SOS and Emergency Morse Signals

Contrary to popular belief, SOS does not stand for "Save Our Ship." It was chosen because the pattern ... --- ... is easy to transmit and recognize under stress.

International regulations once required ships to monitor for distress signals. While satellite systems dominate today, Morse distress patterns remain part of training and backup protocols.

Practice SOS and other emergency patterns with our translator's audio and flash features so you can recognize them instantly.