Braille to text translator
Paste Braille and get the plain text back instantly. This decoder reads Unicode Braille cells, dot numbers and Braille ASCII, expands Grade 2 contractions into full words, and understands the capital and number indicators. It all runs in your browser, so nothing you paste is ever uploaded.
Key takeaways
- Three input formats are detected automatically: Unicode cells, dot numbers and Braille ASCII.
- Grade 2 contractions come back as whole words: ⠮ reads as "the" and ⠿ reads as "for".
- The capital indicator ⠠ and the number indicator ⠼ are honoured, so ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ reads as "Hello".
- Free, no sign-up and no upload. The decoding happens on your own device.
How to use the decoder
Pasting Braille into the box above is the whole procedure. The output appears as you type, so there is no button to press and no waiting.
- Copy the Braille you want to read. It can come from a Braille display, a BRF file, an e-book or another converter.
- Paste it into the left-hand box. A label tells you which format was detected.
- Read the plain text on the right and copy it with the button below.
If you are starting from plain text instead, use the text to Braille converter. If you need the alphabet itself, the Braille alphabet chart lists every letter with its dot pattern.
The three input formats
Braille reaches a computer in three common shapes. The decoder recognises all of them on its own, so you do not have to pick an option first.
| Format | Looks like | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode Braille | ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ | Any modern screen reader, text editor or web page. This is the normal way Braille travels across the internet. |
| Dot numbers | 125 15 123 | Braille teaching materials and braille.org dot number references, where each cell is written as the numbers of its raised dots. |
| Braille ASCII | HELLO | BRF files and older computer Braille, where every cell is a plain ASCII character code. |
Dot numbers accept several separators, so you can paste them exactly as you found them. All of these read
as "hi": 1-2-5 2-4, 125 24 and 125/24. A slash marks a blank cell.
Indicators the decoder understands
Braille is not a simple one-to-one substitution. Special cells change how the cells that follow them are read, and the decoder applies each of these rules.
| Indicator | Braille | Dots | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | ⠠ | 6 | The next cell is read as a capital letter. |
| Capital word | ⠠⠠ | 6, 6 | The whole word is read in capitals. |
| Number | ⠼ | 3-4-5-6 | The following cells are read as digits. |
That means ⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ decodes as "Hello", ⠠⠠⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ as "HELLO" and ⠼⠃⠚⠃⠋ as "2026". The number indicator stays in force until a space or a letter ends it, so "page 12" is ⠏⠁⠛⠑ ⠼⠁⠃ with a single indicator before the two digits.
Why one cell can mean two things
English Braille reuses cells. The cell ⠓ is the letter "h", but standing on its own it is also the contraction for "have". The cell ⠮ is the contraction for "the". A reader resolves this from context: a contraction only applies when it stands alone as a whole word.
The decoder follows the same rule, which is why ⠓⠑⠇⠇⠕ reads as "hello" while a lone ⠓ reads as "have". Capitalisation settles the rest: a capital indicator in front of a single cell always means the letter, so ⠠⠊ reads as "I" and never as "in".
Some pairs stay genuinely ambiguous in the standard itself. The cell ⠾ carries "with", "every" and "just", while ⠺ carries "will". When that happens the decoder shows the most common reading. If you need the alternative, the Grade 1 versus Grade 2 guide explains how contractions work in full.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert Braille back to text for free?
Yes, and this page is the tool. There is no limit on how much you paste, no account to create and no upload of what you type. Everything is decoded in your browser with JavaScript.
What is the difference between Braille to text and text to Braille?
A text to Braille converter encodes written words into tactile cells, while a Braille to text translator does the reverse. The reverse direction is what you need to read Braille from a screen reader, to check a transcription, or to turn a BRF file back into readable words.
Does the decoder work with Grade 2 contracted Braille?
Yes. Whole-word contractions are expanded back into full words, so ⠮ becomes "the", ⠿ becomes "for" and ⠯ becomes "and". Part-word contractions used inside longer words are not expanded, because the rules for those depend on the surrounding text.
Can it read dot numbers?
Yes. Paste cells written as dot numbers, one group per cell, such as "125 15 123". Hyphens and slashes work as separators too, and a slash also marks a blank cell. Dot numbers are the notation used in most Braille teaching charts.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. The decoder runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript, so what you paste never leaves your device. That matters when the text is a private message, a medical note or a confidential document.