Braille

American  

[breyl] / breɪl /

Also braille

noun

1. Louis 1809–52, French teacher of the blind.

2. a system of writing or printing, devised by L. Braille for use by the blind, in which combinations of tangible dots or points are used to represent letters, characters, etc., that are read by touch.

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verb (used with object)

Brailles, present (3rd person singular) Brailled, past participle, past Brailling present participle

1. to write or transliterate in Braille characters.

Braille ¹ British  

/ breɪl /

noun

1. a system of writing for the blind consisting of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch, each dot or group of dots representing a letter, numeral, or punctuation mark

2. any writing produced by this method Compare Moon

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verb

1. (tr) to print or write using this method

Braille ² British  

/ braj /

noun

1. Louis (lwi). 1809–52, French inventor, musician, and teacher of the blind, who himself was blind from the age of three and who devised the Braille system of raised writing

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Braille Cultural  

1. A system of writing and printing for the blind in which arrangements of raised dots representing letters and numbers can be identified by touch.

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Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have Brailled
  perfect
• has Brailled
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is Brailling
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are Brailling
  progressive
• has been Brailling
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• Brailles
  singular 3rd person
• have been Brailling
  perfect progressive
• Brailling
  participle
• am Brailling
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had Brailled
  perfect
• had been Brailling
  perfect progressive
• were Brailling
  progressive plural
• Brailled
  simple
• Brailled
  participle
• was Brailling
  progressive singular

Future

• will Braille
  simple
• will have Brailled
  perfect
• will have been Brailling
  perfect progressive
• will be Brailling
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of Braille

First recorded in 1850–55

Explanation

The raised printing that can be felt with the fingers and read that way by people who are blind or visually impaired is called braille. Braille appears as a system of embossed dots, a tactile language that can be learned by those with limited vision. Books, articles, and letters can all be transcribed into braille by hand or with the help of a braille typewriter. You might see braille printed on elevator buttons, apartment numbers, and in other public places. The writing system gets its name from its inventor, Louis Braille, who developed it at the age of 15.

Example Sentences

The Ojai has sliding doors and offers riders more legroom, three screens and accessibility features such as Braille.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Her lobbying on equal access for disabled children led to the final Harry Potter book being released in Braille on the same day as the print version.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025

Some of her hidden messages are so complex, she said, they are crafted "upside down, backwards in Braille".

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2025

Away from the arts he spent than a decade volunteering at the Braille Institute where, during his playing days, he spent time reading to blind men and women.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

Inside the second package: a fat stack of pages with Braille on the cover.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr