K in Morse Code
-.-
Three symbols, long-short-long: — · — . Sent as part of a word it's an ordinary letter, but K moonlights as one of the most-used procedural signals in the entire code.
K as a Procedural Signal, Not Just a Letter
Sent by itself at the end of a transmission, K functions as an informal invitation for any station listening to reply — "go ahead, over to anyone." That's different from the related prosign KN, which invites one specific, already-named station to respond and asks everyone else to stand by. Both grew out of the same letter for a practical reason: it's short, unambiguous, and instantly recognizable as a cue to start talking rather than as part of a spelled-out word.
Easy to Confuse With
- C (dash-dot-dash-dot) is K with a trailing dot added.
- R (dot-dash-dot) shares K's total length but reverses which symbols are long and short.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is K different from its narrower cousin KN?
K invites any station listening to reply, while KN restricts that invitation to one specific, already-named station — the shorter signal is the general 'go ahead,' the longer one is the targeted version.
Why is a plain letter used as a procedural signal at all?
Because a single short character sent on its own, with silence either side of it, cannot be mistaken for part of a word — and K is only three symbols, so it costs almost nothing to send at the end of a long transmission when the operator is tired and the signal is marginal.