English to Braille Translator — Grade 1 & Grade 2 (UEB) Converter

How to use the English to Braille Translator

1. Type or paste your English text into the box above.
2. Choose the braille grade from the options — Grade 1 or Grade 2 — and set a font size if you want the braille displayed larger.
3. Click Translate. Your braille appears below the tool.
4. Copy the braille text to paste it elsewhere, or use Download as Image to save it as a picture. Reset clears everything.

A worked example: “Hello, world!”

Grade 1 spells out every letter, one cell per character:

⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕⠂ ⠺⠕⠗⠇⠙⠲

That is 14 cells, including the ⠠ capital sign before the H and the ⠂ comma. Grade 2 works differently: it uses contractions, so whole common words collapse into single cells — the is just ⠮, and is ⠯, with is ⠾, and for the is written ⠿ ⠮, two cells instead of seven letters. Across a full book those savings add up — Grade 2 typically takes around 25% less space than Grade 1, which is why almost all published braille is contracted.

Who uses an English to Braille translator?

• Teachers preparing classroom materials, labels and worksheets for students who read braille.
• Parents drafting labels and signs — checking the wording and spacing before text is embossed onto cupboards, folders and storage boxes at home.
• Students learning braille who want to check their own transcription practice against a reliable conversion.
• Anyone drafting accessible signage or documents who needs a quick first-pass transcription to review before production.

Limitations worth knowing

• The output is Unicode braille — characters for screens, copying and the downloadable image. It is not an embosser-ready BRF file; producing physical braille needs transcription software that also handles page layout and formatting.
• Contractions follow UEB (Unified English Braille). Older and regional codes differ in places, and maths braille (the Nemeth Code) and complex tables are outside this tool’s scope.
• Braille is a code, not a language. This tool converts English spelling into braille cells — it does not translate English into another spoken language.

How braille cells work

Every braille character is a cell of six dots, arranged in two columns of three and numbered 1 to 6. The first ten letters, a–j, use only the top four dots; k–t repeat the same patterns with dot 3 added, and the rest of the alphabet adds dots 3 and 6 as well. The one famous exception is w — braille was designed in France, whose alphabet had no w at the time, so w (⠺) breaks the pattern. Once you see the system, the translator’s output becomes much easier to proofread by eye.

English to Braille Translator – frequently asked questions

Grade 1 vs Grade 2 — which do I need?

Grade 1 is uncontracted: every letter gets its own cell. It is used by beginners and for labels and short texts. Grade 2 uses around 180 contractions and word signs to save space, and is the standard for books and longer documents. Learning braille? Start with Grade 1. Transcribing reading material? Use Grade 2.

Can I print this on a braille embosser?

Not directly. The translator produces Unicode braille for screens and images, while an embosser needs a braille-ready file (BRF) with page formatting. Use this tool to draft and check the transcription, then prepare the embossing file with dedicated braille software.

How are numbers written in braille?

With a number sign, ⠼, followed by the letters a–j standing in for the digits 1–0. So 2026 is written ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋ — the ⠼ tells the reader that the cells after it are digits, not letters.

Is braille the same in the US, UK and Australia?

Largely, yes: all three use Unified English Braille (UEB), so literary braille is standardised across the English-speaking world. Small differences remain in currency signs and formatting conventions, and other languages have their own braille codes entirely.

More free Braille Translators

• Arabic To Braille Translation
• French To Braille Translation
• Italian To Braille Translation
• Spanish To Braille Translation
• German To Braille Translation

Browse all Braille Translators on Ilmhunt, or see all free online tools.