Unified English Braille · Free chart
The braille alphabet: letters, numbers and punctuation
Braille writes each letter as a pattern of raised dots in a cell of six, arranged in two columns of three. The dots are numbered 1, 2 and 3 down the left column and 4, 5 and 6 down the right. English braille uses the same 26 letters as nearly every language written in the Latin alphabet, and adds a cell in front of a letter to mark a capital or a number.
Every cell on this page is Unicode braille, so you can copy it. To turn your own text into braille, use the braille translator.
The 26 letters
| Letter | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| a | ⠁ | 1 |
| b | ⠃ | 1-2 |
| c | ⠉ | 1-4 |
| d | ⠙ | 1-4-5 |
| e | ⠑ | 1-5 |
| f | ⠋ | 1-2-4 |
| g | ⠛ | 1-2-4-5 |
| h | ⠓ | 1-2-5 |
| i | ⠊ | 2-4 |
| j | ⠚ | 2-4-5 |
| k | ⠅ | 1-3 |
| l | ⠇ | 1-2-3 |
| m | ⠍ | 1-3-4 |
| n | ⠝ | 1-3-4-5 |
| o | ⠕ | 1-3-5 |
| p | ⠏ | 1-2-3-4 |
| q | ⠟ | 1-2-3-4-5 |
| r | ⠗ | 1-2-3-5 |
| s | ⠎ | 2-3-4 |
| t | ⠞ | 2-3-4-5 |
| u | ⠥ | 1-3-6 |
| v | ⠧ | 1-2-3-6 |
| w | ⠺ | 2-4-5-6 |
| x | ⠭ | 1-3-4-6 |
| y | ⠽ | 1-3-4-5-6 |
| z | ⠵ | 1-3-5-6 |
The pattern behind the alphabet
The alphabet is built in rows of ten. The first ten letters, a to j, use only the top four dots: 1, 2, 4 and 5. The next ten, k to t, are the same shapes with dot 3 added, so k is a plus dot 3 and l is b plus dot 3. u, v, x, y and z are a to e with dots 3 and 6 added. w is the exception: it does not follow the pattern.
| a–j | ⠁ a |
⠃ b |
⠉ c |
⠙ d |
⠑ e |
⠋ f |
⠛ g |
⠓ h |
⠊ i |
⠚ j |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| k–t: + dot 3 | ⠅ k |
⠇ l |
⠍ m |
⠝ n |
⠕ o |
⠏ p |
⠟ q |
⠗ r |
⠎ s |
⠞ t |
| u–z: + dots 3, 6 | ⠥ u |
⠧ v |
⠭ x |
⠽ y |
⠵ z |
⠺ w |
Learn the first ten well and the next fifteen come almost for free.
Capitals and numbers
Braille has no separate capital letters and no separate digits. A cell in front of the letter changes what it means.
| Indicator | Braille | Dots | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital indicator | ⠠ | 6 | The next letter is a capital. |
| Capitalized word indicator | ⠠⠠ | 6 6 | The whole word is in capitals. |
| Numeric indicator | ⠼ | 3-4-5-6 | The letters a to j that follow are the digits 1 to 0. |
| Digit | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ⠼⠁ | 3-4-5-6 1 |
| 2 | ⠼⠃ | 3-4-5-6 1-2 |
| 3 | ⠼⠉ | 3-4-5-6 1-4 |
| 4 | ⠼⠙ | 3-4-5-6 1-4-5 |
| 5 | ⠼⠑ | 3-4-5-6 1-5 |
| 6 | ⠼⠋ | 3-4-5-6 1-2-4 |
| 7 | ⠼⠛ | 3-4-5-6 1-2-4-5 |
| 8 | ⠼⠓ | 3-4-5-6 1-2-5 |
| 9 | ⠼⠊ | 3-4-5-6 2-4 |
| 0 | ⠼⠚ | 3-4-5-6 2-4-5 |
Punctuation
Most punctuation uses the lower part of the cell. Parentheses take two cells, and quotation marks have one cell to open and another to close.
| Mark | Name | Braille | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|
| . | Period (full stop) | ⠲ | 2-5-6 |
| , | Comma | ⠂ | 2 |
| ? | Question mark | ⠦ | 2-3-6 |
| ! | Exclamation mark | ⠖ | 2-3-5 |
| : | Colon | ⠒ | 2-5 |
| ; | Semicolon | ⠆ | 2-3 |
| ' | Apostrophe | ⠄ | 3 |
| - | Hyphen | ⠤ | 3-6 |
| “ | Opening quotation mark | ⠦ | 2-3-6 |
| ” | Closing quotation mark | ⠴ | 3-5-6 |
| ( | Opening parenthesis | ⠐⠣ | 5 1-2-6 |
| ) | Closing parenthesis | ⠐⠜ | 5 3-4-5 |
After the alphabet: contracted braille
This chart is Grade 1: one cell for each letter, number or mark. Most English books and signs use Grade 2, which adds contractions for common words and letter groups, such as ⠮ for “the” and ⠸⠺ for “world”. Type any text into the braille translator to see it both ways.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the braille alphabet?
Twenty-six, the same as the print alphabet. Braille has no separate capital letters: a capital is the same cell with the capital indicator, dot 6 (⠠), in front of it.
Is the braille alphabet the same in every language?
The 26 basic letters are shared by most languages written with the Latin alphabet. Accented letters, punctuation and contractions differ from one language to another, and languages such as Japanese, Korean or Arabic assign the cells to their own writing systems. This page shows Unified English Braille (UEB), the code used in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Nigeria.
How are numbers written in braille?
With the numeric indicator (⠼, dots 3-4-5-6) followed by the letters a to j, which then stand for 1 to 0. One indicator covers all the digits that follow it, so 2026 is ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋.
Why is w different from the other letters?
u, v, x, y and z are a to e with dots 3 and 6 added, but w (⠺, dots 2-4-5-6) does not follow that pattern. It has its own cell, so it is worth learning on its own.
What is Grade 2 braille?
Grade 2, or contracted braille, adds shortcuts for common words and letter groups, such as ⠮ for “the”. Most English books and signs use it. You can see any text in Grade 1 or Grade 2 with our braille translator.
From the chart to reading
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