Reference
Braille alphabet chart
Every letter, number, punctuation mark and symbol of Unified English Braille (UEB), with the raised dots of each cell. Print the chart, or type whole words and sentences into the braille translator.
Letters A to Z
⠁⠃⠉⠙⠑⠋⠛⠓⠊⠚⠅⠇⠍⠝⠕⠏⠟⠗⠎⠞⠥⠧⠺⠭⠽⠵
a
dots 1
b
dots 1-2
c
dots 1-4
d
dots 1-4-5
e
dots 1-5
f
dots 1-2-4
g
dots 1-2-4-5
h
dots 1-2-5
i
dots 2-4
j
dots 2-4-5
k
dots 1-3
l
dots 1-2-3
m
dots 1-3-4
n
dots 1-3-4-5
o
dots 1-3-5
p
dots 1-2-3-4
q
dots 1-2-3-4-5
r
dots 1-2-3-5
s
dots 2-3-4
t
dots 2-3-4-5
u
dots 1-3-6
v
dots 1-2-3-6
w
dots 2-4-5-6
x
dots 1-3-4-6
y
dots 1-3-4-5-6
z
dots 1-3-5-6
How the braille alphabet is built
A braille cell has six dot positions: dots 1, 2 and 3 run down the left side, dots 4, 5 and 6 down the right. The 26 letters follow a pattern that makes them easier to learn in groups:
- a to j use only the top four dots of the cell — 1, 2, 4 and 5.
- k to t repeat a to j with dot 3 added: k is a plus dot 3, l is b plus dot 3, and so on.
- u, v, x, y and z repeat a to e with dots 3 and 6 added.
- w breaks the pattern: it is j with dot 6 added, because the French alphabet Louis Braille worked from had no w.
A letter written without a capital sign is lowercase. The first ten letters also stand for the digits 1 to 9 and 0 when the numeric indicator comes before them.
Printable braille alphabet chart
A one-page chart of the letters, numbers and indicators, with a second page of punctuation and symbols. It prints on US Letter paper; on A4, choose “fit to page”. A printed chart shows braille for sighted readers — it is not raised, so it cannot be read by touch.
Numbers
Each digit is the numeric indicator (dots 3-4-5-6) followed by one of the letters a to j. Numbers 1 to 100, decimals, times and dates are on the braille numbers page.
⠼⠁
1
dots 3-4-5-6, 1
⠼⠃
2
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-2
⠼⠉
3
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-4
⠼⠙
4
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-4-5
⠼⠑
5
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-5
⠼⠋
6
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-2-4
⠼⠛
7
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-2-4-5
⠼⠓
8
dots 3-4-5-6, 1-2-5
⠼⠊
9
dots 3-4-5-6, 2-4
⠼⠚
0
dots 3-4-5-6, 2-4-5
Punctuation
The question mark and the opening quotation mark are the same cell, dots 2-3-6: a question mark follows a word, an opening quotation mark comes before one.
⠲
. period
dots 2-5-6
⠂
, comma
dots 2
⠦
? question mark
dots 2-3-6
⠖
! exclamation mark
dots 2-3-5
⠒
: colon
dots 2-5
⠆
; semicolon
dots 2-3
⠄
' apostrophe
dots 3
⠤
- hyphen
dots 3-6
⠠⠤
— dash
dots 6, 3-6
⠐⠣
( opening parenthesis
dots 5, 1-2-6
⠐⠜
) closing parenthesis
dots 5, 3-4-5
⠦
“ opening quotation mark
dots 2-3-6
⠴
” closing quotation mark
dots 3-5-6
⠸⠌
/ slash
dots 4-5-6, 3-4
Symbols
⠈⠎
$ dollar sign
dots 4, 2-3-4
⠨⠴
% percent sign
dots 4-6, 3-5-6
⠈⠯
& ampersand
dots 4, 1-2-3-4-6
⠈⠁
@ at sign
dots 4, 1
⠸⠹
# number sign (hash)
dots 4-5-6, 1-4-5-6
⠐⠔
* asterisk
dots 5, 3-5
Indicators
⠠
capital letter
dots 6
⠠⠠
capitalized word
dots 6, 6
⠠⠠⠠
capitals passage
dots 6, 6, 6
⠼
numeric indicator
dots 3-4-5-6
⠰
grade 1 indicator
dots 5-6
- Capital letter (dot 6) makes the next letter a capital; two capital signs capitalize a whole word.
- Capitals passage (three capital signs) capitalizes three or more words in a row, until the capitals terminator, dots 6, 3.
- Numeric indicator (dots 3-4-5-6) turns the letters a to j that follow into digits.
- Grade 1 indicator (dots 5-6) tells the reader that the next cell means just a letter — for example a letter straight after a number, or a single letter in contracted braille that would otherwise stand for a whole word.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about how the braille alphabet works.
What is the braille alphabet?
Braille is a tactile writing system read by touch. Each character — a letter, digit or punctuation mark — is represented by a “cell” of up to six raised dots arranged in two columns of three, so it can be felt with a fingertip instead of read visually.
How are the six dots in a cell numbered?
Dots are numbered 1, 2, 3 top-to-bottom down the left column, and 4, 5, 6 top-to-bottom down the right column. Every braille character is defined by exactly which of those six positions are raised — for example “a” is dot 1 alone, and “b” is dots 1 and 2.
What's the difference between Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille?
Grade 1 (uncontracted) spells every word out letter by letter, one cell per character — it's the version shown in the chart above. Grade 2 (contracted) adds about 180 contractions: single cells or short groups that stand for whole words such as “and” or for letter groups such as “ing”. Most published braille books and signage use Grade 2.
How are numbers written in braille?
Digits reuse the letters a to j (1 = a, 2 = b, … 0 = j), preceded by the numeric indicator, dots 3-4-5-6. One indicator covers the whole number, including commas and decimal points inside it; a space, hyphen, colon or slash ends the number. The braille numbers page shows numbers 1 to 100 and the other rules.
How is a capital letter shown in braille?
Dot 6 placed right before a letter makes that letter a capital. Two capital signs capitalize a whole word, and three start a capitals passage of three or more words, which ends with the capitals terminator, dots 6 and 3.
Is the braille alphabet the same in every language?
The six-dot cell is universal, but what each pattern means is not: every language has its own braille code, and the letters a to z are shared by most codes that use the Latin alphabet. This chart and Braillify's translator use Unified English Braille (UEB), the standard for English braille in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Nigeria.
Why do letters and digits share the same dot patterns?
It keeps the system compact: ten patterns cover both the first ten letters and all ten digits. The numeric indicator tells a reader whether dots 1-2 mean “b” or “2”.
Why do the question mark and the opening quotation mark look the same?
In Unified English Braille both are dots 2-3-6. Position tells them apart: a question mark comes straight after a word, an opening quotation mark straight before one. The closing quotation mark is dots 3-5-6.
What is the grade 1 indicator?
Dots 5-6, placed before a cell to say it means only a letter or sign. It is needed after a number, where the letters a to j would otherwise be read as digits (3a is written with it), and in contracted braille for a single letter that would otherwise be read as a whole word — b on its own means “but”.
Can I read real braille documents from just this chart?
You can sound out anything written in uncontracted Grade 1 braille with this chart. Most real-world braille — books, signage, restaurant menus — is Grade 2, though, so you'll also need its contractions. Braillify's translator handles both grades in both directions.
What's the fastest way to try this myself?
Head to the braille translator and type a sentence — it converts to braille as you type, in both grades, so you can compare the uncontracted spelling against the contracted version cell by cell.