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Braille Translator

Turn text into braille and braille back into text. Choose English (UEB), French or Spanish braille, type braille with the 6-dot keypad, or show the dot numbers for each cell.

Braille code:

Text to translate / braille to read

No braille keyboard? Open the 6-dot keypad

⠀

Private by design: the translation runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing you type is sent to a server.

Result Show dot numbers

Your braille or text will appear here.

How Braille Works

Every braille character sits in a cell of six dot positions, two columns of three. The dots are numbered 1-2-3 down the left column and 4-5-6 down the right. A character is described by the dots that are raised, so "b" is dots 1-2 and "p" is dots 1-2-3-4.

142536Left column: dots 1, 2, 3 (top to bottom)
Right column: dots 4, 5, 6 (top to bottom)

Six dots give 63 possible patterns plus the blank space. Louis Braille arranged the alphabet in neat groups: the first ten letters (a–j) use only the top four dots, k–t add dot 3, and u–z add dots 3 and 6. The letter w is the odd one out, because French did not use it regularly when the system was created.

b12

c14

d145

e15

f124

g1245

h125

i24

j245

k13

l123

m134

n1345

o135

p1234

q12345

r1235

s234

t2345

u136

v1236

w2456

x1346

y13456

z1356

#3456

13456-1

Cap6

The last three entries show English (UEB) signs: the number sign, the digit 1 written as ⠼⠁, and the capital sign.

How to Use the Braille Translator

Text to braille: pick the braille code, type or paste your text and click Text → Braille.
Braille to text: paste braille characters such as ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕, or dot numbers separated by spaces (use / between words), then click Braille → Text.
No braille on your keyboard? Tap the dots on the keypad, press Add cell, and build the word one cell at a time.
Tick Show dot numbers to see each cell as numbers, handy for learning or for writing with a slate and stylus.

Worked Examples

English: Hello 2026 → ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋

French: Élève 12 → ⠨⠿⠇⠮⠧⠑ ⠠⠡⠣

Spanish: ¿Año? → ⠢⠨⠁⠻⠕⠢

The Three Braille Codes Compared

Feature	English (UEB)	French	Spanish
Capital sign	⠠ dot 6	⠨ dots 4-6	⠨ dots 4-6
Number 1	⠼⠁	⠠⠡	⠼⠁
Accented letters	Accent sign + letter (é = ⠘⠌⠑)	Own cell (é = ⠿)	Own cell (é = ⠮)
Full stop	⠲ dots 2-5-6	⠲ dots 2-5-6	⠄ dot 3

What This Tool Does Not Do

Contractions (Grade 2): the output spells every word letter by letter. Readers of contracted braille can read it, but books and signs usually use contractions.
Math and music codes: formulas need UEB technical rules or, in the United States, the Nemeth code. Music has its own braille code.
Embossing: on-screen braille cannot be felt. Use an embosser or a braille writer for tactile copies.

Characters the chosen code does not cover, such as some symbols and accents, are left unchanged and listed under the result. Curious about where the six dots came from? Read our article on the history of braille.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is braille?

Braille is a tactile writing system read with the fingertips. Each character is a cell of up to six raised dots arranged in two columns of three. It was devised by Louis Braille, a blind French student, who presented his six-dot system in 1824 and published it in 1829.

Is this Grade 1 or Grade 2 braille?

This tool writes uncontracted braille, often called Grade 1: every letter is spelled out. Most English books use contracted (Grade 2) braille, which adds about 180 contractions and short forms such as ⠞ for "the". Contracted braille follows many context rules, so it is best produced by dedicated braille translation software and checked by a braille transcriber.

Can I print the result and read it by touch?

Not from an ordinary printer. The braille characters on screen are Unicode symbols, so they print flat. To make readable braille you need an embosser, a braille writer or a slate and stylus. The output is useful for learning, labels in documents, puzzles and checking a transcription.

Why does a number start with ⠼?

Digits 1 to 0 use the same cells as the letters a to j. The number sign ⠼ (dots 3-4-5-6) tells the reader that the next cells are digits, so ⠼⠁⠃ means 12. In French braille the digits use different cells with dot 6 added, preceded by ⠠.

Why do English, French and Spanish braille differ?

Each language community standardized its own braille code. They share the 26 basic letters but use different cells for accented letters, capitals, numbers and some punctuation. For example, the capital sign is dot 6 in UEB and dots 4-6 in French and Spanish braille.

Related Tools

Learn how the six-dot cell works, the braille alphabet, numbers and capitals, and how to use the translator step by step.

Read the full guide →