Braille Converter
Convert text to Braille and Braille to text. Includes dot pattern reference.
Braille Alphabet
Dot Numbering
Each Braille cell has 6 dot positions numbered 1-6.
Examples:
- A = dot 1
- B = dots 1,2
- L = dots 1,2,3
- Y = dots 1,3,4,5,6
What is Braille?
Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. Named after its creator, Louis Braille, who developed it in 1824, the system uses raised dots arranged in cells to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation.
Braille Cell Structure
Each Braille cell contains up to 6 dots arranged in a 3×2 grid:
- Dots 1, 2, 3: Left column (top to bottom)
- Dots 4, 5, 6: Right column (top to bottom)
This gives 64 possible combinations (2⁶), enough for the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation.
Braille Alphabet
The first 10 letters (A-J) use only dots 1, 2, 4, and 5 (top four positions):
- A = ⠁ (dot 1)
- B = ⠃ (dots 1, 2)
- C = ⠉ (dots 1, 4)
- And so on...
Letters K-T add dot 3, and U-Z add dots 3 and 6, following a logical pattern.
Braille Numbers
Numbers use the same patterns as letters A-J, preceded by a number indicator (⠼):
- ⠼⠁ = 1 (number indicator + A pattern)
- ⠼⠃ = 2 (number indicator + B pattern)
- ⠼⠚ = 0 (number indicator + J pattern)
Braille in Geocaching
Braille appears in geocaching puzzles because:
- Visual encoding: Dot patterns can be hidden in images
- Physical elements: Actual raised dots on cache containers
- Educational value: Teaches an important accessibility system
- Pattern recognition: Distinctive and recognizable format
Recognizing Braille in Puzzles
Look for these signs:
- 6-dot patterns: Groups of 6 dots or circles
- 2×3 grids: Arrangements in Braille cell format
- Binary representations: Filled/empty or raised/flat patterns
- References to Louis Braille: Or mentions of tactile reading
Common Braille Representations
Puzzle creators may show Braille as:
- Unicode characters: ⠁⠃⠉⠙⠑ (actual Braille Unicode)
- Dot numbers: "1" for A, "12" for B, "14" for C
- Binary grids: ●○ patterns in 3×2 arrangements
- Physical bumps: Raised elements on containers
Braille Contractions
Full (uncontracted) Braille spells out every letter. Contracted Braille uses shortcuts:
- Single cells can represent common words (THE, AND, FOR)
- Combinations represent letter groups (ING, TION)
Geocaching puzzles typically use uncontracted Braille for clarity.
Grade 1 vs Grade 2 Braille
- Grade 1: Letter-by-letter spelling (used in this tool)
- Grade 2: Includes contractions and abbreviations
History of Braille
Louis Braille, blinded in an accident at age 3, developed his system at age 15. He was inspired by Charles Barbier's "night writing" military code. Braille became the standard tactile writing system and is now used worldwide.
Related Encoding Tools
- Morse Code: Another system using patterns (dots and dashes).
- Semaphore: Visual signaling with flag positions.
- ASCII: Standard character encoding using numbers.