Braille translator
Type text and get the braille cells as Unicode characters you can paste anywhere. Paste braille characters to read them as text. It covers uncontracted Grade 1 English braille, one cell per letter.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose Text to braille and type your text. Letters become braille cells at once.
- To read braille, choose Braille to text and paste the cells. Spaces and the blank braille cell become spaces.
- Press Copy to take the result.
How it works
A braille cell has six dots in two columns of three. Each letter is a fixed pattern of raised dots, and Unicode gives every pattern its own character from U+2800. Digits reuse the patterns of a to j after a number sign, and a capital letter gets a capital sign in front. When reading braille, the number sign switches the next cells to digits until something other than a to j comes along.
Worked example
“Hello” is written ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕: the capital sign, then h, e, l, l, o. “123” is ⠼⠁⠃⠉: the number sign, then the cells for a, b and c. “ABC” is ⠠⠠⠁⠃⠉, with the double capital sign for a word in capitals.
Tips
Braille is read by touch, so a visual dot pattern here is only a representation. Check short names and numbers carefully before using them on a sign or label, and have a braille reader review anything important.
Frequently asked questions
Does this support Grade 2 contracted braille?
No. Grade 2 replaces common words and letter groups with short contractions and follows many more rules. This tool writes every letter in full, which is Grade 1 (uncontracted) braille. Text written in Grade 2 will not be read back correctly.
How are numbers and capital letters written?
A number sign (dots 3456) is placed once before a run of digits, and the digits 1 to 9 and 0 use the cells of the letters a to j. A capital sign (dot 6) goes before a capital letter, and two capital signs in a row mark a whole word in capitals.
Which characters are supported?
The 26 English letters, the digits, and the marks , ; : . ! ? ' and the hyphen. Other characters, such as accented letters, quotation marks and brackets, are copied through unchanged.
Will the braille print or work on a braille display?
The output uses the Unicode braille patterns block, which many fonts and braille displays understand. For embossing, check the rules of your embosser and the braille standard your country uses, because this tool only covers basic English Grade 1.