Braille Alphabet Chart
The complete braille alphabet with dot patterns for every letter A–Z, plus capital indicators and accented letters in French, Spanish, German, and Italian. Use it as a printable reference or alongside our translator.
TL;DR - Key Takeaways
- • Each braille letter is a pattern of raised dots in a six-position cell (2 columns × 3 rows)
- • The letter a is a single dot; letters build up systematically from there
- • A capital indicator (dot 6, ⠠) before a letter makes it uppercase
- • Accented letters differ by language, but a–z is shared across Latin-script braille
In this article
Braille is a tactile writing system, invented by Louis Braille in 1824, that lets people who are blind or visually impaired read and write by touch. Every letter, number, and punctuation mark is represented by a unique arrangement of raised dots. The braille alphabet is the foundation of the entire system, and learning it is the first step toward braille literacy.
This chart shows Grade 1 (uncontracted) braille, where each letter maps directly to one cell. Fluent braille readers also use Grade 2 braille, which adds about 200 contractions for common words and letter groups. To convert whole words or sentences automatically, try our free braille translator, which supports Grade 2 for English.
How Braille Cells Work
A braille cell is made of six dots arranged in two vertical columns of three dots each. The positions are numbered 1, 2, 3 down the left column and 4, 5, 6 down the right column, so the letter a is simply dot 1. Any pattern of raised dots arranged in the cell forms a character: 64 possibilities in total, including the empty cell used as a space.
Dot positions are always numbered in the same order. When we describe a letter as "dots 1-4-5", it means those three positions are raised.
For example, d is dots 1-4-5 (⠙) and m is dots 1-3-4 (⠍).
The Braille Alphabet (A–Z)
Here is the full braille alphabet. Filled circles show raised dots; the glyph and dot numbers are given for each letter.
Capital Letters in Braille
Braille letters are lowercase by default. To capitalise a single letter, a capital indicator is placed immediately before it. In Unified English Braille that indicator is dot 6 (⠠). To capitalise a whole word, the indicator is doubled (⠠⠠).
Example, using the name "Anna":
⠠⠁⠝⠝⠁
Capital indicator + a + n + n + a
The Braille Alphabet in Other Languages
The core a–z cells are shared across languages that use the Latin alphabet. What changes is the set of accented and special letters. Below are the additional letters for each language our translator supports.
French
Spanish
German
Italian
Braille in Other Writing Systems
Braille is not limited to the Latin alphabet. Nearly every writing system has its own braille code, most of them assigning cells to letters that sound like the Latin letters in the same cell. Below are sample letters from a few scripts. Braille is always read left-to-right, even for right-to-left scripts like Arabic and Hebrew. Our braille translator supports 30+ languages across these systems.
Arabic
أ ب ت … (read left-to-right in braille)
Russian (Cyrillic)
а б в …
Greek
α β γ …
Hindi (Devanagari, Bharati Braille)
consonants carry an inherent “a”
Numbers and Punctuation
Braille numbers reuse the first ten letters (a–j) preceded by a number sign (⠼). Punctuation marks have their own cells. For example, a comma is dot 2 (⠂) and a period is dots 2-5-6 (⠲).
For a full breakdown of digits, the number sign, and math notation, see our dedicated braille numbers guide.
Tips for Learning the Braille Alphabet
Learn in decades
Braille letters follow a pattern. The first ten letters (a–j) use only the top four dots. The next ten (k–t) add dot 3, and u–z add dots 3 and 6. Learning this structure is faster than memorising 26 shapes in isolation.
Practise both directions
Read braille into letters and write letters into braille. Our translator lets you check yourself instantly by switching between Text → Braille and Braille → Text.
Use a printable chart
Keep this alphabet chart handy while you learn. Recognising the dot numbers (not just the visual shape) builds the mental model that transfers to reading by touch.
Convert Text to Braille Instantly
Type any word or sentence and get accurate Grade 1 braille in English, French, Spanish, German, or Italian, free and in your browser.
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Written & Verified by
Sarah Mitchell
Typography expert specializing in font design, web typography, and accessibility
Braille Alphabet FAQs
Common questions about the braille alphabet and dot patterns