Blissary started as a way to make the BCI lexicon more accessible and useful online. It has since grown into something a bit more ambitious: a space to explore what Blissymbolics could look like as a living, modern language system.

Blissary and BCI

Blissymbolics Communication International (BCI) is the organization that governs Blissymbolics. They maintain the authorized vocabulary and publish the official symbol files.

Blissary is an independent project. The BCI Authorized view on this site presents their vocabulary faithfully. The Blissary View explores a different direction, looking at Blissymbolics as a compositional language system in its own right.

In the BCI Authorized view, the site includes modifications and additions to BCI dictionary data, such as spelling fixes and formatting adjustments (for example, correcting mismatched parentheses or replacing underscores with spaces), meta-level categorization such as character type, and clarification of explanations and comments. Metadata associated with entries is automatically stripped from search results.

The graphical representation may differ slightly, for example in kerning (spacing between characters), indicator placement, or background color (used to indicate part of speech).

In a small number of cases, the character drawings themselves have been adjusted where this is believed to correct an unintentional drawing error. In such cases, the entry is clearly marked with a note.

Two ways to explore the dictionary

The dictionary offers two views of the same symbol set:

BCI Authorized shows the vocabulary formally ratified by Blissymbolics Communication International. This is the established reference, widely used in AAC settings and the institutional standard for the language.

Blissary View is an exploratory perspective that looks at how symbols relate to each other and asks what a more compositionally consistent version of the language might look like. When compositions follow predictable patterns, the language becomes easier to learn and easier to expand. Over time, this kind of consistency could also make it possible for AI to work with Bliss in meaningful ways.

You can switch between views at any time. Both draw from the same underlying data.

Beyond the dictionary, Blissary includes tools for composing Bliss sequences and resources for building with Bliss in your own projects. All Bliss symbols on the site and in the downloadable file exports are rendered using bliss-svg-builder, an open-source library built as part of the Blissary project.

A personal project

Blissary is a personal project, but it doesn’t exist in isolation. The work is shaped by ongoing dialogue with people who have spent decades with Blissymbolics. It also draws on the original vision of Charles K. Bliss himself, who conceived of Blissymbolics not as a bridge to spoken language, but as a language in its own right.

If you have questions, suggestions, or corrections, the contact page is always open.