How to Write Cursive

Cursive is making a comeback so if you’re here, you’re choosing the perfect time to learn it. In fact, you’re right on time as many states are making it mandatory for schools to teach and evaluate cursive. So don’t get behind!

You might say well I’m not in school anymore so it don’t matter, but yes it does. After years of not teaching it to children, they’re finally understading the power of handwriting and more specifically cursive on the brain. So no, it’s not just about pretty handwriting.

Learning cursive can improve fine motor skills, boost brain development, and help you write faster by keeping the pen moving. It also adds a personal touch to your writing, showing off your unique style in a way typing never could.

Before we start, let’s talk about what you’ll be writing with and on.

• Paper: Start with lined or grid paper. It helps keep your letters even and aligned.
• Pen: Use a smooth pen like a gel pen or a fine-tipped marker. Avoid ballpoints for now, they require too much pressure.
• Stylus/Apple Pencil 
• Tablet
• Positioning: Tilt your paper slightly (10–20 degrees) to the left if you’re right-handed, or to the right if you’re left-handed. This helps your wrist glide and gives your letters that signature cursive slant.

Let’s start with what I like to call “wave strokes.”

Short Wave Stroke create small, connected humps. Start at the bottom line, curve up, then down, then up again. Each curve should be smooth and gentle and no sharp angles!

Long Wave Stroke are taller versions that reach up to the top line. Same smooth motion, but with more height.

Practice these strokes repeatedly until they feel natural. The key here is creating smooth, flowing movements without lifting your pen.

Upward Lines: These form the backbone of letters like ‘l’, ‘b’, and ‘h’. Start at the bottom and pull smoothly upward.

Downward Lines: Used in letters like ‘p’, ‘g’, and ‘j’ – these descend below the baseline.

Curves: Both concave (curving inward) and convex (curving outward) curves are essential for letters like ‘a’, ‘c’, and ‘e’.

Loops: These add character to letters like ‘b’, ‘d’, and ‘f’. Make them consistent in size and shape.

Now that your hand is warmed up with basic strokes, let’s start with lowercase letters. These form the majority of what you’ll write, so they’re our priority.

Start Simple

Begin with letters that use the strokes you’ve already practiced:

• ‘a’: Start with a small circle, then add a connecting line
• ‘c’: A simple curve that opens to the right
• ‘e’: Like ‘c’ but with a small loop
• ‘l’: A simple upward stroke with a small curve at the bottom.

Building Muscle Memory

Practice each letter repeatedly. Don’t worry about speed, just focus on forming each letter correctly. Your hand needs to memorize these movements, and that takes time and patience.

Key Tips for Lowercase Success

• Keep your letters consistent in size
• Maintain the same slant throughout
• Focus on smooth connections between strokes

Now for the uppercase cursive letters

Start with Familiar Shapes

Begin with uppercase letters that look similar to their print versions:

• ‘C’: A large, graceful curve
• ‘O’: A flowing oval
• ‘V’: Two smooth strokes meeting at the bottom
• ‘W’: Like ‘V’ but with an extra peak

Don’t be Scared of the Flourishes

Many uppercase cursive letters have beautiful flourishes – decorative strokes that add elegance. Don’t be intimidated by these! They’re just extensions of the basic strokes you’ve already learned.

Here’s where cursive really comes alive: connecting letters together to form words. This is what makes cursive flow like a beautiful river across your page.

Practice Common Letter Pairs

Start with letter combinations you see frequently:

• ‘or’: Practice connecting the ‘o’ to the ‘r’ smoothly
• ‘an’: The ‘a’ should flow naturally into the ‘n’
• ‘ing’: A very common ending that needs smooth transitions

Or you can try our combinations in Writey and then move the connecting different letters.

Tricky Connections

Some letter pairs need extra attention:

• ‘be’: The ‘b’ to ‘e’ connection can be challenging
• ‘ve’: Making the ‘v’ flow into ‘e’ requires practice

Remember: the tail of one letter should blend seamlessly into the beginning of the next. Think of it as one continuous line with letter shapes along the way.

Cursive is all about flow. Unlike print, you don’t pick your pen up between each letter. It’s a one-line symphony.

Start combining pairs like:

• or
• an
• ing

Then move to common words like:

• the
• and
• but

Watch where each letter ends and where the next begins. Think of it like passing the baton in a relay race, no awkward stops.

All of this also depends on which cursive font you want to learn. You can find out which one is best for you in Writey. We have three cursive fonts and each covers one cursive level: Simple Cursive perfect for anyone who wants to begin the learning process or just wants to add a little flair to their handwriting.

Cursive font for the medium level hardness, more complicated than Simple Cursive, and simpler than Cursive Pro.

Cursive Pro is for those of you brave enough to jump into something complex yet absoloutely beautiful. I personally LOVE Cursive Pro and it’s the one I’m trying to learn.

Now comes the exciting part – putting it all together to write complete words!

Start with Simple Words

Begin with short, common words becasue trust me you’ll just get annoyed if you start with difficult words. Learning to write your own first and last name is also fun and makes it feel personal so I’d also recommend that.

Important Technique Tips

• Write the entire word before dotting ‘i’s or crossing ‘t’s
• Keep your pen moving smoothly, don’t pause mid-word
• Maintain consistent letter size throughout the word
• Keep your slant uniform from first letter to last

As you can see in Writey, we’ve created an amazing and useful collection of words you can practice without trying to find the good ones or googling. Just download the app and start! 

Once you’re comfortable with individual words, it’s time to create beautiful sentences. 

Sentence Practice Tips

• Plan your sentence before you start writing
• Maintain consistent spacing between words
• Keep your baseline straight (the imaginary line your letters sit on)
• Use proper punctuation marks

Developing Your Personal Style

As you become more comfortable, you’ll naturally develop your own cursive style. This is wonderful! While maintaining the basic letter forms, small variations in slant, size, and flourishes make your writing uniquely yours.

The secret to beautiful cursive is consistency:

• Slant: All letters should lean at the same angle (usually 45-60 degrees)
• Size: Lowercase letters should be uniform in height
• Spacing: Keep consistent space between letters and words
• Pressure: Apply even pressure throughout your writing

Don’t worry if you encounter some challenges along the way! Every cursive writer faces these challenges and I promise it’s completely normal.

“My letters look messy”

Solution: Slow down! Speed comes with practice. Focus on forming each letter correctly rather than writing quickly.

“I can’t keep my letters the same size”

Solution: Use lined paper with guidelines. Practice writing between the lines consistently.

“My connections are awkward”

Solution: Practice letter pairs separately before attempting full words. Remember, the connection should be one smooth motion.

“My hand gets tired quickly”

Solution: Take breaks! Stretch your fingers and wrist. Build endurance gradually – even 10-15 minutes of daily practice helps.

Here’s a simple routine to help you improve:

5 minutes: Warm up with basic strokes 10 minutes: Practice individual letters (focus on 3-5 letters per session) 5 minutes: Work on letter connections 10 minutes: Write complete words and sentences

Remember: consistency is more important than duration. Daily practice, even for just 15 minutes, will lead better results than occasional long sessions.

Here’s a simple routine to help you improve:

5 minutes: Warm up with basic strokes 10 minutes: Practice individual letters (focus on 3-5 letters per session) 5 minutes: Work on letter connections 10 minutes: Write complete words and sentences

Remember: consistency is more important than duration. Daily practice, even for just 15 minutes, will yield better results than occasional long sessions.

Learning cursive doesn’t have to be boring! Try these engaging activities:

• Write letters to friends or family members
• Copy favorite poems or quotes
• Create your own cursive quotes for your room
• Practice writing song lyrics (great for muscle memory and Writey’s My Texts section is amazing for this!)
• Keep a cursive journal

Now that you know the how, let me show you where to put all this into action!

Well I’ve already spoiled it, but yeah Writey, the best app for learning and mastering cursive (and no, this isn’t a sales pitch, honeslty it’s just the truth).

I know, I know… there are a ton of writing apps out there. But our Writey is different. It’s basically a full-on handwriting classroom for you. Here’s why:

• It teaches you cursive one step at a time, from strokes to full sentences, just like we did here.
• It works beautifully with styluses, so it actually feels like you’re writing on paper.
• It includes smart worksheets that adapt to your skill level.
• You can zoom in, practice tracing, and even switch languages, yep, multilingual handwriting courses included!
• It’s perfect for both kids and adults, no matter your skill level.

It dones’t matter you’re a beginner looking to improve or someone just brushing up after years away from cursive, Writey will hold your hand through it all (virtually, of course). It’s easy, intuitive, and honestly, kind of addictive.

Want to go even deeper? I highly recommend you check out this blog post:

Writey has not one, not two, but THREE distinct cursive styles. Let’s talk about each one:

Simple Cursive is super simple (surprise!), neat, and easy to read. The letters are rounded and a little bit connected, but not too fancy or loopy, just enough to feel smooth and natural. It looks a bit like neat handwriting you’d use in a notebook, perfect for learning or practicing without feeling overwhelmed.

If you’re just starting out, the regular Cursive font is clean, modern, and perfect for beginners building muscle memory.

For those of you ready for more elegance, Cursive Pro give you sophisticated curves and polished details inspired by Parisian calligraphy.

Click on the picture for a surprise! 🙂

Writey’s each section AND Smart Worksheets guide you through everything in the right order, so you never have to wonder what to practice next. The app includes:

• Training Section: Perfect warm-up exercises with loops, curves, and twists
• Letters Section: Every single letter comes with a tracing animation that loops over and over until you’re ready to try it yourself

• Numbers Section: Because cursive numbers are just as important as letters
• Practice Words: Hundreds of words organized from A to Z

What makes Writey special is its Stars System to Reward Your Handwriting. Each lesson comes with three stars at the top, starting off empty. As you work through your writing exercises, Writey tracks how precise and accurate your work is. This gamification makes practice engaging and helps you track your progress.

My Texts. You can type in anything; A quote you love, a birthday message, something from your journal, and practice writing it in cursive with different pens. This feature transforms your practice from boring drills into meaningful writing that connects to your life.

• Multi-language Support: Practice cursive in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, French, and Portuguese
• Left-Handed Support: Special accommodations for left-handed writers
• Ad-Free Experience: No interruptions during your practice
• Zoom Functionality: Write at whatever size feels comfortable

When you feel ready, Writey’s My Texts and My Practice Papers sections are perfect for testing what you’ve learnied so far.

My Practice Papers sections, you have totally blank sheets where you can freestyle, doodle, or write whatever you want. No rules.

Let’s be real: cursive is having a comeback. And those who get it? They’re already ahead, writing with elegance, boosting their focus, and impressing everyone from teachers to bosses to TikTok followers.

Meanwhile, you’re still… scrolling? So we’re gonna do something about it TODAY, righttt?

Let’s accept that Cursive isn’t just about pretty loops. It’s a kind of skill that sets you apart, makes you look put together, feel more creative, and honestly, makes writing fun again. It’s calming. It’s expressive. It’s you, but on paper.

So why wait? Start with a few strokes. Try a word. Then a sentence. Before you know it, you’re the one people ask, “How is your handwriting that nice?”

And if you’re not using Writey yet? Just know: thousands of others already are. Practicing smarter. Writing better. Leveling up. 

We’re constantly updating the app, adding more fonts, languages and more (hint! Maybe some games-like learning?)!

Don’t get left behind.

Writey is ready when you are. But maybe don’t wait too long.