01
Practice: listen and type
Letters at full speed, long gaps, a weak-letter report at the end. This is where the plan lives.
Start practisingA plan that works
Learn Morse Code
A 3–4 week plan, with 10 minutes a day. Learn the rhythm at your own pace, with free tools for every step.
Start here
02
Test yourself
A 10-question quiz, a timed decode game and a WPM speed test. Find out what you already know.
Take the test03
Learn to send
Tap short for a dot, hold for a dash. The tapper decodes what you send and scores your timing.
Open the tapperThe 4-week plan
10 minutes a day · characters at 18 WPMWeek 1 · 18 / 10
Hear the rhythm
K M R S U
- Listen to K and M only. Type each one as you hear it.
- Add R, then S, then U, one at a time when you reach 90%.
- Do not open the chart. Learn the sound, not the picture.
Week 2 · 18 / 10
Half the alphabet
A P T L O W I . N J E F 0
- The Koch method plays characters at full speed (18 WPM here) from day one, starting with two and adding one each time you copy 90%. Add one new character at a time, in Koch order.
- Mix the new one with everything you know.
- The full stop and 0 come up in order. Do not skip them.
Week 3 · 18 / 10
All letters + numbers
Y , V G 5 / Q 9 Z H 3 8 B ? 4 2 7 C 1 D 6 X
- Finish the Koch order. X is the last one.
- Run the 10-question test every other day.
- Give extra minutes to the letters your report flags.
Week 4 · 18 / 12
Words at 12 WPM
I LOVE YOU · LOVE · HI · YES
- Switch the goal from letters to words and phrases.
- Close the gap: spacing speed from 10 to 12 WPM.
- Send words back with the tapper to practice timing too.
The method
The Koch method
Hear characters at full speed from the first minute. Start with two, and add the next one when you copy 90% of your current set. The order mixes long and short, dot-heavy and dash-heavy sounds.
The rule
Learn 2 characters at full speed, add one when you reach 90%.
Below 90%: stay on the set. At 90% or above over 20 items: add the next chip. The practice trainer does this for you.
Start the Koch drill →Koch order · 40 characters · begin with K and M
KMRSUAPTLOWI.NJEF0Y,VG5/Q9ZH38B?427C1D6X
Farnsworth timing, in one picture
The same K and M in both examples. The letters keep their rhythm; only the gap between them changes.
Standard 18 WPM
K M · 19 units · 1.3 s
K M
311133313
Each letter stays tight: gaps of 1 unit inside it, a gap of 3 between K and M.
Farnsworth · more thinking time
K M · 23 units · 1.5 s
K M
311137313
K and M still sound at 18 WPM. Only the gap between them stretches from 3 to 7 units.
This picture uses exactly a 7-unit letter gap, about 12 WPM effective spacing. The trainer defaults to 18 / 10, with a longer thinking gap. As you improve, shorten the gaps rather than slowing the letters.
Mistakes that slow people down
Counting dots and dashes
At speed, hear each letter as one sound. Counting every signal adds an extra translation step.
Learning only the chart visually
Keep the chart for checking. Practise hearing and naming the rhythm as well as seeing the shape.
Starting with very slow letters
Keep character speed near 18 WPM and stretch the gaps. That gives you thinking time while preserving the letter’s rhythm.
Practising once a week
Aim for ten minutes most days. Short, regular sessions give you more chances to recall the sounds.
Skipping numbers
Call signs, times and signal reports use numbers. The ten five-signal patterns belong in your practice too.
Look up any letter
Hear every letter →Next
Questions people ask
How long does it take to learn Morse code?
Use this 3–4 week plan with 10 minutes a day as a starting point, not a deadline. Move on when you can copy 90% of your current set. Comfortable word reading takes more practice; progress varies.
Is Morse code hard to learn?
You are learning to recognize sounds and keep a rhythm. Start with two characters, practice regularly and add one at a time. Long gaps give you time to think.
Do I need a radio?
No. The trainer, test and tapper all run in your browser. No account or radio is needed to practice here.
Which speed should I start at?
Try characters at 18 WPM and spacing at 10 WPM, the trainer’s default. Raise spacing speed as you improve while keeping the character rhythm familiar.
Checked against ITU-R M.1677-1 · Last reviewed · How we check our pages · Report it