Morse code alphabet
H in Morse Code
The letter H in Morse code is .... — spoken "di-di-di-dit". Press play to hear it, flash it as light, or copy the code.
What does .... mean in Morse code?
.... is the letter H in International Morse code. The code is made of 4 dits (short) and 0 dahs (long), which is why it is read aloud as "di-di-di-dit". It takes 7 time units to send — at a standard 20 words per minute that is roughly 420 milliseconds.
H is four dits — the longest run of short signals for any letter. Add one more dit and you get 5, which is why 5 and H are easy to mix up at speed. Many operators count "four fast taps" for H.
How H is timed
Morse timing is built from one unit — the length of a dit. A dah is three units, and there is one silent unit between the symbols of a letter. Here is H drawn to scale:
How to remember H
Say the phrase hip-pi-ty-hop to the rhythm of the code — the stressed syllables are the dahs, the rest are dits. Hear it a few times with the player above and the phrase will come back by itself.
Easy to confuse with
When you are learning by ear, these codes sound close to H:
Words that start with H
H at a glance
| Morse code | .... |
|---|---|
| Spoken | di-di-di-dit |
| Symbols | 4 dits, 0 dahs |
| Length | 7 units · ≈420 ms at 20 WPM |
| NATO phonetic | Hotel |
| Frequency in English | ≈6.1% — #8 of 26 letters |
| Position in alphabet | 8 of 26 |
| Reversed | same code backwards (palindrome) |
Frequently asked questions
How do you write H in Morse code?
The letter H is written .... — 4 dits and 0 dahs. Spoken aloud it is "di-di-di-dit".
What does .... mean in Morse code?
.... is the letter H H in International Morse code. If you see or hear "dit dit dit dit", it stands for H.How long does H take to send?
H lasts 7 time units (a dit is 1 unit, a dah is 3, with 1 unit between symbols). At 20 WPM that is about 420 ms; at a beginner speed of 12 WPM about 700 ms — plus a 3-unit pause before the next character.
What is the NATO phonetic word for H?
In the NATO phonetic alphabet H is "Hotel". Radio operators often say the word and then send .... so the letter cannot be misheard.