Thank You in Morse Code
Gratitude takes eight letters and one word gap. Here's how to write, sound out, and send “thank you” in Morse code — plus the two-digit shorthand radio operators have used for over a century.
How to write “thank you” in Morse code
Thank you in International Morse code is − ···· ·− −· −·− / −·−− −−− ··−. A single space separates letters and the slash ( / ) marks the gap between the two words:
THANK is a wonderfully varied word to practice — it opens with the single dash of T (the shortest dash-letter in the system), runs through the four-dot drum roll of H, and closes with K's confident dash-dot-dash. If you've already learned I love you, the second word is free: YOU is identical in both phrases. Check every letter against the Morse code alphabet chart.
How it sounds
In operator speech: dah di-di-di-dit di-dah dah-dit dah-di-dah — a long pause — dah-di-dah-dah dah-dah-dah di-di-dah. Type it into the Morse code translator and press Play. THANK has a bouncing, conversational rhythm; YOU answers with three slow, dash-heavy letters. The contrast makes the phrase easy to recognise by ear.
The operator's thank-you: 73 and TU
Real operators rarely spell the whole phrase out. Two classic shortcuts do the job:
- TU (− ··−) — literally “thank you,” trimmed to two letters. You'll hear it constantly in contest exchanges, where every second counts.
- 73 (−−··· ···−−) — the old telegraph number code for “best regards,” used as a warm sign-off between operators since the 1850s.
Both grew out of the same telegraph culture that produced dozens of number codes — 88 means “love and kisses,” for instance. Our history of Morse code covers how that shorthand culture developed.
Nice ways to use it
“Thank you” in Morse makes a lovely hidden message: engraved inside a gift for a teacher or mentor, flashed as light at the end of a scout exercise, or printed as dots and dashes on a thank-you card with the translation on the back. Because the phrase is long enough to look genuinely mysterious, it invites the recipient to decode it — use the translator to generate and double-check the pattern, and find more ideas among our common words and phrases.
Try it yourself
Open the Morse code translator, type THANK YOU, and press Play to hear it — or turn on the flash and vibrate options to see and feel the rhythm. You'll find more everyday examples on our common Morse code words page, and a full study plan in the guide to learning Morse code.
Frequently asked questions
It’s − ···· ·− −· −·− / −·−− −−− ··− — THANK, the word gap, then YOU. Play it in the translator to hear the rhythm.
They send TU (− ··−) — “thank you” in two letters — or close with 73 (−−··· ···−−), the century-old code for “best regards.”
At about 10 WPM, roughly 10–14 seconds with all the gaps. That’s exactly why operators trimmed it to TU — under two seconds.
Play THANK YOU in Morse code
Type it, hear the authentic tones, flash it as light, or download it as audio — free in the translator.
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