A Morse code escape room is a set of linked puzzles where every clue is hidden in dots and dashes. This Halloween edition has six puzzles, from a knock on the door to a flashing lantern, and takes 30 to 45 minutes for a family, a classroom or a party of 4 to 8 players. Every message below has been encoded in International Morse code and checked, and a full answer key is at the end.
Halloween falls on Saturday, 31 October 2026, so you can run it at a party that night or as a classroom activity on Friday 30 October. You need paper, a few props from around the house and a phone or laptop with our free Morse code translator.
Why Morse code works so well in escape rooms
Morse code is a perfect escape room cipher because the same message can be hidden in many forms. It can be written on paper, knocked on a door, flashed with a light, played as sound or laid out in candy. Players only need one chart to solve all of them, so the puzzles feel varied without becoming confusing.
What you need
- Printed Morse code chart for each team (our printable Morse code alphabet chart works well)
- Six envelopes, numbered 1 to 6
- A small lockbox or a box with a 4-digit padlock (optional; a sealed envelope also works)
- A flashlight or a phone with a flashlight
- Pencils and scrap paper
- Halloween props: a plastic pumpkin, a toy spider, candy corn and licorice
- A timer set to 45 minutes
How Morse code is written here: a dot is a short signal (.) and a dash is a long one (-). A space separates letters, and a slash (/) separates words. If your players are new to Morse, give them five minutes with our guide to how to read Morse code before the clock starts.
The story
Read this aloud to set the scene:
"A ghostly radio operator has locked the treasure chest of Halloween candy and left a trail of messages in Morse code. Solve all six messages before midnight, the clock runs out after 45 minutes, and the candy is yours. Fail, and the ghost keeps it for another year."
Puzzle 1: The knock at the door
Setup: before players enter, knock on the door in Morse code: one long knock, three short knocks, then a pause, then three long knocks, a pause, and three long knocks again.
Written clue in envelope 1:
-... --- ---
Answer: BOO
What it unlocks: the word BOO is written on the back of envelope 2, so players know which envelope to open next. Using a knock teaches players that Morse is about rhythm, not just marks on paper. Our Morse code tapping guide explains how to tap clearly.
Puzzle 2: The candy code
Setup: in envelope 2, place a row of candy corn and short pieces of licorice in this order, with gaps between groups:
- licorice, candy corn, candy corn, candy corn
- candy corn, licorice
- licorice
Clue card: "Small sweets are short. Long sweets are long."
Morse: -... .- -
Answer: BAT
What it unlocks: players find a paper bat hidden in the room with envelope 3 taped to it. This puzzle works well for younger players because they can touch the code.
Puzzle 3: The pumpkin message
Clue in envelope 3:
.-.. --- --- -.- / ..- -. -.. . .-. / - .... . / .--. ..- -- .--. -.- .. -.
Answer: LOOK UNDER THE PUMPKIN
What it unlocks: under the plastic pumpkin, players find envelope 4. This is the longest message, so split it up: each player decodes one word. It is also a good moment to point out that common letters such as E and T have the shortest codes. Our article on Morse code frequency analysis explains why.
Puzzle 4: The flashing lantern
Setup: an adult stands in a dark corner with a flashlight and flashes this message slowly, with short flashes for dots and long flashes for dashes:
--. .... --- ... -
Answer: GHOST
What it unlocks: a paper ghost on the wall hides envelope 5. If you do not want to flash by hand, type GHOST into our Morse code translator and use the light playback, or read our guide to light Morse code.
Safety note: keep flashes slow and steady. If anyone in the group is sensitive to flashing light, use the sound playback instead.
Puzzle 5: The radio numbers
Setup: play this message as audio on the translator, or read it aloud as "dit" and "dah":
.---- ----- ...-- .----
Answer: 1031
What it unlocks: the 4-digit padlock on the treasure box (31 October written as month and day, 10 then 31). Numbers in Morse always have five symbols, which makes them easier to spot. See the full list on our Morse code numbers page.
Puzzle 6: The final message
Inside the box: the candy, and one last card:
- .-. .. -.-. -.- / --- .-. / - .-. . .- -
Answer: TRICK OR TREAT
Players must shout the answer together to "break the spell" and claim the candy. This is a nice ending because it is a phrase everyone knows, so the last few letters come quickly once they recognize it.
Answer key
| Puzzle | Morse | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Knock | -... --- --- | BOO |
| 2 Candy | -... .- - | BAT |
| 3 Pumpkin | .-.. --- --- -.- / ..- -. -.. . .-. / - .... . / .--. ..- -- .--. -.- .. -. | LOOK UNDER THE PUMPKIN |
| 4 Lantern | --. .... --- ... - | GHOST |
| 5 Radio | .---- ----- ...-- .---- | 1031 |
| 6 Final | - .-. .. -.-. -.- / --- .-. / - .-. . .- - | TRICK OR TREAT |
You can check any answer by pasting the Morse into our Morse code decoder.
Bonus clue bank: more Halloween words in Morse
Want to swap a puzzle or add a seventh? These short Halloween words are already encoded and checked:
| Word | Morse | Hiding place idea |
|---|---|---|
| SPIDER | ... .--. .. -.. . .-. | under the toy spider |
| WEB | .-- . -... | behind a fake cobweb |
| OWL | --- .-- .-.. | on a bookshelf with an owl picture |
| CANDY | -.-. .- -. -.. -.-- | inside the candy bowl |
| BROOM | -... .-. --- --- -- | taped to a broom handle |
| KEY | -.- . -.-- | wherever you hide a spare key for the box |
| EXIT | . -..- .. - | on the door as the very last clue |
Pick words that point to a real object in your room. That way, every solved message leads somewhere, which is what makes an escape room feel satisfying.
A simple timing plan
If you are running the game against a 45-minute clock, a rough plan helps you decide when to give hints:
| Minutes | Players should be on | If they are behind |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | story and chart practice | read the first letter for them |
| 5 to 12 | puzzles 1 and 2 | point to the candy row |
| 12 to 25 | puzzle 3 | split the words between players |
| 25 to 35 | puzzles 4 and 5 | replay the light or audio slowly |
| 35 to 45 | puzzle 6 and the box | remind them of the date on the invite |
Do not rush to help. Teams usually solve the next clue within a minute or two of feeling stuck, and the moment they crack it is the best part of the game.
Adjusting the difficulty
For younger kids (ages 6 to 9):
- Use only puzzles 1, 2, 4 and 6.
- Give each child a chart with large letters.
- Let an adult read dots and dashes aloud as "short" and "long".
For teens and adults:
- Remove the chart and allow only memory or one hint card per team.
- Play every message as audio only, at a faster speed.
- Add a red herring envelope with a message such as -.-. .- - (CAT) that leads nowhere.
For classrooms:
- Split the class into teams of four and give each team its own envelopes.
- Award points for speed and accuracy.
- Finish with a short discussion of where Morse code is still used, such as amateur radio and aviation beacons. Our Morse code classroom kit has printable charts and a lesson outline.
Make your own Morse code escape room puzzles
Once players have finished, challenge them to build puzzles for each other:
- Choose a short word linked to a hiding place, such as DOOR or SHELF.
- Type it into the English to Morse code converter.
- Pick a way to show it: paper, sound, light, knocks, beads or candy.
- Hide the next clue at that place.
- Test it on someone who did not make it.
Short words of three to five letters work best. Long messages are fun once, but they slow a party down.
Hints to give when teams get stuck
- "Count the symbols. Numbers always have five."
- "The letter E is a single dot. T is a single dash."
- "Look for the slash. That is where a new word starts."
- "Say it out loud: dit for a dot, dah for a dash."
Checklist: set up your Halloween escape room
- [ ] Print a Morse chart for each team.
- [ ] Prepare six numbered envelopes with the clues above.
- [ ] Hide the paper bat, pumpkin and ghost.
- [ ] Set the padlock to 1031 (or seal the final envelope).
- [ ] Test the light and sound playback on the translator.
- [ ] Set a 45-minute timer and read the story aloud.