What is V in Morse code?

V is ...- in International Morse—4 elements occupying 9 Paris timing units at standard ratios.

How do you say V aloud when learning?

Say it as didididah (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 V; reversed, the same dots and dahs spell B (-...).

What is V often confused with on copy?

Learners mix V with B (-...) and U (..-). Drill them back-to-back at one WPM before raising speed.

How long does V take at 20 WPM?

At 20 WPM one Paris unit is 60 ms, so V (9 units) lasts about 540 ms from the first dit or dah through the last element (letter space not included).

V in Morse Code

. . . -

Say it aloud: didididah · NATO Victor · 9 timing units (~540 ms at 20 WPM)

By MorseCoder Team · Last updated: October 22, 2026

Quick answer

V is ...- (dot-dot-dot-dash) with 4 elements. V in Morse code is ...- (dot-dot-dot-dash). Famous from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony opening.

At a glance: V

Spoken rhythm	didididah—Beethoven motif.
Timing length	9 units (~540 ms).
English frequency rank	Rank 21.
Mirror / reverse letter	Reverse B (-...).
NATO phonetic	Victor.
Koch lesson on MorseCoder	Lesson 18 adds V.

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

Words starting with V

VIVID ...- .. ...- .. -..
VAPOR ...- .- .--. --- .-.
VITAL ...- .. - .- .-..
VOICE ...- --- .. -.-. .
VOTED ...- --- - . -..

Timing for V

Victor is dit-dit-dit-dah for seven units—the famous “vi-to-ry” rhythm. Stopping after three dits copies S; the closing dah defines V.

Three worked examples with V

VY → ...- -.--

V opens VY greeting; three dits then dah like Beethoven’s fifth motif.
TV → - ...-

V closes TV; final dah separates from U’s shorter tail.
VER → ...- . .-.

V starts VER; four elements before E and R.

Easy to confuse with B and U

Bravo leads with dah and ends on dits—the inverse silhouette. Uniform ends with dah but only after two dits, not three.

B (-...)U (..-)

Memory drill

"Vic-to-ry" (Beethoven's 5th). Koch lesson 19 adds V; run V-vs-B inversions at one WPM. Hum rhythm only after copy drills, not during timed tests.

How V is used on the air

V marks “VY,” test sequences, and English “very.” Operators run V tests checking filters and keying. Because V is rank 21, plain words are less common than procedural VY courtesy. Contesters send V in serials; mistaking V for S or U garbles reports. Keep the closing dah full length; skimmers use V patterns to auto-identify some beacons. Voice Victor clarifies after weak CW. Many clubs still start meetings with a shared V test pattern (...-) so everyone aligns sidetone pitch and keyer weight before the net ID.

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