What is T in Morse code?

T is - in International Morse—1 element occupying 3 Paris timing units at standard ratios.

How do you say T aloud when learning?

Say it as dah (dits and dahs), not the words “dot” and “dash,” so your ear matches on-air copy.

What letter is - in Morse code?

The pattern - decodes to T; reversed, the same dots and dahs spell T (-).

What is T often confused with on copy?

Learners mix T with M (--) and E (.). Drill them back-to-back at one WPM before raising speed.

How long does T take at 20 WPM?

At 20 WPM one Paris unit is 60 ms, so T (3 units) lasts about 180 ms from the first dit or dah through the last element (letter space not included).

T in Morse Code

-

Say it aloud: dah · NATO Tango · 3 timing units (~180 ms at 20 WPM)

By MorseCoder Team · Last updated: October 22, 2026

Quick answer

T is - (dash) with 1 element. T in Morse code is - (one dash). The second most common letter in English after E.

At a glance: T

Spoken rhythm	One dah: dah.
Timing length	3 units (~180 ms)—single dah.
English frequency rank	Rank 2.
Mirror / reverse letter	Reverse T (-).
NATO phonetic	Tango.
Koch lesson on MorseCoder	Lesson 7 adds T.

Dot length at 20 WPM uses 1200÷WPM ms per unit — see Morse code timing & WPM.

Words starting with T

TABLE - .- -... .-.. .
TIGER - .. --. . .-.
TULIP - ..- .-.. .. .--.
TOKEN - --- -.- . -.
TRAIL - .-. .- .. .-..

Timing for T

Tango is a single three-unit dah—shortest dah letter alongside E on the dit side. At lesson 7 Koch adds T after M so you do not treat every dah as T.

Three worked examples with T

THX → - .... -..-

T opens THX with one dah—do not double like M.
THE → - .... .

T starts THE; single dah before four-dit H.
RTX → .-. - -..-

T mid RPT-style strings; length must stay one dah.

Easy to confuse with M and E

Mike is two dahs. Echo is a dit—opposite element entirely.

M (--)E (.)

Memory drill

"Tall" - single tall dash. Koch lesson 7: drill T vs M duration tests. Send “AT” and “AM” to feel single versus double dah without slowing element speed.

How T is used on the air

T is the second most common English letter and anchors “THX,” “TU,” “TM,” and “THE.” Operators send T constantly in thank-you abbreviations and plain text. Because T is one dah, lazy keying merges T with adjacent dahs into M or O fragments. RST and contest life rarely skip T in words. Keep dah length exactly three units at your chosen WPM; voice Tango follows clarifications. Straight keys tempt you to drag T into a long swing; paddles tempt you to clip it to a blip—use a sidetone scope or trainer overlay until one dah feels boringly consistent.

Morse code timing diagram: a dot is 1 unit, a dash is 3 units, the gap between letters is 3 units and between words is 7 units

Sources

ITU-R M.1677-1 — International Morse timing and character set
ITU-R M.1172 — radiotelegraph abbreviations and operational signals
ARRL — Learning Morse Code
Our ITU-R M.1677-1 guide