Text to Braille Generator
Turn English into large braille cells you can print, save as an image, or send to an embosser as a BRF file.
Labels, worksheets and embossers
For sighted readers, such as teachers making worksheets or families learning alongside a child, print the sheet or save it as an image. The print under each word matches braille to print, and the rings show where the unraised dots sit.
For touch, flat ink on paper cannot be read. Send the BRF file to an embosser, or use the sheet as a guide for a slate and stylus or a braille label maker. A few common labels in Grade 2:
- Kitchen
- Room 204
- Push
Capitals and numbers take extra cells. A capital is dot 6 ⠠ in front of the letter. (ICEB 8.3.1) After the numeric indicator ⠼, the letters a to j are the digits 1 to 9 and 0. (ICEB 6.1)
Labels around the home and classroom
Twelve labels in Grade 2, as liblouis 3.39.0 writes them. 10 of the 12 use at least one contraction, so a label spelled letter by letter from the alphabet would not be correct Grade 2. Check each one here before you make it.
- doordots 1-4-5 1-3-5 1-3-5 1-2-3-5 Every letter written out
- windowdots 2-4-5-6 3-5 1-4-5 2-4-6 in: lower groupsign; ow: strong groupsign
- chairdots 1-6 1 2-4 1-2-3-5 ch: strong groupsign
- tabledots 2-3-4-5 1 1-2 1-2-3 1-5 Every letter written out
- beddots 1-2 1-2-4-6 ed: strong groupsign
- kitchendots 1-3 2-4 2-3-4-5 1-6 2-6 ch: strong groupsign; en: lower groupsign
- bathroomdots 1-2 1 1-4-5-6 1-2-3-5 1-3-5 1-3-5 1-3-4 th: strong groupsign
- lightdots 1-2-3 2-4 1-2-6 2-3-4-5 gh: strong groupsign
- cupboarddots 1-4 1-3-6 1-2-3-4 1-2 1-3-5 3-4-5 1-4-5 ar: strong groupsign
- shoesdots 1-4-6 1-3-5 1-5 2-3-4 sh: strong groupsign
- waterdots 2-4-5-6 1 2-3-4-5 1-2-4-5-6 er: strong groupsign
- stairsdots 3-4 1 2-4 1-2-3-5 2-3-4 st: strong groupsign
With a capital first letter, the label takes dot 6 in front: “Door” is ⠠⠙⠕⠕⠗, dots 6 1-4-5 1-3-5 1-3-5 1-2-3-5. The capital costs one cell, so decide whether the label needs it. The contraction lookup names the contractions in any word you type.
Size on screen and on paper
On screen the cells are drawn to be seen, not felt. When you print the sheet, your browser draws each cell about 6 mm wide, close to the spacing of embossed braille, so the layout is easy to copy by hand. The SVG and PNG files use the same drawing as this page, black dots on white.
The BRF file holds Braille ASCII, the plain-text form of braille that embossers read. It is laid out with the cells per line and lines per page you set, with a form feed between pages, and has no page numbers or running heads. How BRF and Braille ASCII work
What this does not do
- A printed sheet is a visual guide. Signs that must meet accessibility rules, such as ADA signage, need a sign maker and a qualified proofreader.
- It does not format documents for embossing: no headings, page numbers or margins beyond cells per line and lines per page.
- It writes literary UEB only, not Nemeth Code, music braille or other languages.
Questions
Why is my braille longer than the text?
Capital letters, numbers and some symbols need indicator cells in front of them, and some print characters take two cells. Grade 2 contractions make other words shorter.
Can I get braille for a tattoo or a necklace?
You can make the cells here. Flat ink cannot be read by touch, so ask someone who reads braille to check a design before it becomes permanent.
Which grade should a label use?
Use Grade 2 for readers who know contractions. Use Grade 1 for readers who have not learned contractions, and for labels where each letter matters, such as a name spelled out.
Is my text uploaded to make the image?
No. Your browser makes the braille, the SVG and the PNG. Nothing leaves your device. The privacy policy explains how we make sure of that.