How to Read Braille
How the six-dot cell works, how the alphabet is built, and a short self-test. A starting point, not a course.
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Braille is read by touch. Each braille cell has six dot positions in two columns of three: dots 1, 2 and 3 run down the left column and dots 4, 5 and 6 down the right (ICEB 1.1.1). The raised dots make the sign: a is dot 1 and b is dots 1-2. A reader slides the pads of the fingers along each line from left to right, usually with both hands on the line (Paths to Literacy). Sighted people can learn the code by sight first.
The six dots
- adot 1
- hdots 1-2-5
- not a letterdot 4
A cell is named by its raised dots, lowest number first: a is dot 1, and h is dots 1-2-5. Position matters. Dot 4 sits at the same height as dot 1 but in the right column, and on its own it is not a letter. In the drawings, a filled circle is a raised dot and a ring is a flat position.
The alphabet, ten letters at a time
The first ten letters, a to j, use only the top two rows of the cell. Each row of the table starts with one of them. Letters k to t add dot 3 to a to j, and u, v, x, y and z add dots 3 and 6. (ICEB 1.1.2)
In the last column, the cells after z are not letters. In Grade 2 they stand for and, for, of, the and with.
Where is w?
Louis Braille made his 1829 code for French, with w added for English. (NFB) In UEB, w is still the last cell of line 4: j with dot 6 added, dots 2-4-5-6.
The braille alphabet page has every letter with its other meanings.
| a to j | Add dot 3 | Add dots 3 and 6 |
|---|---|---|
| adot 1 | kdots 1-3 | udots 1-3-6 |
| bdots 1-2 | ldots 1-2-3 | vdots 1-2-3-6 |
| cdots 1-4 | mdots 1-3-4 | xdots 1-3-4-6 |
| ddots 1-4-5 | ndots 1-3-4-5 | ydots 1-3-4-5-6 |
| edots 1-5 | odots 1-3-5 | zdots 1-3-5-6 |
| fdots 1-2-4 | pdots 1-2-3-4 | “and”not a letter: the word and in Grade 2 |
| gdots 1-2-4-5 | qdots 1-2-3-4-5 | “for”not a letter: the word for in Grade 2 |
| hdots 1-2-5 | rdots 1-2-3-5 | “of”not a letter: the word of in Grade 2 |
| idots 2-4 | sdots 2-3-4 | “the”not a letter: the word the in Grade 2 |
| jdots 2-4-5 | tdots 2-3-4-5 | “with”not a letter: the word with in Grade 2 |
Capitals and numbers
Braille has no separate cells for capitals or digits. A sign in front of the letter marks each one.
A capital is dot 6 ⠠ in front of the letter. (ICEB 8.3.1) “Kim” is:
After the numeric indicator ⠼, the letters a to j are the digits 1 to 9 and 0. (ICEB 6.1) So 15 is the indicator, then a, then e:
Braille numbers covers dates, times and decimals, and punctuation and symbols covers the other signs.
Grade 2: one cell for a whole word
Grade 2 adds contractions: signs for whole words and for groups of letters. (ICEB 2.5) “you can do it” takes 10 cells in Grade 1.
In Grade 2 it takes 4, one cell for each word: y for you, c for can, d for do and x for it.
| Word | Grade 1 10 cells | Grade 2 4 cells |
|---|---|---|
| you | dots 1-3-4-5-6 1-3-5 1-3-6 | dots 1-3-4-5-6 |
| can | dots 1-4 1 1-3-4-5 | dots 1-4 |
| do | dots 1-4-5 1-3-5 | dots 1-4-5 |
| it | dots 2-4 2-3-4-5 | dots 1-3-4-6 |
A letter on its own
A letter on its own, other than a, i or o, takes the grade 1 indicator ⠰ so that it is not read as a whole word. (ICEB 2.6.1, 5.2.1, 5.7.1) The letter b alone is written:
The braille contractions page lists every contraction (182 entries) and names the ones in any word you type.
Test yourself
Ten letters a round, chosen at random. The wrong answers are the letters whose cells are closest to the right one, so read every dot.
Work out each letter from its dots, then open the answer to check.
- Cell 1: dots 1-5
Show the answer for cell 1
e
- Cell 2: dots 2-4
Show the answer for cell 2
i
- Cell 3: dots 1-3
Show the answer for cell 3
k
- Cell 4: dots 1-2-3-5
Show the answer for cell 4
r
- Cell 5: dots 2-4-5-6
Show the answer for cell 5
w
- Cell 6: dots 1-3-5-6
Show the answer for cell 6
z
Look at the cell: you see the drawing, and a button shows its dots if you need them. Hear the dots: the question gives the dot numbers, which suits a screen reader.
Question 1 of 10 Which letter is this cell?
Reading by touch
Braille readers read by moving their fingertips along lines of embossed dots. Sighted people can learn braille too, either by touch or by sight. (Perkins School for the Blind)
This page teaches the code by sight. The drawings show where the dots are, not how a cell feels under a finger. Reading by touch takes practice with embossed braille, usually with a teacher. Teaching braille builds on basic concepts, spatial awareness and the ability to tell shapes apart by touch, and it covers writing braille as well as reading it. (Paths to Literacy)
Where to learn
These organisations teach braille. None of them is connected with us.
- Braille for Everyday Use (Hadley): workshops for learning to read braille by touch, with a workbook posted to your home and audio lessons by phone or online.
- Basic Braille by Sight (Hadley): short online workshops on uncontracted UEB for people learning with their eyes.
- Braille Brain (American Printing House): a free, self-paced UEB tutorial with practice and assessments, written for teachers, classroom assistants and parents.
- How the braille alphabet works (Perkins School for the Blind): a beginner’s guide to the cell and the letters.
- Braille (Paths to Literacy): teaching strategies and resources for families and teachers of children who read braille.
- BrailleBug (American Printing House): an introduction to braille for students and curious learners.
- Rules of Unified English Braille (International Council on English Braille): the rules of the code itself. ICEB offers the Rules of Unified English Braille as free electronic files that may be printed or embossed for personal use. (ICEB)
Questions
Can I learn braille by sight?
Yes. Sighted people can learn the code by looking at it, as this page does. Reading by touch is a separate skill that takes practice with embossed braille; see where to learn braille.
Is braille a language?
No. Braille is a way of writing a language. Unified English Braille (UEB) is the braille code for English, used by every member country of the International Council on English Braille.
What is the difference between Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille?
Grade 1 spells every word letter by letter. Grade 2 also uses contractions, cells that stand for whole words or groups of letters, so the same text takes fewer cells. The braille contractions page lists them.
Why do some single letters have an extra cell in front?
In Grade 2 most letters standing alone are whole words, so a plain letter takes the grade 1 indicator first. The rule and an example are under a letter on its own.
Rules: Rules of Unified English Braille, Third Edition 2024, cited by section number. Braille examples come from liblouis 3.39.0. All sources and when they were checked