Morse timing learner
See how every interval relates to the PARIS calibration.
Calculate PARIS at 20 WPM and compare dot, dash, inner, letter and word gaps.
Sees 60/180/60/180/420 ms and a three-second PARIS cycle.
Morse Code WPM Timer
Calculate standard or Farnsworth Morse timing, including every gap. Time actual text and repeated copies, choose the final gap, and export a complete report.
Built for Ham Radio1 documented formula1 real workflowPrivate in your browser
Use this result well
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
Inputs that matter
Character speed, Effective speed in Farnsworth mode, Timing mode, Practice text, and 2 more
Output to expect
Morse Code WPM Timer
How it works
1 documented formula across 1 calculation mode
- Keep 3 bounded inputs within the limits shown beside the fields.
- Confirm that every value uses the unit and time basis shown before comparing scenarios.
- Change one input at a time to see which assumption materially changes the result.
Choose your path
Built around the job you need to finish
Calculate full standard or Farnsworth Morse intervals and actual practice-message duration with deliberate effective speed, repetitions and final-word-gap treatment.
Practice-session planner
Separate character rhythm from overall Farnsworth speed.
Use 20-character/10-effective WPM, compare PARIS duration, then try an invalid effective speed.
Character bodies stay fast while spacing changes; impossible speed combinations are refused.
Mobile fixture developer
Time actual text and repeated copies rather than a generic word count.
Compare E E with PARIS, set repetitions/final gap, import a fixture and inspect one-copy rows plus complete totals.
No double-counted word boundaries or missing final-gap decision; exports include the declared scenario.
Authoritative checks for this tool
Outputs and checklists are planning aids. Review the linked current authorities and the records, terms, instructions, and requirements that apply to your exact situation before a consequential decision.
- International Morse code — ITU-R M.1677-1International Telecommunication Union · Declared character/punctuation subset and 1/3/1/3/7 standard timing. Procedural signals, automatic transliteration and operational procedures are outside this tool.
- A Standard for Morse Timing Using the Farnsworth TechniqueARRL Laboratory / QEX · PARIS 31 character-body plus 19 spacing units; independent character/effective speeds and proportioned Farnsworth letter/word spacing. Original paper pages 8–9 visually inspected.
- File APIW3C · UTF-8 Blob preparation and local file reading. Requesting a download is not proof of an OS-saved file.
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Reference & details
How it works
Updated August 2026
How it works
Updated August 2026Set character and effective speed
Character speed c sets dot=1200/c milliseconds. Standard mode uses the same effective speed. Farnsworth mode accepts effective speed s no greater than c.
Separate character rhythm from spacing
The PARIS calibration has 31 character-body units and 19 outer-spacing units. Spacing unit=(60000/s−31×dot)/19; letter and word gaps use three and seven spacing units.
Time the actual scenario
Sum actual symbol bodies and gaps across every repetition. Copies are separated by a word gap; omit or include only the last gap as selected. Preview one copy while the report totals all copies.
Updated: August 2026
Example Scenarios
See how every interval relates to the PARIS calibration. Calculate PARIS at 20 WPM and compare dot, dash, inner, letter and word gaps.
Separate character rhythm from overall Farnsworth speed. Use 20-character/10-effective WPM, compare PARIS duration, then try an invalid effective speed.
Time actual text and repeated copies rather than a generic word count. Compare E E with PARIS, set repetitions/final gap, import a fixture and inspect one-copy rows plus complete totals.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using a pie chart to add alternative timing intervals
Dot, dash, letter gap and word gap describe different events. Review their durations and actual event counts instead.
Treating calculated duration as operator proficiency
The model does not measure sending, reception, equipment latency, licensing or emergency readiness.
FAQ
Standard timing gives a 60 ms dot, 180 ms dash, 60 ms inner gap, 180 ms character gap and 420 ms word gap. PARIS plus its final gap takes three seconds.
No. The referenced ARRL paper describes its historical 18 WPM practice but states that other character speeds can be used. Here both speeds are explicit and effective speed cannot exceed character speed.
No. PARIS is a calibration word. This calculator counts your actual Morse symbols and boundaries; E and PARIS do not take equal time.
Copies always have one word gap between them. The final-gap choice affects only the last copy. Character gaps are not added on top of word gaps.
Character/effective speeds: 1–120 WPM, with effective no faster than character speed; repetitions: 1–1,000 whole copies. Source: 5,000 UTF-16 units / 20,000 file bytes. Output: 1,000,000 units; worker timeout: 10 seconds. No automatic Project save or confirmed disk download.
About Morse Code WPM Timer
Plan a Morse timing fixture from explicit character and effective speeds. Calculate the actual symbols and gaps in your message; this is a timing calculator, not a stopwatch, audio player or transmitter.