American Morse Code

American Morse code (Railroad Morse) is the original version of Morse code, which was invented early by  Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in the mid of 1840s for telegraph wires communication (USA). The word American was added because the rest of the world chooses to use International Morse code, but it was still explored by radio hobbyists, learners, and railway companies still use American Morse code in the United States. American Morse uses spaces, dots, and dashes, and an irregular timing pattern that makes American Morse code more complex compared to International Morse code.

American Morse Code Timing

In American Morse code, the timing of American Morse is completely different from International Morse code. A dot duration lasts 1 unit, then a dash lasts 2 units, which is shorter than International Morse, where a dash lasts 3 units. There is also a long dash consisting of 4 units, such as L, and a longer dash of 5 units, like O. Generally, the space between characters is 1 unit, but for some characters like C, its space is 1.5 units longer. American Morse code letter space is 2 units, as compared to International Morse, 3 units of space, and space between words is 3 units instead of 7 units in International Morse.

Click on the speaker icon to hear the American Morse code sound(CW Rdio tone) or start learning American Morse by memorizing dots and dashes with unique spacing between Morse.

American Morse code letters

American Morse code numbers

American Morse code Punctuation