| However, the code was soon expanded by in 1840 to include letters and special characters, so it could be used more generally | To increase the efficiency of encoding, Morse code was designed so that the length of each symbol is approximately of the character that it represents in text of the English language |
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| Speed in words per minute All Morse code elements depend on the dot length | Using different character and text speeds is, in fact, a common practice, and is used in the Farnsworth method of |
Operating of paddle keys is similar to use of the old clockwork telegraph keys: Pressing the paddle to the left generates a series of repeated dahs until the paddle is released; pressing the paddle to the right produces a similar series of dits; and with two-paddle electronic keys, squeezing the two paddles from both sides produces an alternating dit dah dit dah sequence.
| Aviation Cayo Largo Del Sur VOR-DME | Morse code was sometimes facetiously known as "iddy-umpty", a dit lampooned as "iddy" and a dah as "umpty", leading to the word "" |
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| To accurately compare code copying speed records of different eras it is useful to keep in mind that different standard words 50 dit durations versus 60 dit durations and different interword gaps 5 dit durations versus 7 dit durations may have been used when determining such speed records | This allowed the holder to be chief operator on board a passenger ship |
The text speed is how fast the entire message is sent.