What is Braille?
Braille is a tactile system of six-dot cells that lets blind and low-vision people read and write by touch. Here is how it works and why it matters.
Convert text to Braille instantly and free.
Braille is a system of reading and writing by touch, used by people who are blind or have low vision. Instead of printed letters, it uses patterns of raised dots that the fingertips can feel.
Each character sits in a cell of six dot positions, arranged in two columns of three. By raising different combinations of those six dots, the system can represent every letter, number, punctuation mark and even musical or mathematical notation.
Braille in everyday life
It is easy to think of Braille as something confined to special books, but in practice it appears throughout daily life once you start noticing it. Lift the lid of many medicine boxes and you will feel raised dots naming the contents. Step into a lift and the floor buttons often carry Braille beside the numbers. Hotel room doors, bank cards, restaurant menus, signs in public buildings and even some product packaging carry it, quietly making the world navigable by touch.
Behind every one of those examples is the same simple idea: a small grid of six dots whose raised pattern stands for a letter, number or symbol. That is the whole foundation of the system, and it is what makes Braille so adaptable. The same cells that spell a name on a door can, with extra signs and codes, represent mathematics, music or a second language. Understanding the cell, then, is not just an academic exercise. It is the key that unlocks every place Braille is used, and it is the reason a tool like this one can take any sentence you type and render it in a form a Braille reader would recognize. Seeing how the cell works is the natural first step before exploring the alphabet, numbers and the wider system in detail.
How a Braille cell works
The six positions in a cell are numbered 1–2–3 down the left column and 4–5–6 down the right. A letter is defined by which dots are raised. For example, the letter a is just dot 1; b is dots 1 and 2; c is dots 1 and 4.
With six dots there are 64 possible patterns. That is enough for the alphabet, digits, punctuation and a set of special signs that change how the following cells are read.
The Braille alphabet
Convert text to Braille instantly and free.
Capital letters, numbers and signs
Braille uses prefix signs rather than separate uppercase letters. The capital sign (⠠) before a letter makes it uppercase. The number sign (⠼) turns the following cells into digits, which reuse the first ten letters.
Numbers in Braille
Grade 1 and Grade 2
Grade 1 Braille spells every word out letter by letter. It is the clearest form for learning and for accurate transcription, and it is what this site produces.
Grade 2 adds contractions — single cells that stand for common words or letter groups — to save space and speed up reading. Most published Braille books use Grade 2. You can read more on the Grade 2 page.
Who created Braille and who uses it
The system was invented by Louis Braille in France in the 1820s, adapted from a military code of raised dots. Today it is used worldwide, with national tables for different languages, and it remains a key tool for literacy, independence and access to information.
To see the history in more detail, read the history of Braille.
Frequently asked questions
What is Braille in simple terms?
A way to read and write by touch, using patterns of raised dots that stand for letters, numbers and symbols.
How many dots are in a Braille cell?
Six, arranged in two columns of three. Different combinations form different characters.
Is Braille a language?
No. It is a writing system (a code) that can be used to write many languages, each with its own table.
Who invented Braille?
Louis Braille, in France, in the 1820s. See the history page.
Can I try Braille online?
Yes. Use the text to Braille translator to convert any text instantly.