Some Helpful Tips for Memorizing the Braille Alphabet (Part 2 n to z)

Braille is still an important skill to have in your toolkit if you are blind or have low vision. In this post I will share more tips for memorizing the braille alphabet. You can get an introduction to braille and read my tips for memorizing letters a to z here.

Letter n (dots 1, 3, 4 and 5)

The letter n in braille kind of feels like a lopsided print n. I don’t have a number memory trick for this letter.

Letter o (dots 1, 3 and 5)

This is an easy letter to remember because it feels like half of an o. I also remember it is the right side of the letter o.

Letter p (dots 1, 2, 3 and 4)

The letter p is easy to remember as it is numbers 1-4 and it also feels exactly like a print letter p. I definitely suggest that you get a set of tactile or raised print letters because it will help as a lot of the braille shapes are similar to the way they are written in print.

Letter q (dots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

The letter q in braille is easy to remember as it is made by adding 1 extra dot to the letter p which is dot 5.

Letter r (dots 1, 2, 3 and 5)

I don’t have a fun trick to remember the letter r. The way I think of it is that it is similar to p and q in braille.

Letter s (dots 2, 3 and 4)

The letter s in braille is an interesting shape. I remember this letter because it is very similar to the letter t as you will see below.

Letter t (dots 2, 3, 4 and 5)

You can see that t is very similar to a. I also think it feels like a print t with a slanted top.

Let’s take a break from the alphabet. Here is an example of a refreshable braille display.

Letter u (dots 1, 3 and 6)

This letter kind of feels like a half print letter u.

Letter v (dots 1, 2, 3 and 6)

This letter is like an upside down braille p and p and v kind of rhyme so this is what helps me remember this letter.

Letter w (dots 2, 4, 5 and 6)

The braille w is actually a backwards braille r, this can be confusing but this actually helps me remember this letter.

Letter x (dots 1, 3, 4 and 6)

This letter is another easy one to remember. I think of the 4 corners that a print letter x has. The x is different from the letter g as the dots are spaced apart in the x but they are close together in the g shape.

Letter y (dots 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

Letters y and z are two of the harder letters for me. I think of y as a full braille cell minus 1 dot. Sorry, this is all I have got. Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions.

Letter z (dots 1, 3, 5 and 6)

I try to remember that z is similar to y minus dot 4. It kind of feels like a print z in some ways but maybe that is only in my head.

Some extra thoughts

I hope that you have found these tips helpful when it comes to memorizing the braille alphabet. Braille literacy is an important and helpful skill that will help those who are blind or have low vision reach their full potential in education and employment.