Stay in Morse code is ... - .- -.--. S is three dots, T is one dash, A is a dot and a dash, and Y is a dash, a dot and two dashes. This page covers stay at a glance, a letter-by-letter breakdown, how to write and space the word, how to send stay by sound, tapping and light, the Interstellar scene that made the word famous, and how to lay out stay on a bracelet or a tattoo.
... - .- -.--Stay in Morse Code at a Glance
Stay in Morse code has 4 letters, 10 signals and a length of 35 timing units. The translator’s engine generates every figure in the table below.
| Detail | STAY |
|---|---|
| Morse code | ... - .- -.-- |
| Words | 1 |
| Letters | 4 |
| Dots | 5 |
| Dashes | 5 |
| Total signals | 10 |
| Length in timing units | 35 |
| Time at 5 wpm (beginner hand speed) | 8.4 seconds |
| Time at 13 wpm (amateur radio test speed) | 3.2 seconds |
| Time at 20 wpm (fluent operator) | 2.1 seconds |
A timing unit is the length of one dot. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines every other length as a multiple of that unit in Recommendation ITU-R M.1677-1: a dash lasts 3 units, the gap inside a letter lasts 1 unit, the gap between letters lasts 3 units and the gap between words lasts 7 units. Stay has exactly 5 dots and 5 dashes, so the signals add up to 20 units. The silences add up to 15 units: 6 units inside the letters and 9 units in the 3 gaps between the letters. At 20 words per minute (wpm), one unit lasts 60 milliseconds (0.06 seconds) and the whole word lasts 2.1 seconds.
Letter-by-Letter Breakdown of Stay
Stay breaks into 4 letter patterns: S, T, A and Y. Press the play button beside any letter to hear it on its own.
| Letter | Morse | Spoken rhythm | Dots | Dashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | ... | di-di-dit | 3 | 0 |
| T | - | dah | 0 | 1 |
| A | .- | di-dah | 1 | 1 |
| Y | -.-- | dah-di-dah-dah | 1 | 3 |
S: three dots
... is three dots, spoken di-di-dit. The trap in S is the dot count. Four dots is H, ...., so one extra dot turns STAY into HTAY. S is also the first and last letter of the distress signal, and the SOS in Morse code page uses the same three-dot group twice.
T: one dash
- is a single dash, 3 units long, and the only letter in the alphabet made of one dash. T has short neighbours on both sides, so T is the letter most likely to merge in stay. Joined to the S before it, T turns the pair into V, ...-, and the word reads VAY. Joined to the A after it, T turns the pair into K, -.-, and the word reads SKY.
A: dot, dash
.- is one dot followed by one dash, spoken di-dah. The trap in A is the order. A dash followed by a dot is N, -., so a reversed A changes STAY into STNY. A ends in a dash and Y starts with a dash, so the 3-unit gap between A and Y must stay clearly longer than the 1-unit gaps inside each letter.
Y: dash, dot, dash, dash
-.-- is a dash, a dot and two dashes, spoken dah-di-dah-dah. Y lasts 13 units, the longest letter in stay. The trap in Y is the position of the dot. C is dash, dot, dash, dot, -.-., and Q is dash, dash, dot, dash, --.-. Both letters use the same four signal slots, so check that the only dot in Y sits second.
How to Write Stay in Morse Code
To write stay in Morse code, replace each of the 4 letters with its pattern and put one space between the patterns. The written result is ... - .- -.--, with 3 spaces and no slash, because a slash only marks the break between two words.
There are 4 common mistakes when writing stay in Morse code:
- Joining T and A. The dash of T and the dot and dash of A merge into K, and stay becomes SKY.
- Joining S and T. Three dots and a dash with no space form V, and stay becomes VAY.
- Adding a fourth dot to S. Four dots is H, and stay becomes HTAY.
- Moving the dot in Y. The dot in third place gives Q, and the dot in fourth place gives C.
The first mistake is the dangerous one, because SKY is a real word and nobody reading it suspects an error. Check every written copy in the Morse Code Translator before you print it, engrave it or send it.
How to Send Stay in Morse Code by Sound and Tapping
To send stay in Morse code by sound, play a short tone for each dot, a tone three times longer for each dash, and leave silences of 1 unit inside a letter and 3 units between letters. Say the rhythm aloud before you send it: di-di-dit, dah, di-dah, dah-di-dah-dah. The timing rules on the homepage explain the full 1:3:7 ratio.
Stay takes 3 different lengths of time at 3 common speeds:
| Speed | One unit | Stay (35 units) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 wpm, a beginner pace | 240 ms (0.24 s) | 8.4 seconds |
| 12 wpm, the answer card speed | 100 ms (0.1 s) | 3.5 seconds |
| 20 wpm, a practised operator | 60 ms (0.06 s) | 2.1 seconds |
To tap stay in Morse code, give a quick tap for each dot, hold the press three times longer for each dash, and pause for 3 units between letters. The pause after the lone T matters most: a short pause after T makes the receiver hear K. The tapping guide covers pressure, surfaces and practice routines.
Press and hold the pad, or the Space bar while it has focus. A press shorter than two units reads as a dot, anything longer as a dash. Pause three units to finish a letter and seven to finish a word.
· Decoded · How to Flash Stay with a Light
To flash stay with a light, keep the light on for 1 unit for each dot and 3 units for each dash, and keep it dark for 1 unit inside a letter and 3 units between letters. A half-second unit (500 milliseconds) is easy to read across a room, and stay then lasts 17.5 seconds.
The demonstration below flashes stay with the translator’s own timing.
STAY
... - .- -.-- Press Play to watch the timing.
To blink stay, close the eyes briefly for each dot and hold them closed three times longer for each dash. A 1-second unit keeps each signal clearly longer than a natural blink, and stay then takes 35 seconds. The flashlight guide covers distance, lens covering and positioning.
Stay in Morse Code in Interstellar
Stay is the Morse code message at the centre of Interstellar, the 2014 science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. In the film, books fall from a shelf in the bedroom of Murph, the young daughter of the pilot Cooper. Murph believes a ghost is knocking the books down. Murph reads the pattern of fallen books as Morse code, decodes the message as STAY, and asks Cooper to stay before he leaves on a space mission.
A wristwatch plays a separate part in the story. Later in the film, the second hand of a watch that Cooper gives Murph moves in Morse code to carry a different, longer message. The word stay comes from the books, not from the watch.
The film ties stay to a parent and a child who are apart, and that link made stay a popular word for Morse code bracelets, watch engravings and cards. A parent and a child who wear matching stay bracelets carry the same 13-bead message.
Stay on a Morse Code Bracelet
A stay bracelet needs 13 message beads: 5 dot beads, 5 dash beads and 3 letter spacers. Stay is a short word to bead, with only 10 dot and dash beads split evenly between the two shapes. The layout, read from the start point, is:
- S: dot, dot, dot, then a spacer.
- T: dash, then a spacer.
- A: dot, dash, then a spacer.
- Y: dash, dot, dash, dash.
The spacer after T is the one that keeps the word intact. Without that spacer, T and A merge into K and the bracelet reads SKY.
At 6 mm (0.24 in) per bead, the 13 message beads measure 78 mm (3.1 in). A 17 cm (6.7 in) wrist with 1 cm (0.4 in) of ease needs a 180 mm (7.1 in) strand, so the design takes 17 filler beads to close the loop. At 4 mm (0.16 in) per bead, the message shrinks to 52 mm (2.0 in), which suits a child’s wrist or a thin chain. With mixed shapes, such as 6 mm round dots, 12 mm tube dashes and 3 mm spacers, the message measures 5 × 6 + 5 × 12 + 3 × 3 = 99 mm (3.9 in).
Mark the start point, because a bracelet can be read from either end. Read backwards, stay becomes QNTS, so place the message just after the clasp or add a distinct start bead. The Morse code bracelet guide covers bead shapes, spacers and wrist sizing in full.
Width of a stay tattoo
A stay tattoo is 35 units wide at strict Morse proportions, so the width equals 35 times the dot size. A 1.5 mm (0.06 in) dot makes the word about 53 mm (2.1 in) wide, and a 2 mm (0.08 in) dot makes it 70 mm (2.8 in) wide. The 3 letter gaps take 9 of those 35 units. Keep each letter gap at least twice as wide as the gaps inside a letter, so the T never touches the A.
Send Stay in Morse Code
Stay in Morse code is ... - .- -.--: 4 letters, 5 dots, 5 dashes and 35 timing units. Write stay with 3 letter spaces and no slash, keep a full gap after the T, send it by sound, tapping or light at one steady unit, and plan 13 message beads for a stay bracelet. The alphabet chart lists every other letter, and the Morse code words hub has related words, including love, I miss you and happy birthday.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is stay in Morse code?
Stay in Morse code is ... - .- -.--. The four groups are S, T, A and Y, separated by single spaces. The word uses 5 dots and 5 dashes and lasts 35 timing units, which is 2.1 seconds at 20 words per minute.
What movie has stay in Morse code?
Interstellar, the 2014 science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan, has stay in Morse code. Books fall from a shelf in the bedroom of Murph, the daughter of the pilot Cooper, and Murph decodes the pattern as STAY. A wristwatch second hand carries a different Morse code message later in the film.
How many beads do you need for a stay Morse code bracelet?
A stay Morse code bracelet needs 13 message beads: 5 dot beads, 5 dash beads and 3 letter spacers. At 6 mm (0.24 in) per bead, the message measures 78 mm (3.1 in). Filler beads, a start marker and the clasp make up the rest of the strand.
Is stay in Morse code the same forwards and backwards?
No, stay in Morse code reads QNTS when the signals are reversed. The Y turns into Q and the A turns into N, while S and T stay the same. Mark the start of a stay bracelet or tattoo so the reader begins at the S.
How long does it take to send stay in Morse code?
Sending stay in Morse code takes 8.4 seconds at a beginner pace of 5 words per minute, where one dot lasts 240 milliseconds. The word is 35 timing units long. At 12 words per minute it takes 3.5 seconds, and at 20 words per minute it takes 2.1 seconds.