Goodbye in Morse Code
Seven letters — and the two sign-offs that carry far more meaning than the word does.
GOODBYE in Morse code
Character by character
| Character | Morse code | Play | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | --. | ||
| O | --- | ||
| O | --- | ||
| D | -.. | ||
| B | -... | ||
| Y | -.-- | ||
| E | . |
73 and SK
Spelled out, goodbye is --. --- --- -.. -... -.-- .. On the air it is
almost never used, because two other things say it better.
73 (--... ...--) means "best regards" and is how
operators close a friendly contact. It dates from a numbered shorthand list published in
1859, most of which has been forgotten — but 73 survived, and is now so embedded that it
turns up in emails and on car number plates among radio amateurs. It is always 73, never
"73s"; the number is already plural in sense.
SK is a prosign — ...-.- sent as one unbroken character,
not as S followed by K. It means "end of contact", the final thing before going silent.
Among amateurs it carries a second, sadder meaning: a "silent key" is an operator who has
died, and the phrase is used in obituaries.
Prosigns are not letters
The SK example points at something the letter tables do not show. A prosign is two or more characters run together with no gap between them, which turns them into a single symbol with its own meaning.
AR (.-.-.) ends a message. BT
(-...-) separates paragraphs and doubles as a pause while thinking.
KN invites one specific station to reply rather than anyone listening. And
SOS itself is a prosign, which is why it is written with a bar over the top.
This is why gaps matter so much. The difference between the letters S and K sent normally and the prosign SK is nothing but the three units of silence between them — and that silence changes the meaning entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is goodbye in Morse code?
GOODBYE is --. --- --- -.. -... -.-- .. Operators normally send 73 or the prosign SK instead.
What does 73 mean in Morse code?
Best regards. It is --... ...-- and comes from a numbered shorthand list from 1859. It is always 73, never 73s.
What is the SK prosign?
SK is ...-.- sent as one continuous character with no gap, meaning end of contact. Among radio amateurs a silent key also refers to an operator who has died.