Type braille with buttons
Picture of the dots
The picture shows only what fits on one page. Shorten the text or pick the real size.
Grade 1 only. Each letter is written out; grade 2 contractions (one cell for "and", "the" …) are not done. Printed dots are flat: to read by touch, the braille must be embossed.
About the Braille Translator
This free braille translator turns English text into braille cells as you type: *Hello 123* becomes ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ ⠼⠁⠃⠉. It follows Unified English Braille (UEB), the braille code used in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and other English-speaking countries.
It works the other way too: paste braille cells, or tap them with the braille buttons, and the text appears.
Below the boxes is a picture of the dots in 7 styles, large for learning or at real braille size. Save it as a PNG or a PDF, or print it.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Features
- Text to braille and braille to text, live in both boxes
- Unified English Braille, grade 1 — every letter written out
- Capital signs — ⠠ for a capital letter, ⠠⠠ for a word in capitals, ⠠⠠⠠ for a passage
- Numbers with the number sign ⠼, decimal points and commas
- Punctuation and symbols — . , ? ! " ( ) @ & $ % and more, and accents like é
- Braille buttons to type cells without a braille keyboard
- A picture of the dots — 7 styles, letters under the cells, large or real size, PNG and PDF
- Copy braille as Unicode text for messages, documents and websites
The braille alphabet
Each braille cell has 6 dot places: dots 1, 2, 3 down the left side and 4, 5, 6 down the right.
| Letter | Braille | Dots | Letter | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | ⠁ | 1 | n | ⠝ | 1-3-4-5 |
| b | ⠃ | 1-2 | o | ⠕ | 1-3-5 |
| c | ⠉ | 1-4 | p | ⠏ | 1-2-3-4 |
| d | ⠙ | 1-4-5 | q | ⠟ | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| e | ⠑ | 1-5 | r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 |
| f | ⠋ | 1-2-4 | s | ⠎ | 2-3-4 |
| g | ⠛ | 1-2-4-5 | t | ⠞ | 2-3-4-5 |
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 | u | ⠥ | 1-3-6 |
| i | ⠊ | 2-4 | v | ⠧ | 1-2-3-6 |
| j | ⠚ | 2-4-5 | w | ⠺ | 2-4-5-6 |
| k | ⠅ | 1-3 | x | ⠭ | 1-3-4-6 |
| l | ⠇ | 1-2-3 | y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 |
| m | ⠍ | 1-3-4 | z | ⠵ | 1-3-5-6 |
The letters k to t are a to j with dot 3 added; u, v, x, y, z add dots 3 and 6. W is different because French braille, where it started, had no w.
Capitals and numbers
Braille has no separate capital letters. A sign in front says "the next letter is a capital", and a sign in front of digits says "these are numbers":
| Sign | Braille | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Capital letter | ⠠ | Anna → ⠠⠁⠝⠝⠁ |
| Word in capitals | ⠠⠠ | USA → ⠠⠠⠥⠎⠁ |
| Three or more words in capitals | ⠠⠠⠠ … ⠠⠄ | the signs open and close the passage |
| Capitals end inside a word | ⠠⠄ | CDs → ⠠⠠⠉⠙⠠⠄⠎ |
| Number sign | ⠼ | 2026 → ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋ |
| Letter after a number | ⠰ | 4a → ⠼⠙⠰⠁ |
Digits 1 to 9 and 0 use the cells of the letters a to j. After the number sign, ⠁⠃⠉ means 123, not abc. The number sign keeps working through a decimal point or a comma inside the number: 3.5 → ⠼⠉⠲⠑.
Punctuation
| Mark | Braille | Mark | Braille |
|---|---|---|---|
| . full stop | ⠲ | " opening quote | ⠦ |
| , comma | ⠂ | " closing quote | ⠴ |
| ? question mark | ⠦ | ' apostrophe | ⠄ |
| ! exclamation mark | ⠖ | - hyphen | ⠤ |
| ; semicolon | ⠆ | – dash | ⠠⠤ |
| : colon | ⠒ | ( ) brackets | ⠐⠣ ⠐⠜ |
| @ at sign | ⠈⠁ | & and sign | ⠈⠯ |
| $ dollar | ⠈⠎ | % percent | ⠨⠴ |
An accent comes as a sign before its letter: é is ⠘⠌⠑.
Grade 1 and grade 2 — what this tool does
Grade 1 (uncontracted) braille writes every letter. Grade 2 (contracted) braille uses short forms: one cell for *and*, *the* or *with*, and many letter groups. Most books for adults are in grade 2.
This tool writes and reads grade 1 only. It does not make grade 2 contractions. If you paste grade 2 braille, many words come out wrong, and the status line says so. For a book, a sign or anything official, ask a braille transcriber to check the text.
Letters from other alphabets (Greek, Chinese, Korean …) and emoji have no grade 1 English sign. They are kept as they are, and the status line lists them.
The picture of the dots
- Large — big dots for learning, teaching and posters
- Real braille size — dots 1.5 mm wide and 2.5 mm apart, cells 6.2 mm apart, lines 10 mm apart. The PDF keeps this size: print it at 100 %, not "fit to page".
- Letters under the cells — the print letter under each cell, and small words like *cap* and *num* under the signs
- 7 styles — Classic, Raised dots, Ink saver, Dark, Chalkboard, Playful and Blueprint
Printed dots are flat. They help sighted people learn and make signs look right, but a blind reader cannot feel them. Real braille is embossed with a braille embosser or a slate and stylus.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write my name in braille?
Type your name in the Text box. A capital letter gets the ⠠ sign in front: Emma is ⠠⠑⠍⠍⠁. Press Copy under the braille box, or save the picture.
How are numbers written in braille?
With the number sign ⠼ in front, then the letters a to j: 1 = ⠁, 2 = ⠃ … 0 = ⠚. So 10 is ⠼⠁⠚.
Can I copy and paste the braille?
Yes. The cells are Unicode braille characters (U+2800 to U+28FF). They paste into most apps, documents and websites. To a screen reader they are characters, not the original words.
Is this the same braille used in my country?
Unified English Braille is used in the USA (since 2016), the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Nigeria. Other languages have their own braille codes, and older US texts may use English Braille American Edition (EBAE).
Why does the tool not do grade 2?
Grade 2 has more than 180 contractions and many rules about when to use them. Getting it right needs a full braille translation program. A wrong contraction is worse than none, so this tool keeps to grade 1 and says so.
Can I print braille to read with my fingers?
Not on a normal printer — the dots will be flat ink. Use the real-size PDF as a guide for crafts with raised paint or glue dots, or use a braille embosser.
Related tools
- Morse Code Translator — text to dots and dashes
- Binary Translator — text to ones and zeros
- NATO Phonetic Alphabet — spell names with Alfa, Bravo, Charlie
- Text to Speech — read any text aloud
- Copy and Paste Symbols — more symbols to copy
How to use it
- Type English text in the left box — the braille appears on the right
- Or paste braille in the right box (or open *Type braille with buttons*) to read it as text
- Press Copy to take the braille with you
- For a picture, pick a style and a size, and choose if you want the letters under the cells
- Press Download PNG, Download PDF or Print, or Fullscreen to show it big
