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hover over each letter

Braille Course

Lesson 1 of 14

The Braille Cell

How the six-dot cell is arranged and numbered.

Learn

Every braille character lives inside one “cell” — six dot positions arranged in two columns of three.

The left column holds dots 1, 2, 3 (top to bottom); the right column holds dots 4, 5, 6. Raising different dots creates every letter, number, and symbol. Let’s write a few to feel how position works.

  • Adots 1A single top-left dot — dot 1.
  • Cdots 1 4The whole top row — dots 1 and 4.
  • Ldots 1 2 3The whole left column — dots 1, 2, 3.
Your Turn

Write It Yourself

Braille is read by touch and written dot by dot. Recreate each character below in the writer — the best way to make it stick.

  1. A — current
  2. C
  3. L

Character 1 of 3

Write:A

Keys F D S and J K L (or 1–6) raise dots · Enter checks

Practice

Keep Practicing — Dot Explorer

Finish writing the characters above, then this practice activity will help it stick.

Tip There’s no need to memorize everything now — you’ll build the cell up letter by letter.