UEB Braille Reference

An interactive reference for the Unified English Braille (UEB) alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and Grade 2 contractions. Filter by grade and category, search by letter, word, or by dot pattern.

Filters and search

Braille grade
Categories to show

For example: type but, the, question mark, or a single letter.

Enter dot numbers 1 to 6. Example: 1 2 3 or 1-2-3 finds entries with dots 1, 2, 3. For multi-cell patterns, separate cells with a forward slash. Example: 5 / 1 4 5 finds the contraction for "day".

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Reference: how braille cells are numbered

A braille cell consists of six dots arranged in two columns of three. The dots are numbered as follows:

Dots 1, 2, 3 form the left column from top to bottom. Dots 4, 5, 6 form the right column from top to bottom. So the letter l uses dots 1, 2, 3 — the entire left column. The letter c uses dots 1 and 4 — the top row.

Reference table

Braille reference. Each row gives the print form, the braille glyph, the dot pattern, the category, and usage notes.
Print Braille Dot pattern Category Notes

Terms used

The table uses specialist braille vocabulary. The terms below explain what each one means.

Wordsign
A single braille cell that stands for a complete word. It is written on its own, with a space before and after it.
Groupsign
A single braille cell that represents a common group of letters, such as "ch", "sh", or "ing". It may appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.
Contraction
A shortened braille symbol that stands for a word, part of a word, or a common sequence of letters. Contractions are the defining feature of Grade 2 braille and reduce the space a text takes on the page.
Shortform
An abbreviated braille spelling of a common word that uses real braille letters but leaves some out. For example, "ab" stands for "about".
Whole-word contraction
A contraction that may only be used when it represents a complete word, not when it appears inside a longer word.
Part-word contraction
A contraction that may be used within a word, not only as a standalone word. It can appear at the start, middle, or end of a longer word.
Strong contraction
A contraction that has strict rules about where it may be used. It may stand alone as a word or appear within a word, but its usage is governed by specific rules in the UEB (Unified English Braille) code.
Strong groupsign
A groupsign that has strict usage rules, similar to a strong contraction. It may represent a group of letters in any position within a word, subject to those rules.