemonics

Syllabic mnemonics are based on the principle of associating a word or phrase to each Morse code letter, with stressed syllables standing for a dah and unstressed ones for a dit. There is no well-known complete set of syllabic mnemonics for English, but various mnemonics do exist for individual letters.

LetterMorse CodeMnemonic[2][3]
A  ▄ ▄▄▄ say AHH
a-PU
B  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ BAND rat-a-tat
BOB is the man
C  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ CATCH it CATCH it
CO-ca CO-la
D  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ DAD did it
DRAC-u-la
E  ▄ eek
eye
F  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ did i FAIL it?
fetch a FIRE-man
G  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ GOD LOVES it
GOOD GRAV-y
H  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ha ha ha ha
hip-pi-ty hop
I  ▄ ▄ did it
i-an
J  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ in JAWS JAWS JAWS
I WANT YOU, JONES
K  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ KAN-ga-ROO
KICK the CAN
L  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ a LIGHT is lit
los AN-ge-les
M  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ MA-MA
MAC-kie MES-ser
N  ▄▄▄ ▄ NAME it
NIK-ki
O  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ HO HO HO
OH MY GOD
P  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ is PA-PA in?
a PRAY-ING abe
Q  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ PAY DAY to-DAY (quid)
GOD SAVE the KING
R  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ a RABB-it
ro-TA-tion
S  ▄ ▄ ▄ ss-ss-ss
su-per-man
T  ▄▄▄ TALL
TIM
U  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ kiss a EWE
un-der-NEATH
V  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ vee-vee-vee VAH (the opening rhythm of Beethoven's 5th, or Beethoven's V'th)
vick-tor-y VEE
W  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ the WORLD WAR
the WHITE WHALE
X  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ CROSS at the DOOR
XY-lo-phone RAP
Y  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ WHY did I DIE?
YOU'RE a COOL DUDE
Z  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ZSA ZSA did it
ZINC ZOO-keep-er
CharacterMorse CodeSyllabicMnemonic[2]
.  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ a STOP a STOP a STOPPeriods are also known as "full stops".
,  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ COM-MA, it's a COM-MASelf-explanatory.
 ?  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ it's a QUES-TION, is it?Self-explanatory.
 :  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ HA-WAI-I stan-dard timeThe clocks in Hawaii are always on standard time, and don't turn an hour ahead in the summer. Colons are used in displaying time (like in "10:23").
/  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ SHAVE and a HAIR-cutThe rhythm from the musical routine. A barber is a slasher.
(NOTE: also Fraction Bar and Division Sign)
"  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ six-TY-six nine-TY-nineQuotation marks resemble a 66 at the beginning of a quote, and a 99 at the end of a quote.
'  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ and THIS STUFF GOES TO me!An apostrophe may be used to denote ownership of property.
;  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ A-list, B-list, C-listA semicolon may be used to group ordered lists in the same sentence.

Independent words

This technique has you associate a word with each character. For a letter in the alphabet, the associated word will usually begin with the same letter. In that word, tall letters (those descending below the baseline or ascending above the mean line – b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, p, q, t, or y) and capital letters represent dashes, while short letters (aceimnorsuvwxz) represent dots. To recall the Morse code for a character, try to visualize the word.

Letter Mnemonic Morse Code[4] Comments
A at   ▄ ▄▄▄ 
B bean   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ 
C Cate   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄  as in the name "Cate"
D dam   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄  or "Dan" or many others
E e   ▄  just plain "e"
F cafe   ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ 
G gym   ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ 
H ears   ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄  as in "ears" are used to hear
I in   ▄ ▄ 
J edgy   ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄  or alternatively, (j)"etty"
K kit   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ 
L else   ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ 
M M.A.   ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄  Master of Arts degree; alternatively, the year 2000 in Roman numerals: "MM"
N No   ▄▄▄ ▄  as in "Dr. No", the first James Bond movie
O Opp   ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄  as in the Opposing side; alternatively, OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) or Off!
P apps   ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄  Something used on smart phones to practice Morse code
Q plaq   ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄  The first four letters of "plaque", ending at "q"
R rye   ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ 
S sax   ▄ ▄ ▄ 
T t   ▄▄▄  just plain "t", or "T" as in "Mr. T"
U ump   ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄  as in umpire
V veil   ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄  or "veal"
W why   ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ 
X foxy   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄  as in being as clever as a fox
Y yell   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ 
Z Zhou   ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄  Zhou dynasty of China; or alternatively "Whiz" as in the brand-name 'Cheez Whiz'

Single sentence

This mnemonic uses the same mapping from tall and short letters to dashes and dots. Rather than each word starting with the letter it represents, each word is positioned in the 26-word-long sentence according to the position of the letter it represents in the alphabet.[5]

my love life has a vibe, the same as edgy pop star DJ «Dr BBQ» adds — glad she won't cut away all good gold lyre!

Slavic languages

In Czech, the mnemonic device to remember letters in Morse code lies in remembering words or short phrases that begin with each appropriate letter and have a long vowel (i.e. á é í ó ú ý) for every dash and a short vowel (a e i o u y) for every dot. Additionally, some other sets of words with a particular theme have been thought up in Czech folklore, such as the following alcohol-themed set:

LetterMorse CodeCzech wordTranslationAlternative (folklore)Translation
A  ▄ ▄▄▄ akátacaciaabsťákwithdrawal symptoms
B  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ blýska·vi·celightning stormblít až do·mavomit until at home
C  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ cílovníciaiming sightscíl je výčepthe target is the taproom
D  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ dálni·cehighwaydám jed·noI'll have one (beer)
E  ▄ erbcoat of armsexone-sip-drinking
F  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ Fi·lipínyPhilippinesFer·net píšethe Fernet's pungent
G  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ Grón·ská zemthe land of Greenlandgrón·ský rumrum of Greenland
H  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ho·lu·bi·cedove (female)hru·ško·vi·cePear brandy
Ch  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ chléb nám dává(he) gives us breadchvát·ám k pí·pámI rush to the faucets
I  ▄ ▄ ib·isIbisI·ronIron (window cleaning agent with alcohol content)
J  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ jasmín bí·lýwhite JasmineJabčák bí·lýWhite Apple brandy
K  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ královstvíkingdomkýbl vínpot of wines
L  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ lední hokejice hockeylikérečeklittle liquor
M  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ má·váwavingmží z-pípit's sprinkling out of faucets
N  ▄▄▄ ▄ ná rodnationnávykhabit
O  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ó náš pánoh, our lordó můj líhoh, my alcohol
P  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ papír·nícipaper-makerspivní tácekbeer coaster
Q  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ kví·lí orkánwailing hurricanekví·lím ožránI wail drunken
R  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ rarášekimprumíčeklittle rum
S  ▄ ▄ ▄ se·ke·raaxesud je tuthe barrel's here
T  ▄▄▄ tóntonetétea
U  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ u·čenýeruditeuch·lastánfully loaded
V  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ vy·vo·lenýthe chosen onevod·ka finskáFinnish vodka
W  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ waltrův vůzWalter's carriagewhiskou ploutto float through Whiskey
X  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ Xéno·kratésXenocratesk sýru burčáknew half-fermented wine with cheese
Y  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ Ýgar má·váYgar is wavingý, jsem zlá·mánee, I'm a mess
Z  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ Zrád·ná že·naperfidious womanzlí·skám se hnedI get smashed quickly

In Polish, which does not distinguish long and short vowels, Morse mnemonics are also words or short phrases that begin with each appropriate letter, but dash is coded as a syllable containing an "o" (or "ó"), while a syllable containing another vowel codes for dot. For some letters, multiple mnemonics are in use; the table shows one example.

LetterMorse CodePolish wordTranslation
A  ▄ ▄▄▄ azotnitrogen
B  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ botanikabotany
C  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ co mi zrobiszwhat will you do to me
D  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ dolinavalley
E  ▄ EłkEłk
F  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ filantropiaphilanthropy
G  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ gospodainn/tavern
H  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ halabardahalberd
Ch  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ chlorowodórhydrogen chloride
I  ▄ ▄ igłaneedle
J  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ jednokonnoon/with one horse
K  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ kolanoknee
L  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ LeonidasLeonidas
Ł  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ [no mnemonic]
M  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ motormotor
N  ▄▄▄ ▄ nogaleg
O  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ OpocznoOpoczno
P  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ PeloponezPeloponnese
R  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ retortaretort
S  ▄ ▄ ▄ SaharaSahara
T  ▄▄▄ tortrack/rail line
U  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ UrsynówUrsynów
W  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ winoroślgrapevine (plant)
Y  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ York, Hull, Oxfordthree British university towns
Z  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ZłotoryjaZłotoryja

Hebrew

Invented in 1922 by Zalman Cohen, a communication soldier in the Haganah organization. The hiriq (/i/ vowel) represents a dot and the patah or qamatz (/a/ vowel) represent a dash.

אותקודקיצור אותקודקיצור
א· −אִמָּא ל· − · ·לִבַּבְתִּנִי
ב− · · ·בַּשְּׁלִי לִי מִיץ מ− −מַפָּ"ם
ג− − ·גַּנָּבִים נ− ·נָעִים
ד− · ·דָלִיתִי ס− · − ·סָבִי אָבִי
ה− − −הֲגָנָה ע· − − −עִיר הַנַּמָּל
ו·וִי פ· − − ·פִּיל קַנָּדִי
ז− − · ·זַמָּר לִירִי צ· − −צִיטָטָה
ח· · · ·חִכִּיתִי לִי ק− − · −קַטָּרִינָה
ט· · −טִיףּ טִפָּה ר· − ·רִנָתִי
י· ·יִידִישׁ ש· · ·שִׁירִי לִי
כ− · −כַּבִּירָה ת−תָּו

Indonesian

In Indonesia, one mnemonic commonly taught in Scouting is remembering words that begin with each appropriate letter and substituting the o vowel for every dash and other vowels (a, i, u, and e) for every dot.

LetterMorse CodeWord
A  ▄ ▄▄▄ alok
B  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ bocah kecil
C  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ coca-cola
D  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ doremi
E  ▄ eh
F  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ fanta loe
G  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ gotongin
H  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ hayamwuruk
I  ▄ ▄ ipin
J  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ jago loro
K  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ komando
L  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ lego dia
M  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ motor
N  ▄▄▄ ▄ nomer
O  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ om toto
P  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ pertolongan
Q  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ qomokaro
R  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ rasome
S  ▄ ▄ ▄ samlekum
T  ▄▄▄ tol
U  ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ upin-o
V  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ versi gayo
W  ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ wahyoo
X  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ xosendero
Y  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ yosimono
Z  ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ zoro-aster

References
  1. "Girl Guiding by Lord Baden-Powell" (PDF). Pearson. 1938. Retrieved 2015-09-06. Some people find it easier to remember the does [sic] and dashes by picturing them as forming the letters— thus:— (p61)
  2. "Morse Code: A language of SOUND!". Morse Code for the Radio Amateur. 2022-10-15. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  3. Metivier, Anthony (2023-10-07). "Morse Code Words: What they are and how to remember them". Magnetic Memory Method. Methodologies Pty. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. Harder, Douglas W. "Learning Morse code". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. Rouquier, Jean-Baptiste. "Morse1Sentence". GitHub. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
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