Good info in this thread. Appreciate the wisdom.

How do you guys mentally process the letters?

When you learn "A", do you say in your head "di-dah"?

Many people advise to learn the sound of the letters, not the code itself. This makes sense to me because it is the way we learn language. Most people fail to learn a second language because they are translating in their head rather than hearing the target language naturally.

Hola is hello, Di-dah is A It helped me when I started running character speed at 27-30 wpm with 5 wpm spacing. You have to run the characters fast enough that you hear the sound and can't count the dits & dahs.

There is a clue here, don't say,  upon hearing "di dah", oh, that's an "A". Write down the character when you hear it, making that an automatic reaction. Practice it even when knowing which character is coming next, write it as you hear it. hth
73,
Rob

https://lcwo.net/

I am using this right now.

I just listened to the overall sound. Like you do with normal speech. Same with words. There are a lot of words I don't listen to each letter, just the overall sound.

Well did, I haven't been active with CW in a while now. Probably back slid a lot.

Once you get on the air, you'll quickly start to recognize common things like...

5NN  ( short hand signal report 599 )

TU ( thank you, common exchange in DX pile-ups)
73  ( best wishes)

similar to the way you might recognize a song you've heard many times

Pretty much this.
What happens with me is my brain retains the A and when the next letter comes along, it stacks up it with the A and a word begins to form.
Before long, you'll find you won't need to write anything down and the word will form in your mind, which you may of may not choose to write down. This is called "head copy". The process becomes automatic with practice.
If you do write the text down, you'll find yourself writing a letter or two and then a word or two behind. This is called (well, duh) "copying behind". Skilled telegraphers will be writing or typing 15, or 30, or even more, seconds after the code ends.

I quit writing everything down during my Novice days back in 1954. Now I just take notes, the same as with a voice contact.

In the early stages, you'll hear 'di-dah'.
Then you'll repeat it in your head and think 'di-dah' yeah, that's an A'. It's OK, you're learning. There's no time for that once you're really going at it.
In time, it'll just be an A. Subconscious. Automatic.
Then you'll find yourself hearing the dit and you'll anticipate what letters it could be. Is it an 'E', an 'I', 'A', 'W', 'J', etc. But you won't even be thinking it -the subconscious mind will take over. They'll just 'pop' into your brain.
Think about how easy it is to spell 'apple'. You've heard these letters since you were little. You just 'know' them.
With practice, you'll just 'know' them in morse. You'll associate the sound to the letter.
Then you'll be stringing them together into words. Then multiple words. Suddenly, you'll find you can almost anticipate what's coming based on the conversation. It's almost magical. Hard to describe.
You'll recognize whole words all by the sound rhythm. Like music.
And definitely mix up your practice speeds. Go too fast for a bit, and the slower code feels easier. Weird.
The hardest thing is to 'let go' of missed letters. If you dwell on the miss, you'll lose the next, or more, letters. Even with dropped letters, you'll find the mind can fill in the blanks. As long as you drop the miss and be ready for the next. Easy to describe, hard to do.
Try to drop the Farnsworth as soon as you can. That extra time between letters is for the space between words. Mixing in extra time makes it harder to know when one word stops and another starts.
Yep, it all takes time. Lots of short practice sessions. It ~will~ happen. When it does, it's such a cool feeling. Just keep building on your successes.

Exactly! When using the ARRL practice files, copy 5 or even 10 WPM above your comfort level for a minute or two, then drop back. Your comfort level may actually seem to drag.

Above all, keep practicing for short 10-15 minute periods daily to prevent tiring. And once you get on the air, your proficiency should improve more rapidly.

It helped me to kick back in the recliner and close my eyes while listening to the practice files.

There are many ways to build proficiency. What works for some may not work for others. Experiment and find out what works best for you. And practice sending along with receiving. The two skills are complementary.

Thank you. That is what I was looking for.

I have used Morse code in aviation for many years, but we never had to "know it". We identify navaids based on their 3 letter Morse code. For example, the Sacramento VOR is ... .- -.-. and this is listed just below the name "SAC". You verify tha that is the correct station.

This may be useful to some who are starting out.
https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LearningMorseCodeasaLanguageVersion2.6June2015.pdf

Listened to a dude for about 35 min today on 7.055 calling cq cq cq cq blah blah blah.   Copied like half a page of basically random letters from him and never got his call or a complete word.  Nobody else responded either.  Weirdest thing.  The cq would come in loud and then when he got to his call the volume would drop and I’d get a bunch of static and wouldn’t be able to copy it or after.  Then when he’d go to cq again the volume would jump again.  Every time for quite a while.   I threw my call out once and he send back the first half of it but I couldn’t copy after that.

Morse code is really fun. Morse runner (free program) is a good way to keep practicing. A little motivation to keep learning and reward yourself. I prefer a single paddle to iambic keying. Studies have shown that when you get older they are easier on your hands.
Attached File

I really like this guy. He was a Navy Radio Man during Vietnam. He explains the way to "sing" the code in your head rather than memorizing dits and dahs. This is in line with the "instant recognition" school of thought.

He has a playlist teaching the entire code.

That might be the most annoying video I’ve ever watched.  The entire thing is him asking you to hit subscribe and like.

That was just the introduction.

Maybe if you checked out the course, you might have found some value. Or maybe you know everything already and can school the rest of us.

You strike me as a sad ham...

CQ WW WPX contest this weekend. Bands are wall to wall. Talk about discouraging, must all be 40wpm+

It's all computers.

I'm till learning code, but I've already got a bunch of keys in a box and several old military keys on display on a shelf. Check Ebay if those interest you!