Braille Alphabet: Complete A-Z Chart, Numbers & Symbols [2026]

What Is the Braille Alphabet? (AR)

The braille alphabet is a tactile writing system that uses raised dots arranged in a 6-dot cell to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. Louis Braille invented the braille alphabet in 1824 in Paris, France. Each braille cell contains 2 columns and 3 rows, producing 63 possible dot combinations plus 1 empty cell (space) for a total of 64 patterns.

The 6 dot positions in a braille cell are numbered 1 through 6:

Dot 1 — top left
Dot 2 — middle left
Dot 3 — bottom left
Dot 4 — top right
Dot 5 — middle right
Dot 6 — bottom right

This 6-dot cell layout forms the foundation of every braille code worldwide, including Unified English Braille (UEB), which replaced older English braille codes in 2016. Use our Braille Translator to see any text converted into braille cells instantly.

Complete A-Z Braille Alphabet Chart (AR)

The 26 letters of the braille alphabet follow a structured pattern based on 3 groups. Each letter below shows its dot positions within the 6-dot cell.

Letters A through J (Group 1) (AR)

Group 1 uses only dots 1, 2, 4, and 5 (the top 4 positions). These 10 letters form the base patterns for the entire braille alphabet:

Letter	Dots	Braille
A	1	⠁
B	1-2	⠃
C	1-4	⠉
D	1-4-5	⠙
E	1-5	⠑
F	1-2-4	⠋
G	1-2-4-5	⠛
H	1-2-5	⠓
I	2-4	⠊
J	2-4-5	⠚

These 10 patterns serve triple duty: they represent the letters A–J, the digits 1–0 (when preceded by a number indicator), and the foundation for letters K–Z.

Letters K through T (Group 2) (AR)

Group 2 takes each Group 1 pattern and adds dot 3 (bottom left). The letter K uses the same pattern as A plus dot 3. The letter L uses the same pattern as B plus dot 3. This pattern continues through T:

Letter	Dots	Base Letter	Braille
K	1-3	A + dot 3	⠅
L	1-2-3	B + dot 3	⠇
M	1-3-4	C + dot 3	⠍
N	1-3-4-5	D + dot 3	⠝
O	1-3-5	E + dot 3	⠕
P	1-2-3-4	F + dot 3	⠏
Q	1-2-3-4-5	G + dot 3	⠟
R	1-2-3-5	H + dot 3	⠗
S	2-3-4	I + dot 3	⠎
T	2-3-4-5	J + dot 3	⠞

Letters U through Z (Group 3) (AR)

Group 3 takes each Group 2 pattern and adds dot 6 (bottom right) — with 1 exception. The letter U uses the same pattern as K plus dot 6:

Letter	Dots	Base Letter	Braille
U	1-3-6	K + dot 6	⠥
V	1-2-3-6	L + dot 6	⠧
X	1-3-4-6	M + dot 6	⠭
Y	1-3-4-5-6	N + dot 6	⠽
Z	1-3-5-6	O + dot 6	⠵

Notice that W is missing from this sequence. The letter W occupies dots 2-4-5-6 (⠺), which breaks the Group 3 pattern entirely.

Why the Letter W Breaks the Braille Pattern (AR)

The letter W breaks the braille pattern because Louis Braille based the braille alphabet on the French alphabet, and French did not include W as a standard letter in 1824. The French alphabet at the time used only 25 letters. When braille spread to English-speaking countries, the letter W needed a cell assignment. Braille designers assigned W to dots 2-4-5-6, which does not follow the Group 3 logic. The W cell (⠺) matches J (dots 2-4-5) plus dot 6, placing W after J rather than after V in the pattern sequence.

This historical quirk means learners must memorize W (dots 2-4-5-6) separately from the 3-group system.

Braille Numbers: 0 through 9 (AR)

Braille numbers use the same dot patterns as letters A through J, preceded by a number indicator (⠼, dots 3-4-5-6). The number indicator tells the reader that the following characters represent digits, not letters:

Number	Dots	Same Pattern As	Braille
1	⠼ + 1	A	⠼⠁
2	⠼ + 1-2	B	⠼⠃
3	⠼ + 1-4	C	⠼⠉
4	⠼ + 1-4-5	D	⠼⠙
5	⠼ + 1-5	E	⠼⠑
6	⠼ + 1-2-4	F	⠼⠋
7	⠼ + 1-2-4-5	G	⠼⠛
8	⠼ + 1-2-5	H	⠼⠓
9	⠼ + 2-4	I	⠼⠊
0	⠼ + 2-4-5	J	⠼⠚

Multi-digit numbers require only 1 number indicator at the start. The number ⠼⠁⠃⠉ represents “123” — the reader continues interpreting cells as digits until a space or letter indicator appears.

Try converting any number to braille using our Text to Braille tool.

Braille Punctuation Marks (AR)

Braille punctuation marks use specific dot combinations. Some punctuation marks share the same cell pattern as letters but use different dot positions (shifted to the lower part of the cell):

Symbol	Dots	Braille	Notes
Period (.)	2-5-6	⠲	Full stop
Comma (,)	2	⠂	Single dot
Semicolon (;)	2-3	⠆	Two dots
Colon (:)	2-5	⠒	Two dots
Question mark (?)	2-3-6	⠦	Opening question mark in UEB
Exclamation mark (!)	2-3-5	⠖	Single cell
Apostrophe (‘)	3	⠄	Single dot
Hyphen (-)	3-6	⠤	Two dots
Open parenthesis	1-2-3-5-6	⠷	5 dots
Close parenthesis	2-3-4-5-6	⠾	5 dots
Quotation open (“)	2-3-6	⠦	Same as question mark — context determines meaning
Quotation close (“)	3-5-6	⠴	Distinct from opening quotation

Braille punctuation requires context awareness. The cell for dots 2-3-6 (⠦) represents both the opening quotation mark and the question mark in certain braille codes. UEB resolves this ambiguity with specific prefix indicators.

Braille Capital Letters and Formatting (AR)

Braille does not have separate cells for uppercase and lowercase letters. Instead, braille uses indicator cells placed before a letter to signal capitalization:

Single capital letter: dots 6 (⠠) before the letter — ⠠⠁ = “A”
Capitalized word: dots 6-6 (⠠⠠) before the word — ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ = “HELLO”
Extended capitals passage: dots 6-6-6 (⠠⠠⠠) before the passage

This prefix system keeps the braille alphabet compact. Without separate uppercase cells, the 63 available combinations serve more purposes.

Braille Cell Dimensions (AR)

Physical braille cells follow strict dimensional standards set by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) and international bodies:

Measurement	Metric	Imperial
Cell height	6.2 mm	0.244 inches
Cell width	3.7 mm	0.146 inches
Dot height (raised)	0.5 mm	0.02 inches
Dot diameter	1.5 mm	0.059 inches
Dot spacing (center to center, horizontal)	2.5 mm	0.098 inches
Dot spacing (center to center, vertical)	2.5 mm	0.098 inches
Cell-to-cell spacing	6.1 mm	0.240 inches
Line spacing (center to center)	10.0 mm	0.394 inches

These dimensions ensure consistent readability across all braille materials. Dots raised lower than 0.5 mm become difficult to detect by touch. Dots raised higher than 0.5 mm wear down faster and cause finger fatigue.

The 3 Pattern Groups Make Braille Systematic (AR)

The braille alphabet’s 3-group structure means learners need to memorize only 10 base patterns (letters A–J). Group 2 adds dot 3 to each Group 1 pattern. Group 3 adds dot 6 to each Group 2 pattern. This design reduces 26 separate memorization tasks to 10 base patterns plus 2 rules.

Here is a summary of the 3 groups:

Group	Letters	Rule	Dots Used
Group 1	A–J	Base patterns	1, 2, 4, 5 only
Group 2	K–T	Group 1 + dot 3	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Group 3	U–Z	Group 2 + dot 6	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Exception	W	J + dot 6	2, 4, 5, 6

This logical structure is the reason braille has remained the dominant tactile literacy system for over 200 years.

Grade 1 vs Grade 2 Braille (AR)

The braille alphabet chart above represents Grade 1 braille (uncontracted braille), where each letter, number, and punctuation mark gets its own cell or cell sequence. Grade 2 braille (contracted braille) adds 189 contractions in Unified English Braille (UEB) to reduce the number of cells needed.

Grade 2 contractions include:

Single-cell word signs: “the” = ⠮ (dots 2-3-4-6), “and” = ⠯ (dots 1-2-3-4-6), “for” = ⠿ (dots 1-2-3-4-5-6)
Group signs: “ing” = ⠬ (dots 3-4-6), “tion” = ⠰⠝ (dots 5-6 + dots 1-3-4-5)
Short-form words: “about” = “ab”, “above” = “abv”, “according” = “ac”

Grade 2 braille reduces text length by approximately 25-30% compared to Grade 1 braille. Nearly all published braille books, signs, and documents use Grade 2 braille.

Use the Contraction Lookup tool to search for specific Grade 2 contractions.

How to Use the Braille Alphabet Chart (AR)

Follow these 4 steps to use the braille alphabet chart for translating text:

Identify each letter in the word you want to translate.
Find the matching dot pattern in the chart above.
Apply indicators — add the capital indicator (dots 6) before uppercase letters and the number indicator (dots 3-4-5-6) before digits.
Write or emboss the dots in the correct positions within each cell.

For faster translation, use the Braille Translator to convert entire sentences, paragraphs, or documents into braille automatically. The Text to Braille tool supports both Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille output.

Braille Alphabet in Other Languages (AR)

The braille 6-dot cell system extends beyond English. Over 133 languages use braille codes based on the same 6-dot cell structure. Each language adapts the dot patterns to fit its own alphabet and phonetic needs:

Spanish braille uses ñ (dots 1-2-4-5-6) as a unique addition
French braille uses accent indicators before vowels (é, è, ê, ë)
German braille adds cells for ä, ö, ü, and ß
Arabic braille maps the 28-letter Arabic alphabet to braille cells
Chinese braille uses a phonetic approach with 2-cell combinations

Despite language-specific differences, the 6-dot cell dimensions and numbering system (dots 1-6) remain universal.

8-Dot Braille (Computer Braille) (AR)

Standard braille uses 6 dots per cell. Computer braille extends the cell to 8 dots by adding dot 7 (bottom left) and dot 8 (bottom right). The 8-dot cell produces 255 possible combinations plus 1 empty cell for 256 total patterns — matching the 256 characters in standard ASCII.

8-dot braille displays appear on refreshable braille devices connected to computers and smartphones. Each cell on a refreshable braille display uses tiny pins that raise and lower electronically. Standard refreshable braille displays contain 14 to 80 cells per line.

Quick Reference: Most Common Braille Symbols (AR)

Symbol	Dots	Braille	Usage
Space	none	⠀	Word separator
Capital indicator	6	⠠	Before uppercase letters
Number indicator	3-4-5-6	⠼	Before digits
Letter indicator	5-6	⠰	Returns to letter mode
Period	2-5-6	⠲	End of sentence
Comma	2	⠂	Clause separator
Question mark	2-3-6	⠦	End of question
Exclamation	2-3-5	⠖	End of exclamation

Bookmark this braille alphabet chart as a reference. For instant braille translation of any text, open the Braille Translator and type or paste your text to see the braille output in real time.

Braille Alphabet: Complete A-Z Chart, Numbers & Symbols [2026] (AR)