How Do You Blink in Morse Code?

Blink a quick blink for a dot and close your eyes for about a second for a dash. Keep your eyes open for a beat between letters and longer between words.

How to blink each part

Part	Blink
Dot	Quick, normal blink
Dash	Eyes shut about three times as long
Inside a letter	Eyes open briefly
Between letters	Eyes open about a second
Between words	Eyes open two or three seconds

SOS is blink-blink-blink, hold-hold-hold, blink-blink-blink: ... --- ....

Tips that make it readable

Go slow and exaggerate. Everyone blinks naturally, so your signals need to look deliberate.
Make dashes obviously long. A dash that looks like a slightly slow blink is the most common mistake.
Agree on a start signal, like a few rapid blinks, so your partner knows a message is coming.
Keep it short. Blinking is slow and tiring. Stick to words like YES, NO or HELP.
Face your reader. Good light on your face and a clear view of your eyes make a huge difference.

The most famous blinked message

In 1966, POW Jeremiah Denton blinked T-O-R-T-U-R-E during a filmed interview, which the National Archives calls the first clear confirmation that American POWs were being tortured (the full story is on our military Morse code page).

Use a light instead

To send a message across a room or a campsite, a light is much easier to read than eyelids. A flashlight works, or the light tool flashes any message on your phone or computer screen with correct timing.