Morse Code Prosigns — All CW Procedural Signals, Chart, Audio & Quiz
Every standard Morse code prosign with its code, meaning, usage context, and audio. The complete reference for ham radio CW operators — from AR to SK, CQ to SOS.
A prosign (procedural signal) is sent as a single fused unit — no inter-letter gap between the component letters. This distinguishes them from regular words. Prosigns convey operating instructions: when to start, stop, wait, go ahead, or call for help. Filter by category or click any card to play.
All Morse Code Prosigns — Complete Chart
Click any prosign card to listen, copy its Morse code, or jump to its explanation.
| Prosign | Meaning | Morse Code | Pattern | Category | Signals | Punctuation | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KA | Start of Transmission / Attention | -.-. | Start | 4 | — | ||
| CT | Commence Transmission (same as KA) | -.-. | Start | 4 | — | ||
| AA | New Line / Start New Paragraph | .-.- | Start | 4 | — | ||
| AR | End of Message / All Received | .-.-. | End | 5 | + | ||
| SK | End of Contact / Silent Key | ...-.- | End | 6 | — | ||
| VA | End of Work (same as SK) | ...-.- | End | 6 | — | ||
| K | Go Ahead — Any Station | -.- | Flow | 3 | — | ||
| KN | Go Ahead — Named Station Only | -.--. | Flow | 5 | ( | ||
| KK | Go Ahead — Closing Parenthesis | -.--.- | Flow | 6 | ) | ||
| AS | Wait / Stand By | .-... | Flow | 5 | & | ||
| BK | Break — Invite Reply | -...-.- | Flow | 7 | — | ||
| CQ | General Call — Any Station | -.-. --.- | Calling | 8 | — | ||
| CL | Closing Station / Going QRT | -.-. .-.. | Calling | 8 | — | ||
| DE | From / This is (identifier) | -.. . | Calling | 4 | — | ||
| BT | New Paragraph / Break Text | -...- | Message | 5 | = | ||
| SN | Understood / Received | ...-. | Message | 5 | — | ||
| DN | Fraction Bar / Division | -..-. | Message | 5 | / | ||
| KW | Urgency / Keep Working | -.-.-- | Message | 6 | ! | ||
| SOS | International Distress Signal | ...---... | Special | 9 | — | ||
| NJ | Shift to Wabun (Japanese Morse) | --.--- | Special | 6 | — |
How Prosigns Are Used — Category Guide
Prosigns follow strict conventions on when they appear in a QSO (contact). Understanding the order of operations makes each prosign instantly recognizable in context.
Starting Signals
KA · CT · AA
Sent at the very beginning of a transmission to alert the receiving station that a message is coming. KA / CT opens every transmission. AA starts a new line within a message.
Ending Signals
AR · SK · VA
AR ends the message body (more to follow from you or another). SK / VA ends the entire contact — the station is done and may go off-air.
...73 de W1AW SK
Flow Control
K · KN · AS · BK
K invites any station to reply. KN invites only the named station. AS asks the other station to wait. BK breaks mid-message to invite a quick reply.
QRX 5 min AS
Calling Signals
CQ · CL · DE
CQ is the general call to any station worldwide. DE means "from" — always followed by callsign. CL closes the station and goes off air.
Message Signals
BT · SN · DN · KW
BT separates sections within a message. SN confirms receipt. DN encodes fractions. KW signals urgency.
Distress Signal
SOS
SOS is sent as one continuous unbroken unit — ...---... — with no gaps between letters. It is the internationally recognized distress call on all frequencies.
Typical CW QSO — Where Each Prosign Appears
| Open | W1AW | KA CQ CQ CQ DE W1AW W1AW W1AW K | General call, any station reply |
| Reply | W2XYZ | W1AW DE W2XYZ W2XYZ KN | Directed reply to W1AW only |
| Message | W1AW | W2XYZ DE W1AW BT NAME JOHN BT QTH BOSTON BT RST 599 AR KN | BT separates sections, AR ends message |
| Wait | W1AW | QRX 2 AS | Stand by 2 minutes |
| Reply | W2XYZ | SN TNX 73 DE W2XYZ AR W1AW K | SN = understood, AR ends, K = go ahead |
| Close | W1AW | 73 DE W1AW SK CL | SK ends contact, CL closes station |
Each Prosign in Detail
Every prosign has its own anchor section with meaning, tap pattern, usage examples, and notes on any related punctuation mark. Sections are linkable directly — e.g. /morse-code-prosigns/#morse-code-AR.
KA — Start of Transmission / Attention
4 signals · Category: Start · Also written: CT
Sent at the very beginning of every CW transmission to alert the receiving station. KA (also called CT — Commence Transmission) is the prosign equivalent of clearing your throat before speaking. It is fused: dit not sent as K then A separately.
KA CQ CQ DE W1AW KOpens every TXSame code as CTCT — Commence Transmission (same as KA)
4 signals · Category: Start · Also written: KA
CT is the ITU designation for the start-of-transmission prosign. It produces exactly the same Morse code as KA (-.-.). European operators and maritime services tend to use CT; North American ham operators tend to use KA. They are interchangeable.
ITU designation for KAMaritime / European usageAA — New Line / Start New Paragraph
4 signals · Category: Start
AA marks the start of a new line within a formal message. In radiogram (ARRL traffic net) format, AA separates the address line from the text. It is the CW equivalent of pressing Enter. Note: this is the same Morse sequence as the first four elements of the period (.-.-.-) cut short.
Used in formal radiogramsSeparates address linesAR — End of Message / All Received
5 signals · Category: End
AR means "all received" or "end of message." It is sent after the message body to signal the message is complete but the operator may still be on frequency and inviting a reply. AR is one of the most frequently used prosigns in CW.
...73 de W1AW AR KNMessage body + AR + invitationSK — End of Contact / Silent Key
6 signals · Category: End · Also written: VA
SK is the definitive closing prosign. It means the QSO is finished and the station is signing off. "Silent Key" has taken on the additional meaning of a deceased ham operator — a tribute to operators who have passed away. SK is sent after the final exchange, not after each transmission.
73 de W1AW SK73 de W1AW SK CLMemorial: SK (callsign)VA — End of Work (same as SK)
6 signals · Category: End · Also written: SK
VA produces the exact same Morse code as SK (...-.-). It is the ITU designation for end-of-work. Some European and British operators prefer VA while North Americans use SK. Both mean the same thing: the contact is over.
ITU name for SKEuropean usageK — Go Ahead — Any Station
3 signals · Category: Flow
K is the shortest prosign and one of the most powerful. It means "go ahead" — any station may reply. Used after CQ calls and at the end of transmissions where any station is welcome to respond. Often combined: CQ K, AR K, DE W1AW K.
CQ CQ DE W1AW KAR W2XYZ KOpen invitationKN — Go Ahead — Named Station Only
5 signals · Category: Flow
KN is K with N — "named station only." Where K invites anyone to reply, KN restricts the reply to the specific station being addressed. This prevents pile-ups on busy frequencies and ensures orderly QSO conduct.
AR W2XYZ KNRestricts reply to named stationKK — Go Ahead — Closing Parenthesis
6 signals · Category: Flow
KK is the closing parenthesis prosign — KN plus one extra dash. It is less commonly used as a standalone prosign and more frequently appears as the close parenthesis character in formal message text.
Close parenthesis in messagesLess common as standaloneAS — Wait / Stand By
5 signals · Category: Flow
AS tells the other station to hold — stand by briefly. Often followed by a number indicating minutes: "AS 5" means wait 5 minutes. One of the most human prosigns: it acknowledges the other station while buying time.
QRX 5 ASAS (brief pause)Stand by momentarilyBK — Break — Invite Reply
7 signals · Category: Flow
BK breaks the flow mid-message to invite an immediate reply from the other station. It is a conversational device — equivalent to pausing mid-sentence to check if the listener is following. BK is also the call used to break into an ongoing QSO.
NAME JOHN BKBreaking into a QSOMid-message checkCQ — General Call — Any Station
8 signals · Category: Calling
CQ is the most famous prosign in radio — a general call meaning "seek you" or "come quickly." Any station hearing a CQ is invited to reply. CQ is typically sent three times followed by DE and your callsign, then K. Note: CQ is sent with a normal inter-letter gap (unlike most prosigns), but is treated as a procedural call.
CQ CQ CQ DE W1AW KCQ DX DE W1AW KMost famous radio callCL — Closing Station / Going QRT
8 signals · Category: Calling
CL (going QRT / closing) signals that the station is shutting down and will not be listening. Unlike SK which ends a QSO, CL ends the operating session entirely. Often used together: SK CL. After CL, the station is off the air.
73 de W1AW SK CLGoing QRT / off airDE — From / This is (identifier)
4 signals · Category: Calling
DE is technically a French word meaning "from" adopted into international CW. It is always followed by a callsign: "DE W1AW" means "this is W1AW." Unlike pure prosigns, DE is sent with a normal inter-letter gap but is universally treated as a procedural identifier.
CQ DE W1AW KW2XYZ DE W1AW ARAlways before callsignBT — New Paragraph / Break Text
5 signals · Category: Message
BT separates major sections within a message — equivalent to a paragraph break. In ARRL radiogram format, BT separates the preamble, address, and text sections. The symmetric dash-dot-dot-dot-dash is one of the most elegant and recognizable patterns in CW.
NAME JOHN BT QTH BOSTONParagraph separatorRadiogram section dividerSN — Understood / Received
5 signals · Category: Message · Also written: VE
SN (also called VE) means "understood" or "I have received your transmission." It is the CW equivalent of "copy that" or "roger." Sent as acknowledgement after a message or instruction. SN and VE produce the same Morse code.
SN TNX 73Roger / Copy thatSame code as VEDN — Fraction Bar / Division
5 signals · Category: Message
DN encodes the fraction bar or division symbol in formal message text. Used when a number fraction like 3/4 or a callsign separator needs to be transmitted unambiguously in written-format traffic.
3 DN 4 (meaning 3/4)W1AW DN 7 (portable)KW — Urgency / Keep Working
6 signals · Category: Message
KW signals urgency — "keep working," do not break off the transmission. Used when an important or time-sensitive message is being sent and the operator does not want to be interrupted.
URGENT KW (message)Priority traffic markerSOS — International Distress Signal
9 signals · Category: Special
SOS is the international Morse distress signal, adopted in 1906. It is sent as one continuous unbroken unit — three dots, three dashes, three dots — with no inter-letter gaps. The letters S-O-S are a convenient memory aid but the signal is a single prosign. SOS means immediate life-threatening danger and demands response from all stations.
SOS SOS SOS DE (callsign)International distressNo inter-letter gapsNJ — Shift to Wabun (Japanese Morse)
6 signals · Category: Special
NJ signals a shift from standard international Morse code to Wabun code — the Japanese Morse system used to encode Japanese kana characters. After NJ, the receiving operator knows to decode subsequent characters using the Wabun table rather than the ITU table. Rare in modern use but historically significant in Japanese maritime communications.
NJ (switch to Wabun)Japanese maritime CWRare in modern useProsign Tools
Encode messages with fused prosigns or train your ear to recognize CW procedural signals at custom speed.
Prosign Player
Type any prosign code (e.g. AR, SK, CQ) and hear it instantly. Supports all 20 prosigns plus regular Morse letters.
Prosign Practice Trainer
Hear a random prosign and type its code. Builds ear recognition for the sounds you'll hear most on the air.
Practice Quiz — Both Directions
Test encoding (code → Morse) and decoding (Morse → code). Start with the 6 essential prosigns before tackling all 20.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A **prosign** (procedural signal) is a special Morse code sequence sent as a single fused unit — without the normal inter-letter gap between the component letters. Prosigns convey operating instructions like start, end, wait, go ahead, or call for help rather than spelling words.