··· −−− ···
"SOS" in Morse code is ··· −−− ···.
Leave a short gap between letters. In writing, the letters are separated by a space. At standard timing a dot lasts one unit, a dash three units, the gap inside a letter one unit, the gap between letters three units and the gap between words seven. "SOS" takes 27 units, about 1.6 seconds at a speed of 20 words per minute.
Meaning: Morse code for "SOS" (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Letter by letter: S is ··· and O is −−−.
How do you pronounce it?
di-di-dit dah-dah-dah di-di-dit
What mistakes should you avoid?
Keep the gaps between letters. Without them, S ··· can be read as E and I · ··, which changes the message.
When do people say it?
SOS is sent as one unbroken signal, ···−−−···, without the usual gaps between letters. It was adopted as the distress signal in 1906 because it is easy to send and hard to mistake.
Did you know?
- The first long-distance telegraph message in the United States, sent from Washington to Baltimore on 24 May 1844, read "What hath God wrought".
- Morse code can be sent with anything that turns on and off: a flashlight, a ship's signal lamp, a tapping finger or a blinking eye.
