Braille Contractions List: Complete Grade 2 UEB Contractions Chart

What Are Braille Contractions? (SV)

Braille contractions are shorthand symbols used in Grade 2 braille (also called contracted braille) to reduce the length of braille text. Instead of spelling every word letter-by-letter, contractions replace common words, letter combinations, and prefixes/suffixes with fewer braille cells.

For example, the word “the” in Grade 1 braille requires 3 cells: ⠞⠓⠑. In Grade 2, it becomes a single cell: ⠮. This saves space and reading time.

Grade 2 braille is the standard for published braille materials worldwide. All braille books, magazines, and signs use Grade 2 contractions. Understanding them is essential for braille literacy.

Look up any contraction instantly with our Contraction Lookup tool, or convert text with our Braille Translator.

Types of Braille Contractions (SV)

1. Alphabetical Wordsigns (SV)

Each letter of the alphabet can stand for a whole word when written alone:

Braille	Letter	Word	Braille	Letter	Word
⠁	a	a	⠝	n	not
⠃	b	but	⠕	o	—
⠉	c	can	⠏	p	people
⠙	d	do	⠟	q	quite
⠑	e	every	⠗	r	rather
⠋	f	from	⠎	s	so
⠛	g	go	⠞	t	that
⠓	h	have	⠥	u	us
⠊	i	I	⠧	v	very
⠚	j	just	⠺	w	will
⠅	k	knowledge	⠭	x	it
⠇	l	like	⠽	y	you
⠍	m	more	⠵	z	as

2. Strong Wordsigns (SV)

These single-cell contractions represent common words:

Braille	Dots	Word
⠮	2-3-4-6	the
⠷	1-2-3-5-6	of
⠾	2-3-4-5-6	were
⠿	1-2-3-4-5-6	for
⠱	1-5-6	wh (when used as word: which)
⠡	1-6	ch (when used as word: child)
⠩	1-4-6	sh (when used as word: shall)
⠹	1-4-5-6	th (when used as word: this)
⠳	1-2-5-6	ou (when used as word: out)
⠌	3-4	st (when used as word: still)

3. Strong Groupsigns (SV)

These represent letter combinations within words:

Braille	Dots	Letters
⠡	1-6	ch
⠩	1-4-6	sh
⠹	1-4-5-6	th
⠱	1-5-6	wh
⠳	1-2-5-6	ou
⠌	3-4	st
⠣	1-2-6	gh
⠫	1-2-4-6	ed
⠻	1-2-4-5-6	er
⠪	2-4-6	ow
⠜	3-4-5	ar
⠬	3-4-6	ing

4. Lower Wordsigns and Groupsigns (SV)

These use the lower part of the braille cell (dots 2, 3, 5, 6):

Braille	Dots	Word/Letters
⠆	2-3	be (word: be)
⠒	2-5	con
⠲	2-5-6	dis
⠢	2-6	en (word: enough)
⠶	2-3-5-6	ff
⠔	3-5	in (word: in)
⠴	3-5-6	ble
⠤	3-6	com

5. Short-Form Words (SV)

These are multi-cell abbreviations for common words:

Braille	Word	Braille	Word
⠁⠃	about	⠇⠗	letter
⠁⠉	according	⠇⠇	little
⠁⠋	after	⠍⠌	must
⠁⠋⠝	afternoon	⠍⠡	much
⠁⠛	again	⠝⠑⠊	neither
⠁⠇	also	⠕⠝⠑⠎	oneself
⠁⠇⠍	almost	⠏⠙	paid
⠁⠇⠗	already	⠏⠻⠓	perhaps
⠁⠇⠹	although	⠟⠅	quick
⠁⠇⠺	always	⠗⠉⠧	receive
⠃⠇	blind	⠗⠚⠉	rejoice
⠃⠗⠇	braille	⠎⠙	said
⠡⠝	children	⠩⠙	should
⠉⠙	could	⠞⠙	today
⠙⠉⠇	declare	⠞⠛	together
⠑⠊	either	⠞⠍	tomorrow
⠋⠌	first	⠞⠝	tonight
⠋⠗	friend	⠺⠙	would
⠛⠙	good	⠽⠗	your
⠛⠗⠞	great	⠽⠗⠎	yours
⠓⠍	him	⠽⠗⠋	yourself
⠊⠍⠍	immediate	⠽⠗⠧⠎	yourselves

How to Use Braille Contractions (SV)

Rules for Using Contractions (SV)

Strong contractions can be used anywhere in a word (beginning, middle, or end)
Lower groupsigns can only be used in the middle or end of a word, never at the beginning
Contractions cannot bridge syllable boundaries in ways that change pronunciation
A contraction cannot be used if it would cause ambiguity

Examples (SV)

Word	Grade 1	Grade 2	Contractions Used
the	⠞⠓⠑	⠮	“the” wordsign
braille	⠃⠗⠁⠊⠇⠇⠑	⠃⠗⠇	short-form word
children	⠉⠓⠊⠇⠙⠗⠑⠝	⠡⠝	“ch” + short-form
knowledge	⠅⠝⠕⠺⠇⠑⠙⠛⠑	⠅	alphabetical wordsign

Practice Contractions (SV)

Contraction Lookup — search any word and see its contracted braille form
Braille Translator — type text and toggle between Grade 1 and Grade 2 output
Text to Braille — convert longer texts with full Grade 2 support
Braille Quiz — test your knowledge of contractions

Grade 1 vs. Grade 2 Braille (SV)

Feature	Grade 1 (Uncontracted)	Grade 2 (Contracted)
Contractions	None	189 contractions
Text length	Longer	~25% shorter
Learning difficulty	Easier	Harder
Usage	Beginners, labeling	Published materials
Reading speed	Slower	Faster (for fluent readers)

Read our detailed comparison in Grade 1 vs Grade 2 Braille.

Frequently Asked Questions (SV)

How many braille contractions are there? (SV)

UEB (Unified English Braille) has 189 contractions including alphabetical wordsigns, strong wordsigns, groupsigns, and short-form words.

Do I need to learn contractions? (SV)

If you want to read published braille materials (books, magazines, signs), yes. Grade 2 contracted braille is the standard for all published braille.

What’s the most common braille contraction? (SV)

The most frequently used contraction is ⠮ (the), followed by ⠁⠝⠙ (and) and ⠷ (of).

Can I look up contractions online? (SV)

Yes — use our free Contraction Lookup tool to search any word and see its Grade 2 braille form.

Braille Contractions List: Complete Grade 2 UEB Contractions Chart (SV)