🚩 Scout Zone

Semaphore Flag Trainer 🚩

Send messages over long distances using only two flags and your arms. Learn the full alphabet, look up any letter, then test yourself in quiz mode.

Communications Badge 26 Letters Quiz Mode

Section 1

What is Semaphore?

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Flag Signals

Semaphore uses two flags held in different positions to spell out letters. You can send a full message across a field without any electronics at all.

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Arm Positions

Each arm can point in one of 8 directions, like the points of a compass. The combination of your left and right arm positions tells the receiver which letter you mean.

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Long Distance

Semaphore works over hundreds of metres as long as both Scouts can see each other. Navies and Scouts have used it for over 200 years.

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Two Flags

In the diagrams below, the red line shows your left arm and the gold line shows your right arm. Practise the positions until they feel natural.

Section 2

The Semaphore Alphabet

All 26 letters. Red line = left arm, gold line = right arm. Click any letter to jump to the lookup tool below.

Left arm

Right arm

Section 3

Letter Lookup

Pick any letter to see a large, clear diagram of the flag positions.

Choose a letter

Left arm

Right arm

Section 4

Quiz Mode 🧠

10 questions. Read the flag position diagram and pick the correct letter. How many can you get right?

You will see a semaphore figure and must identify the letter. Ready?