Morse Code Punctuation & Prosigns

Spacing rules on the air

Punctuation in International Morse is sent like any other character: finish the symbol, pause three element units, then continue. Prosigns such as AR or SK are not spelled with letter gaps — they are one continuous prosign shape defined in operating practice. Confusing BT (break text) with the equals sign pattern is a common logging error; hear the full rhythm before writing.

ITU-R M.1677-1 lists the core character set; national amateur guides from the ARRL explain when to use SK versus AR in casual CW. Wikipedia’s Morse article links historical telegraph punctuation differences versus modern radio practice.

Practice typing sentences in the translator with commas and question marks, then listen with Farnsworth spacing enabled. Numbers and punctuation together appear in numbers guide tables.

A period, comma, or question mark uses the same unit lengths as a letter. A dot is one unit, a dash is three, and the gap inside the character is one unit. After the character, leave the normal three-unit letter space before the next letter. Do not add an extra word space only because the symbol is punctuation. On a straight key, the long characters are where speed usually collapses. Slow the whole character with Farnsworth spacing rather than stretching only the dashes. If a copied line shows a hash mark, the pattern was not in the International table this translator uses. Send the character once more, then check it on the chart before you log it.