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How practice works

There are two skills, each with its own decks and its own reviews. Read shows a braille cell and you pick what it says. Write shows a letter or word and you enter its dots.

Each session gives you up to 8 items: reviews that are due first, then new ones. A new item shows its dots, numbered; copy it. The next day it comes back without them, to answer from memory.

Each time you answer from memory quickly and without a mistake, the wait before you see it again doubles: 2 days, 4, 8, 16, 32. A slow answer or a wrong try keeps it where it is; three wrong tries, "Show me", or skipping brings it back the next day.

Writing with a keyboard

Braille keyboards, like the Perkins brailler and the braille input in screen readers, put one finger on each dot. Rest your fingers on F D S (dots 1, 2, 3) and J K L (dots 4, 5, 6), press the keys for a cell together, and let go. The cell is entered when the last key comes up.

On a phone or tablet, tap the dots on screen, then Enter.

Common questions

Which braille is this?

Unified English Braille (UEB), the standard in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and most English-speaking countries. The first decks are uncontracted (Grade 1): one cell per letter. The Grade 2 decks add contractions, where one cell stands for a word or a group of letters.

Can I learn to read braille by touch here?

No. A screen can only show braille, so you learn to read it by sight. That's how most sighted learners use braille: parents and siblings of blind children, teachers and aides, and transcribers. Reading by touch takes practice with real embossed braille.

Why are capitals missing?

The letter decks show each letter's cell on its own. In UEB a capital letter has the capital sign (dot 6) in front of it; the letter pages explain it.

Do I need an account?

No, for letters, numbers and punctuation. Words and the Grade 2 decks need a free Google sign-in, which also keeps your progress on every device.

Does it cost anything?

No. Braille a Day is free to use.