How to Read Braille: A Beginner's Guide

To read braille, you move the pads of your fingers from left to right along a line of raised dots and recognise each cell, a group of up to six dots arranged in two columns of three, as a letter, a number or a sign. The dots are numbered 1, 2, 3 down the left column and 4, 5, 6 down the right, and every letter is a particular combination: a is dot 1 (⠁), b is dots 1 and 2 (⠃), c is dots 1 and 4 (⠉).

Reading braille is two things at once: knowing the code, which is quick to learn, and recognising it by touch, which takes practice. This guide covers both, with the numbers that researchers have measured.

Key points

• Braille is read left to right, one cell at a time, with the pads of the fingers.
• The finger moves lightly and continuously. Pressing and stopping on a cell makes it harder to recognise, not easier.
• Experienced readers use both hands and read at a median of 124 words per minute.
• Learning the code takes days. Reading by touch takes months: sighted adults in one nine-month course averaged 6.2 words per minute.
• English braille is usually contracted (Grade 2): many cells stand for whole words or letter groups.

Step 1: know the cell

Every braille character lives in a cell of six positions, and the positions have fixed numbers:

A letter is described by the dots that are raised. Learn this numbering first: every chart, course and teacher uses it.

Step 2: learn the alphabet in three series

The alphabet is built in rows of ten. a to j use only the top four dots. k to t are the same shapes with dot 3 added. u, v, x, y and z add dots 3 and 6; w is the exception. That means you memorise eleven cells and work out the other fifteen. The full method is in how to learn braille as an adult, and the complete chart is on our braille alphabet page.

Step 3: learn the indicators

Some cells do not stand for anything themselves; they change the next cell.

So "Ann" is ⠠⠁⠝⠝ and "2026" is ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋. More on numbers in braille numbers.

Step 4: read with your fingers

This is the part that takes time, and a few details make a large difference.

Use the pads, not the tips. The pad of the index finger is where the cell fits whole, so it can be recognised at once rather than explored.

Keep moving, lightly. Touch responds to movement between the skin and the surface. Researchers who compared active and passive touch found they recognised patterns equally well; what matters is the relative motion. Holding the finger still and pressing on a cell is exactly what makes it blur.

Use both hands. Experienced readers read with one hand and use the other to track the line, or read the end of one line with one hand while the other finds the start of the next. Beginners usually start with one hand and add the second later.

Keep the rows straight. Losing the line is a common beginner's problem. Following the line with the fingers of the other hand helps.

Step 5: add contractions

In English, most braille you will meet is Grade 2. It uses about 180 contractions, so a single cell can be a whole word: "the" is ⠮, "you" is ⠽ and "people" is ⠏. Grade 1 is where learners start; Grade 2 is what books and signs use. Type any sentence into our braille translator to see it both ways.

How fast do braille readers read?

In a study of experienced blind adult readers, reading speed had a median of 124 words per minute, ranging from 24 to 232. For comparison with learners: 29 sighted adults, mostly braille teachers and special education students, followed a nine-month touch-reading course with 10 to 30 minutes of daily practice. At the end their average was 6.2 words per minute, ranging from 0 to 17, and two could not read a whole word by touch.

Those numbers are not meant to discourage anyone. They show that knowing the code and reading it by touch are two different skills, and that the second one is built slowly, like any motor skill.

Can you read braille by sight?

Yes. Sighted people who teach or support a braille reader often read it visually, and that is a legitimate goal: it is quick to learn and useful for checking work. It does not, however, train the fingers. If your goal is reading by touch, practise without looking from the first day.

How do blind people read today?

Braille is one of several tools, and most blind readers combine them:

• Braille on paper, for books, labels and notes.
• Refreshable braille displays, devices with pins that rise and fall to show digital text in braille, connected to a computer or phone.
• Screen readers, software that reads the screen aloud.
• Audio, such as audiobooks.

Audio and braille do different jobs. Listening is fast for a lot of content; braille is what shows spelling, punctuation and the layout of a text, which matters for writing, studying and anything where detail counts.

Frequently asked questions

Is braille read left to right?

Yes, in every language, including those whose print runs right to left, such as Arabic and Hebrew.

Which finger do you read braille with?

Usually the pad of the index finger, of one hand or both. Many experienced readers use both hands together.

How long does it take to learn to read braille?

The code can be learned in days or a couple of weeks. Reading fluently by touch takes months of regular practice, and speeds vary widely from person to person.

Do I need special equipment?

Not to learn the code: charts and apps are enough. To train touch you need embossed material, such as braille books, cards or labels.