In Morse code, three dots and dash indicates the letter V, which during WWII symbolized "victory". So what's Morse code for "defeat"?

Three dots and a dash is the Morse code for V, which stood for victory. If you hadn’t guessed, a dash and two dots means D. (defeat)

Morse code was used as an international standard for maritime distress until 1999, when it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System.

These days, Morse code is rarely used for communication, but it still works. It's not dependent on a medium, it's an idea--and a brilliant one at that - and is a system that was designed to be used by people, not machines. In that way it's different from the barcodes or 1s and 0s that power communications today. It's something we can learn and it will never really be obsolete.

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40 Comments

Jacqueline Tattam

Christopher Skinner, You are mistaken.Beethoven’s Symphony The Victory, with the unmistakable ‘dum, dum, dum da’, is the Fifth not the Ninth.

Tessa Warner

Almost everyone guessed. It's like he wanted a question that no one could answer.

PraiseBandBrian

My first AFSC (job) in the USAF was Morse Systems Operator. 40 years later I still remember most of it.

vonlora

learned it in ROTC, but only remember the first five letters, better with braille

John M Daley

George Oliver Prince, tinnitus

earlepg

Since I wasn't a boy scout (I did my scouting as an adult leader during my son's scouting years) I got lucky using the majority. I gave up on learning the Morse code when I was a kid, so all I remembered was my first initial, e (.). I did a lot better with the NATO code, which I learned while working for the Forest Service.

Lawanta

My dad was a radioman in the US Navy at the end of WW2, so he used it alot. Unfortunately, I didn't learn it from him.

John W Shreve

Jacqueline Tattam, And it's my ringtone.

John W Shreve

I bet all the boy scouts got this one.

Suzanne Wilson

Gee I forgot to learn Morse code this morning!

Flavio

Works also in Portuguese: Vitória and Derrota.

Kath Thomson

I figured that it would be the Morse code for D but as I don't know morse code that wasn't much help!

Lupe Hernandez

Hilary Sykes, ...---... is sos.

Peter Robertson

Darlene Davidson, Only if you have outdated equipment.

Hilary Sykes

I always thought dot, dot,dot, dash was an SOS signal - I did learn morse code as a Girl Guide - so I must have been wrong all this time - good job I haven't needed rescuing!!!!

deborahpmercer

I think that was an interesting question and some folk are unkind. Mind you, having had three of my questions dismissed (by the same person!) as Lazy, Inane, and Asinine, I'm feeling somewhat sensitive myself.