Cursivealphabet

Aa Bb Cc…

Cursive Alphabet: Uppercase & Lowercase Cursive Letters

All 26 letters of the alphabet in cursive, written stroke by stroke. Pick a letter or type a word, switch fonts to compare styles, or print a cursive writing practice sheet.

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How to write cursive, letter by letter

Pick a letter or type a word, choose a font, and watch it written stroke by stroke. Replay it as often as you like and follow along on paper.

Or pick a letter

Font

School cursive, written the way it's taught in class.

Tips and practice words for cursive A →

How to learn the cursive alphabet: lowercase letters by stroke family

The fastest way to learn cursive is to group the 26 lowercase cursive letters by the stroke they start with. Handwriting teachers call these stroke families: undercurve, loop, downcurve and overcurve. Master one family at a time and every letter in it will feel familiar, because they all begin the same way.

Work through the families in the order below. Practice each letter on handwriting lines, then join the letters into short words before moving on. Tap any letter to see how to write it stroke by stroke.

  1. Step 1: Undercurve letters

    Start with a swing up from the baseline, like the bottom of a bowl.

    The undercurve is the first stroke most children learn. Begin on the baseline and sweep up and to the right to the midline before forming the letter. Cursive i, t, u and w are the easiest place to start; r and s look the least like their print forms, so practice them slowly.

    Tip: Keep every upstroke at the same slant so your letters lean together.

    Practice words: it, us, wish, trip

  2. Step 2: Loop letters

    Swing up and loop back down. Keep the loops open and slanted the same way.

    Loop letters rise above the midline. Cursive e is a small loop that stays between the baseline and the midline; l, h, k, b and f use a tall loop that reaches the top line. Lowercase f is the only cursive letter with loops both above and below the baseline.

    Tip: Close each loop with a straight downstroke, not a curve, to keep b, h and k readable.

    Practice words: bell, life, hike, feel

  3. Step 3: Downcurve letters

    Start just below the midline and curve down and around to the left, like a 'c'.

    Every downcurve letter is built on a cursive c. Write the c shape first, then close it for a and o, add a tall stem for d, or drop a descender for g and q. Once your c is round and even, this whole family of cursive lowercase letters falls into place.

    Tip: Make the oval first, then add the stem, so a, d, g and q stay the same size.

    Practice words: cool, dog, goad, quad

  4. Step 4: Overcurve letters

    Start with a hump over the top, like a little hill, then come straight down.

    Overcurve letters begin with a small hill. Cursive n has one hump and m has two; v and x start the same way before changing direction. Lowercase y and z finish with a loop below the baseline, which links neatly into the next letter.

    Tip: Keep the humps of n and m the same height, and don't let them turn into points.

    Practice words: man, zoo, yummy, vex

Ready for capitals? Uppercase cursive letters follow the same strokes but start at the top line. Open any letter, from cursive A to cursive Z, to see the uppercase and lowercase forms side by side, or print a cursive alphabet worksheet.

Tips for neat cursive handwriting

  1. Keep a consistent slant. Tilt your paper about 30° (left for right-handers, right for left-handers).
  2. Lowercase letters fill the space between the baseline and the dashed midline. Loops and capitals reach the top line.
  3. Don't lift your pen inside a word. Dot your i's, cross your t's and x's, then move on.
  4. Practice joining tricky pairs like "br", "os", "we" and "ve", where the bridge stroke sits at the midline.
  5. Ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week.

Frequently asked questions

What is cursive?

Cursive is a style of handwriting where the letters of a word are joined, so you write it without lifting your pen. Cursive writing is faster than print and is still taught in many schools.

How do you write a in cursive?

Lowercase cursive a starts with a downcurve: draw a small c-shaped oval up to the midline, close it, then pull straight down and finish with an undercurve that joins the next letter. See the cursive A page for an animated stroke-by-stroke guide.

How many letters are in the cursive alphabet?

26, the same as the print alphabet. Each one has an uppercase and a lowercase form, so there are 52 letterforms in all.

What is the easiest way to learn how to write cursive?

Learn lowercase letters in stroke families: undercurve letters (i, t, u, w), loop letters (e, l, h, k, b, f), downcurve letters (a, c, d, g, o, q) and overcurve letters (n, m, v, x, y, z). Practice each family on lined paper, then join letters into short words.

Which cursive letters are the hardest?

Lowercase r, s, z and f, and uppercase G, Q and Z, are usually the hardest because they look the least like their print forms.

Can I print cursive alphabet worksheets?

Yes. Open the worksheet maker, choose a font and letters, and print. The tracing letters print in light gray on handwriting guide lines.