Braille Typing Speed Test
Free Online Braille Keyboard – Type the Braille Alphabet in Unicode
Welcome to the braille keyboard online — a free virtual keyboard that types real Unicode braille patterns. Press a key and you get its braille cell: A becomes ⠁, B becomes ⠃, Z becomes ⠵. The full Grade 1 alphabet is here, with punctuation, the number sign and the capital sign.
A system invented by a teenager. Louis Braille, blind from a childhood accident, studied at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. There he met Charles Barbier's "night writing", a twelve-dot military code for reading messages in the dark. He cut the cell down to six dots and published his own system in 1829.
How a braille cell works. Each cell holds six dot positions in two columns of three, numbered 1, 2, 3 down the left and 4, 5, 6 down the right. A letter is simply which dots are raised: A is dot 1, B is dots 1-2, C is dots 1-4. Six positions give 64 combinations.
Numbers and capitals. Braille has no separate digits or capital letters. The first ten letters double as 1 to 0 once the number sign ⠼ precedes them, so ⠼⠁ reads as 1 and ⠼⠁⠚ as 10. The number sign sits on the backquote key, with the capital sign ⠠ on its Shift layer.
This is Grade 1 braille. Grade 1, or uncontracted braille, spells every word out letter by letter — how the alphabet is taught and how names are written. Grade 2 adds around 180 contractions, single cells standing for whole words like "the" or "and", and is what most published braille uses. This keyboard produces Grade 1.
What these characters are, and are not. The output is the Unicode Braille Patterns block, U+2800 to U+28FF, which Unicode extended to eight dots and 256 shapes for computer braille. These are pictures of braille cells: most screen readers will not announce them as words, and they are not an embossable BRF file. Accessible text means plain words, which a screen reader or a refreshable braille display converts itself.
How to use it. Click the on-screen keys or type on your physical keyboard, hold Shift for the capital sign and a second set of punctuation marks, then hit the copy button. It suits learning and drilling the alphabet, braille-styled graphics and labels, teaching and accessibility demonstrations, and puzzle or escape-room design.
Your privacy is guaranteed – all typing happens 100% locally in your browser. Nothing you write is sent to a server, stored, or logged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this braille keyboard actually produce?
Unicode braille pattern characters from the U+2800 block. Each key inserts the cell for that letter, digit or mark — A gives ⠁, B gives ⠃, Z gives ⠵ — so the result is plain text you can copy and paste into any document, message or design tool.
Will a screen reader read this as braille? Is it real braille?
The dot patterns are genuine and correct, but they are visual characters, not accessible text. Most screen readers will not announce them as words, and they cannot be sent to an embosser as a BRF file. For accessible content, write normal words — assistive technology converts those to braille itself.
What is the difference between Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille?
Grade 1 is uncontracted: every word is spelled out letter by letter, which is how beginners learn and how names are written. Grade 2 is contracted, using roughly 180 shortforms where one cell stands for a whole word or group of letters. This keyboard types Grade 1.
How do I type numbers in braille?
Type the number sign ⠼ from the backquote key, then use the letters A to J, which double as the digits 1 to 0. So ⠼⠁ is 1, ⠼⠑ is 5 and ⠼⠁⠚ is 10. The number row on this keyboard gives you those same ⠁ to ⠚ cells directly.
How do I mark a capital letter?
Braille has no separate capital letters. Instead you place the capital sign ⠠ in front of the letter you want capitalised. On this keyboard it is the Shift character on the backquote key, sharing that key with the number sign ⠼.
Who invented braille and when?
Louis Braille, who had been blind since early childhood, published his six-dot system in 1829 while studying in Paris. He built it by simplifying Charles Barbier's twelve-dot "night writing", a code designed so soldiers could read messages without light.
How do I write my name in braille?
You can spell it letter by letter here, remembering the capital sign ⠠ for the first letter. If you would rather have it converted for you in one step, our <a href="/name-in/braille">name in braille</a> converter turns any name into braille cells automatically.
Is this braille keyboard free?
Yes, completely free. There is no cost, no registration, no account, and no limit on how much you type. The site is supported by advertising, which is what keeps the keyboard free to use for everyone.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. The layout is responsive and works on Android and iOS phones, tablets, Chromebooks, Windows and macOS. On a touchscreen you tap the cells directly, which makes it an easy way to practise the braille alphabet anywhere without installing anything.
Keep Practicing
Open the keyboard layout or explore more typing tests.