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Morse, NATO and braille — 116 signs

Fifty-two characters written in three codes, plus all sixty-four braille cells laid out. The codes themselves are the same everywhere, so they are left untranslated.

A dot is one unit, a dash three, and the gap between them one. At 20 words per minute a unit is 60 milliseconds.

Letters26

All twenty-six have a Morse code, a NATO word and a braille cell.

A·−Alfa⠁B−···Bravo⠃C−·−·Charlie⠉D−··Delta⠙E·Echo⠑F··−·Foxtrot⠋G−−·Golf⠛H····Hotel⠓I··India⠊J·−−−Juliett⠚K−·−Kilo⠅L·−··Lima⠇M−−Mike⠍N−·November⠝O−−−Oscar⠕P·−−·Papa⠏Q−−·−Quebec⠟R·−·Romeo⠗S···Sierra⠎T−Tango⠞U··−Uniform⠥V···−Victor⠧W·−−Whiskey⠺X−··−X-ray⠭Y−·−−Yankee⠽Z−−··Zulu⠵

Digits10

Five symbols each in Morse; in braille they reuse the cells of a–j behind a number sign.

0−−−−−Zero⠚1·−−−−One⠁2··−−−Two⠃3···−−Three⠉4····−Four⠙5·····Five⠑6−····Six⠋7−−···Seven⠛8−−−··Eight⠓9−−−−·Nine⠊

Punctuation16

They have Morse codes but no NATO words.

.·−·−·−⠲,−−··−−⠂?··−−··⠦'·−−−−·⠄!−·−·−−⠖/−··−·(−·−−·⠶)−·−−·−⠶&·−···:−−−···⠒;−·−·−·⠆=−···−+·−·−·-−····−⠤"·−··−·⠶@·−−·−·

All sixty-four braille cells

Six dots, each up or down: two to the sixth, sixty-four in all. The empty cell counts too — it is the space between words.

0 dots1

0

1 dot6

123456

2 dots15

121323142434152535451626364656

3 dots20

123124134234125135235145245345126136236146246346156256356456

4 dots15

123412351245134523451236124613462346125613562356145624563456

5 dots6

123451234612356124561345623456

6 dots1

123456

How to read this

  • In Morse a dot is one unit and a dash three. The commoner the letter, the shorter the code — E is a single dot.
  • Each NATO word starts with its own letter. It is for saying a letter clearly over the radio.
  • A braille cell has six dot positions, so there are sixty-four of them. The empty one is the space between words.
  • Digits in braille reuse the cells of a–j; a number sign in front tells them apart.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why is SOS ···−−−···?

Because S is three dots and O is three dashes. It stands for nothing — it was picked as an easy pattern to send and to recognise.

Q. Why are Morse codes different lengths?

The commoner letters were given the shorter codes. E is one dot, T is one dash.

Q. What is the NATO alphabet for?

For spelling something out over radio or telephone. Words keep B and D — which sound alike — apart.

Q. Why are there sixty-four braille cells?

Six dot positions, each raised or not: two to the sixth. The empty cell is one of them.

Q. How are digits written in braille?

With the cells of a to j, preceded by a number sign (⠼) that says the next cells are figures.