I love you in Morse code, and other messages for someone close
“I love you” in Morse code is .. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-: the word I, then LOVE, then YOU, with a slash between the words. Out loud it goes di-dit, then di-dah-di-dit, dah-dah-dah, di-di-di-dah, dit, then dah-di-dah-dah, dah-dah-dah, di-di-dah. At a relaxed 12 words per minute, the whole phrase takes just over nine seconds.
It is three words, eight letters and 24 dots and dashes: short enough to tap on a hand, write inside a card or engrave on a ring.
The phrase, letter by letter
| Letter | Code | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| I | .. |
di-dit |
| L | .-.. |
di-dah-di-dit |
| O | --- |
dah-dah-dah |
| V | ...- |
di-di-di-dah |
| E | . |
dit |
| Y | -.-- |
dah-di-dah-dah |
| O | --- |
dah-dah-dah |
| U | ..- |
di-di-dah |
When you write it down, keep each letter’s symbols together, leave one clear space between letters, and put / between words. Those spaces carry meaning. Run the letters of LOVE together and you get a string of twelve symbols that can be split into letters in more than a thousand different ways, and only one of them says LOVE.
A good way to learn it is by sound rather than by sight. Say it a few times: di-dit, di-dah-di-dit dah-dah-dah di-di-di-dah dit, dah-di-dah-dah dah-dah-dah di-di-dah. After a handful of repeats, the shape of the phrase sticks, and you will recognize it when it is tapped back to you.
How to tap it so it can be read
Morse is rhythm, so the same code works as a tap, a squeeze, a knock or a blink. The proportions are what make it readable:
| Part | How long |
|---|---|
| Dit | 1 beat |
| Dah | 3 beats |
| Pause inside a letter | 1 beat |
| Pause between letters | 3 beats |
| Pause between words | 7 beats |
A tap cannot be held, so on someone’s hand use a quick tap for a dit and a slow press for a dah, or a short squeeze and a long squeeze if you are holding hands. The pauses matter as much as the touches. Rush the pause between letters and the other person hears a jumble; leave a clear gap after each letter and a longer one after each word, and even a beginner can follow along. Tapping and blinking Morse code without any equipment has more ways to send it with nothing but your hands and eyes.
Shorter ways to say it
Sometimes the full phrase is too long for the space, or you want something only the two of you will get.
| Message | Morse | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| ILY | .. .-.. -.-- |
The texting short form: three letters, 10 symbols |
| 88 | ---.. ---.. |
Radio shorthand for love and kisses |
| XOXO | -..- --- -..- --- |
Kisses and hugs |
| XO | -..- --- |
The two-letter version |
| 143 | .---- ....- ...-- |
A number code once used on pagers: the letter counts of I, LOVE and YOU |
88 deserves a word of its own. It is real radio shorthand. Morse operators often sign off a friendly contact with 73, best regards; 88 is the warm version, love and kisses. It sounds lovely, too: dah-dah-dah-di-dit, dah-dah-dah-di-dit. To anyone who knows CW abbreviations, it reads as exactly what you mean, and to everyone else it is a private sign. One caution for anything worn or shown in public: outside radio, 88 is also known as a hate-symbol code, so a stranger who decodes it may read it the wrong way.
One thing Morse cannot do is draw a heart. There is no code for the heart symbol or any emoji, and the less-than sign in a typed heart has no code either. If you want a heart on a card, draw it next to the Morse, or spell LOVE.
Other messages for someone close
A few that fit on a card, a bracelet or a tape:
| Message | Morse |
|---|---|
| MISS YOU | -- .. ... ... / -.-- --- ..- |
| HUGS | .... ..- --. ... |
| ALWAYS | .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... |
| COME HOME | -.-. --- -- . / .... --- -- . |
| GOOD NIGHT | --. --- --- -.. / -. .. --. .... - |
| SWEET DREAMS | ... .-- . . - / -.. .-. . .- -- ... |
| MARRY ME | -- .- .-. .-. -.-- / -- . |
| YES | -.-- . ... |
Names work well too, alone or with 88 after them. Short words with plenty of E, T, A, I and N come out short in Morse, because the most common letters got the shortest codes. Long words with lots of figures, J, Q or Y come out long.
Ways to give it
A card or a letter. Write the Morse in pencil first, with dots as round dots and dashes about three times as long, then ink it. Decide whether to put the alphabet on the back, or to let them work it out. Either way, decode your own message once before you seal it: an extra dot is easy to add and hard to notice.
A tap, a squeeze or a blink. Teach the other person the phrase once, and it becomes a signal across a table, a crowded room or a car. It is worth agreeing on a reply, such as 88 back.
A sound. A short audio file of the phrase is a sweet voicemail or message attachment, and a person who knows the rhythm will recognize it before they decode it. How to make a Morse code audio file shows how to make one.
An image of the code. A picture of the message in dots and dashes, laid out with clear letter spaces, can be decoded by anyone with a chart. Send a Morse code message as an image people can decode covers the layout.
Something to wear. Bracelets, rings and pendants carry the code for years, so check every letter and every letter break before it is made. Morse code bracelets and jewelry: getting the code right walks through it.
On a Mac, Dot & Dash turns the message into a keepsake. Type it in Write and press Send: the machine sends it, the tone plays, and its paper tape prints the message in dots and dashes. Share it straight from Write, or save it to the Library and share it later: as an image of the tape, with each letter printed under its marks so anyone can read it, as an audio file, or as a square or vertical video of the machine printing it. Everything is made on your Mac and goes only where you send it.
Questions
What does 88 mean in Morse code?
88 is radio shorthand for love and kisses, the warmer cousin of 73, best regards. It is sent as two figure eights, ---.. ---.., which sounds like dah-dah-dah-di-dit twice.
How long is I love you in Morse code?
It has three words, eight letters and 24 dots and dashes. Sent at 12 words per minute with standard spacing, it takes just over nine seconds.
Is there one Morse code signal that means I love you?
No. Morse spells words letter by letter, so I love you is written out in full. The closest thing to a single sign is 88, love and kisses, which is two characters.
Can I tap I love you on someone’s hand?
Yes. Use a quick tap for each dit and a slower press for each dah, a short pause between letters and a longer pause between words. Go slowly the first few times so the gaps stay clear.