Why your accents vanish elsewhere
Most online translators stop at the 26 letters of the English alphabet. Type « éléphant » and the é is swallowed without a word. That is simply wrong: the ITU coded accented letters at the dawn of telegraphy. É is ..-.., À .--.-, Ç -.-.., Ñ --.--, Ö ---., Ü ..--. They are all here, both ways.
One honest exception: German ß never received a code. Practice transmits it as « ss », and that is what this tool does rather than invent a symbol.
Timing matters as much as the symbols
Morse is not a string of dots and dashes, it is a matter of durations. The ITU standard derives everything from one unit: a dot lasts 1 unit, a dash 3, the gap inside a letter 1, between letters 3, between words 7. Speed is measured in words per minute against the reference word PARIS, which is exactly 50 units long.
That is why this tool separates two settings others merge. Character speed sets how fast the letters themselves are sent. Overall speed — Farnsworth spacing — stretches only the silences. You learn to recognise a letter by its rhythm instead of counting dots, which is how radio amateurs actually train, and it is missing from every free translator.
Frequently asked questions
Does Morse distinguish upper and lower case?
No. Morse has no concept of case: « SOS » and « sos » are transmitted identically, so decoding returns lowercase text.
How do I write a space between words?
With a forward slash / or three spaces. This tool accepts both, plus the vertical bar | found in some manuals.
Does SOS stand for anything?
No, despite the legend. ... --- ... was chosen in 1906 because it is simple and impossible to mistake. « Save Our Souls » was invented afterwards.
What speed should a beginner use?
Characters at 18-20 words per minute with overall speed at 8-10. The letters keep their adult rhythm while the silences give you time to recognise them.