Braille Translator: How to Convert Text to Braille and Back
Braille lets people read with their fingertips. Each letter is a small pattern of raised dots, and once you know how the patterns are built, the system is surprisingly logical. Teachers, parents, designers and puzzle makers often need to check what a word looks like in braille, or to read back a line they have been sent.
This guide explains how the braille cell works, how capitals and numbers are marked, and how to use the CoolTexTool Braille Translator to convert text to braille and braille to text in English, French or Spanish.
The Six-Dot Cell
Every braille character fits in a cell of six dot positions arranged in two columns of three. The positions are always numbered the same way: 1, 2 and 3 run down the left column, and 4, 5 and 6 run down the right. Braille users describe characters by these numbers, so "l" is "dots 1-2-3" and "y" is "dots 1-3-4-5-6".
Six positions give 63 different patterns, plus the empty cell used as a space. A single fingertip covers a whole cell, which is why braille can be read smoothly instead of traced letter by letter.
The Alphabet in Four Lines
Louis Braille built the alphabet in groups of ten called decades. Learn the first line and the rest follow by adding dots.
| Line | Letters | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | abcdefghij | Uses only dots 1, 2, 4 and 5 |
| 2nd | klmnopqrst | Line 1 plus dot 3 |
| 3rd | uvxyz | Line 1 plus dots 3 and 6 |
| Extra | w | Dots 2-4-5-6, added outside the pattern |
The letter w sits outside the pattern because it was rarely used in French when the code was created.
Capitals, Numbers and Punctuation
Braille has no separate uppercase letters. Instead, a capital sign is placed in front of the letter. Numbers reuse the letters a to j, introduced by a number sign. The table shows the main signs in Unified English Braille (UEB), the code used across the English-speaking world.
| Sign | Braille | Dots | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital letter | ⠠ | 6 | ⠠⠁⠝⠝ = Ann |
| Capitalized word | ⠠⠠ | 6, 6 | ⠠⠠⠥⠎⠁ = USA |
| Number sign | ⠼ | 3-4-5-6 | ⠼⠁⠚ = 10 |
| Full stop | ⠲ | 2-5-6 | ⠓⠊⠲ = hi. |
| Comma | ⠂ | 2 | ⠽⠑⠎⠂ = yes, |
| Question mark | ⠦ | 2-3-6 | ⠺⠓⠽⠦ = why? |
French and Spanish braille use dots 4-6 as the capital sign, and French writes digits with a different set of cells, so 12 becomes ⠠⠡⠣ instead of ⠼⠁⠃. The translator handles these differences when you switch the braille code.
Uncontracted and Contracted Braille
Uncontracted braille (often called Grade 1) spells out every letter. Contracted braille (Grade 2) saves space with contractions: in UEB, "the" is written ⠮ and "and" is ⠯, and the letter c standing alone means "can". Contracted braille is what most adult readers use, but its rules depend on context, word boundaries and pronunciation, so it is produced by specialist translation software and checked by trained transcribers.
Our tool writes uncontracted braille. That makes it ideal for learning the alphabet, checking a name or a short label, and reading simple braille back into print.
How to Use the Braille Translator
- Open the Braille Translator and choose a code: English (UEB), French or Spanish.
- To write braille, type your text and click Text → Braille. Copy the result with one click.
- To read braille, paste the braille characters and click Braille → Text. You can also paste dot numbers such as
125 15 123 123 135(use / between words). - No braille on your keyboard? Use the six-dot keypad: tap the dots, press Add cell, and repeat.
- Tick Show dot numbers to see each cell spelled out as numbers.
Scenario: Checking a Classroom Name Card
A teacher wants a name card for a pupil called Zoë that matches the braille the pupil is learning. Typing "Zoë" with English (UEB) selected gives ⠠⠵⠕⠘⠒⠑: the capital sign, z, o, then the diaeresis sign and e. Ticking Show dot numbers turns that into 6 1356 135 45 25 15, which can be copied onto a slate or into braille software. Switching the code to French gives ⠨⠵⠕⠫, because French braille has its own cell for ë.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the number sign. Without ⠼, the cells ⠁⠃ read as "ab", not 12.
- Mixing codes. Braille written in French code will not decode correctly with English selected. Pick the code the text was written in.
- Expecting contractions. If a braille text uses contractions, words such as ⠮ will be read as single letters or symbols. Contracted text needs a Grade 2 translator.
- Printing on paper. On-screen braille is visual only. For tactile copies, use an embosser.
To learn how a blind teenager turned a twelve-dot sound code into the six-dot cell, read our article on the history of braille. If you like codes, the Morse code guide covers another system from the same century.