Yes in Morse Code

Yes in Morse Code: -.-- . ...

-.-- . ...
Y → -.-- E → . S → ...

Y · E · S — three letters, eight signals.

Type it yourself:

  1. Type -.-- for Y.
  2. Add a space.
  3. Type . for E.
  4. Add a space.
  5. Type ... for S.
"Yes" in Morse code (-.-- . ...) shown as glowing blue dots and dashes on a dark background, with Y, E, S letter breakdown

What Is “Yes” in Morse Code?

“Yes” in Morse code is -.-- . ... — the International Morse patterns for Y, E, and S, with a space between letters so the receiver can tell where one ends and the next begins.

LetterMorse codeSpoken as
Y-.--dah-dit-dah-dah
E.dit
S...di-di-dit

How to Say “Yes” in Morse Code Out Loud

Morse has a spoken shorthand: dots are said as “dit” and dashes as “dah.” By convention, the final dot of a letter is “dit,” while dots in the middle of a letter are “di.”

Said out loud, “yes” is:

dah-dit-dah-dah, dit, di-di-dit

This word is easier to hold in memory than it looks. Y is long and complex, E is a single dot, and S is three quick dots — three shapes that sound nothing alike. That contrast gives your ear three distinct landmarks instead of one blurry rhythm.

Letter Spacing and Timing: The Part Beginners Get Wrong

Morse runs on four simple timing rules:

  • A dot lasts 1 unit of time.
  • A dash lasts 3 units — three times a dot.
  • The silence between letters lasts 3 units.
  • The silence between words lasts 7 units.
The letter gap is where “yes” usually breaks. E is one dot and S is three dots, so without a clear gap between them, . ... collapses into .... — and four dots is the letter H. Skip the gap and your receiver hears YH instead of YES.

Word gaps are even longer. Two yeses in a row look like this:

-.-- . ... / -.-- . ...

The / marks the 7-unit word gap — noticeably longer than the 3-unit gaps between letters.

What Does -.-- . ... Mean?

Read it back letter by letter: dash-dot-dash-dash is Y, a single dot is E, and three dots are S. The sequence -.-- . ... decodes to YES.

How to Send “Yes” in Morse Code

The pattern never changes — only the tool does. The full sending sequence:

  1. Send Y: -.--
  2. Pause for 3 units.
  3. Send E: .
  4. Pause for 3 units.
  5. Send S: ...

By Sound

Use beeps, a whistle, or taps on a table. A short sound is a dot; a sound three times as long is a dash. Keep the pauses honest — rhythm is what makes it readable.

By Light

Use a flashlight: a short flash is a dot, a long flash is a dash.

  • Y: long, short, long, long
  • E: one short flash
  • S: three short flashes

Keep the dark gaps between letters, especially around the single-dot E. Blinking works the same way — a quick blink for a dot, a longer one for a dash.

By Touch

Knock or tap on a surface: a short tap is a dot, a longer tap is a dash. Same sequence, same pauses.

“Yes” vs “No” in Morse Code

These two are learned together because they are opposites with completely different rhythms.

WordMorse codeSignals
YES-.-- . ...8
NO-. ---5

YES opens with the long, rolling Y and finishes light on dots. NO is short and punchy — five signals total. If you can send both cleanly, you can already hold a basic back-and-forth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • No gaps between letters. E and S merge into H, and YES becomes YH. The spaces are part of the code, not decoration.
  • Writing Y as -.-. That is the letter K. Y is -.-- — the dot sits between the dashes: dash, dot, dash, dash.
  • Pasting fancy characters. • and − look correct on screen, but most decoders only accept plain . and -. Retype them if a tool rejects your input.
When a decoder gives you the wrong word, check in this order: gaps first, then characters, then Y.

Where People Use “Yes” in Morse Code

  • Classroom games and Morse practice drills
  • Puzzles and escape rooms
  • Tattoos and jewelry — keep the Y grouped together, make dashes about three times the length of dots, and run the final design through a translator before it becomes permanent
  • Amateur radio practice, where short words build speed
  • Silent confirmation when speech is not an option
No in Morse Code Hello in Morse Code SOS in Morse Code I Love You in Morse Code Morse Code Translator Morse Code Alphabet Chart

Key Takeaways

  • “Yes” in Morse code is -.-- . ... — Y, E, S.
  • Said aloud: dah-dit-dah-dah, dit, di-di-dit.
  • The 3-unit gap between letters is what keeps E and S from merging into H.
  • Send it by sound, light, or touch — the pattern stays the same.
  • “No” is -. ---: five signals, and the natural partner to practice with.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is “yes” in Morse code?

“Yes” is -.-- . ... — the letters Y (-.--), E (.), and S (...) with a space between each.

How do you say “yes” in Morse code out loud?

Say “dah-dit-dah-dah, dit, di-di-dit” — “dit” for dots, “dah” for dashes.

How do you write “yes” in Morse code?

Write -.-- . ..., with a single space separating the three letters.

What is “no” in Morse code?

“No” is -. --- — N (-.) and O (---).

Can I copy and paste “yes” in Morse code?

Yes. -.-- . ... uses plain dots, dashes, and spaces, so it pastes cleanly into messages, documents, and translators.

How do I send “yes” with a flashlight?

Flash long-short-long-long for Y, one short flash for E, and three short flashes for S, keeping clear dark gaps between the letters.

Why does spacing matter so much?

Because without the letter gap, E (.) and S (...) merge into ...., which is the letter H — your “yes” arrives as “YH.”

Is “yes” the same in Morse code everywhere?

Yes. International Morse Code is a single global standard, so -.-- . ... reads as YES anywhere in the world.

What does -.-- . ... mean?

It decodes to YES: -.-- is Y, . is E, and ... is S.

Is there a shorter way operators say “yes”?

On the air, operators often confirm with prosigns such as R (“received”), C (“yes”/”confirmed”), or QSL (“acknowledgment”) instead of spelling out full words.