Morse Code Practice
A free trainer that scores every attempt at sending or receiving Morse, so learners can see themselves get better a few minutes at a time.
Opens Unscramble Words 4U, our free word-puzzle site, in a new tab. Free, with no sign-up.
What it does
The Morse Code Practice page on Unscramble Words 4U is a full trainer. On the Send tab it shows a target, you key it, and each letter turns green or red, with your code shown beside the correct one. On the Receive tab it plays Morse and you type what you hear, replaying as often as you need. Every try earns a score for accuracy, another for fluency (how even your rhythm is), and a speed in words per minute, adding up to between one and three stars.
Levels run from the first few short letters through Koch letter groups, common words, radio Q codes and callsigns to whole sentences, and each one opens after three tries of 90% or better on the level before. You can also practise your own text. Beyond that there are six sending tests (Beginner and Novice, then Bronze, Silver and Gold, and finally ‘Code Like a Pro’) that unlock downloadable badges, a daily challenge shared by every user, a pretend radio contact with an invented operator, a step-by-step Koch listening course, downloadable audio sets with answer sheets, and Morse postcards to send to a friend. Beginners can use two keys (one for dots, one for dashes); later levels use a single key you time yourself, iambic paddles, or a real buzzer or key through the microphone.
How to use it
- Open the trainer and pick Send or Receive.
- Choose a level. Start with the first one – the rest unlock as you score well.
- On Send, choose how to key: Two keys, One key, Paddles or Microphone. Key the target, then press Check to see green and red letters and your scores.
- On Receive, press Play, type what you hear and press Check.
- When ready, open Tests and badges, pass a five-message test, and download your badge, which shows your scores and when you passed. If you add a name, keep it to a first name or a nickname.
- Explore the other tabs, from the Koch course and Daily challenge to Radio contact, Postcard and Audio sets. Speed, Farnsworth spacing, tone and volume live under the sound and light settings.
More tips
- Say ‘dit’ and ‘dah’ in your head to learn letters by sound rather than counting dots.
- Some pupils find scores stressful. There is a tick box to hide streaks and scores altogether.
- Use Audio sets to make a WAV practice track and answer sheet for listening homework without screens.
Ideas for the classroom and home learning
- KS2 (7–11)Morse club: pupils work through the first two levels in pairs, one keying and one checking. Celebrate the first Beginner badge on a class display.
- KS3 (11–14)Learning science: track accuracy and fluency over two weeks on the built-in progress chart, then discuss what the data shows about short, spaced practice.
- KS3 (11–14)Communication: try the practice radio contact and explore why operators use short codes such as CQ and 73 to save time.
- KS4 (14–16)Physics and engineering: compare the Koch method (one new character at a time at a quick letter speed) with Farnsworth timing (extra space between letters), and design a fair test of which helps the class more.
Questions
Is it safe for children?
The source page says it has no accounts, chat, rooms, leaderboards or comments, so no one can contact a child through it. The radio contact is a scripted pretend operator, and postcards only go to people you choose to share a link with.
Where are scores stored?
In the browser’s local storage on that device, not on a server. On a shared school computer, pupils can wipe them with the Clear my scores button.
Are the badges real qualifications?
No – each one is a light-hearted self-check made in the browser. A separate badge checker page can confirm that the details on a badge have not been altered, but not who earned it.
Does the microphone option record anything?
The tool says microphone sound is analysed live in the browser and never recorded.
Opens Unscramble Words 4U, our free word-puzzle site, in a new tab. Free, with no sign-up.
The light and flash modes can affect people with photosensitive epilepsy; the tool keeps them slow, but check before use. Badges are for fun, not proof of skill.