The Cursive Alphabet (A–Z)

Every cursive letter, uppercase and lowercase, shown in a flowing handwriting style. Use it as a reference for how each cursive letter is written — then use the cursive text generator on the homepage to copy and paste anywhere.

Uppercase Cursive Letters

A A

B B

C C

D D

E E

F F

G G

H H

I I

J J

K K

L L

M M

N N

O O

P P

Q Q

R R

S S

T T

U U

V V

W W

X X

Y Y

Z Z

Lowercase Cursive Letters

a A

b B

c C

d D

e E

f F

g G

h H

i I

j J

k K

l L

m M

n N

o O

p P

q Q

r R

s S

t T

u U

v V

w W

x X

y Y

z Z

How to Write Cursive Letters

Cursive letters are written with connected, flowing strokes rather than lifting the pen between each letter. Most letters start on the baseline, loop up, and join into the next letter. The classic features to notice in the alphabet above are the looped ascenders on b, d, h, k, and l, the descender loops on g, j, p, q, and y, and the entry and exit strokes that let each letter connect to its neighbours.

Start with lowercase. Lowercase cursive letters connect more naturally and are easier to learn first.
Practice the connectors. The small joining strokes between letters are what make writing look truly cursive.
Keep a consistent slant. A gentle, even right-hand slant gives cursive its signature look.
Capitals are more decorative. Uppercase cursive letters have larger loops and flourishes — they take a little more practice.

Ready to practice? Generate a free printable cursive worksheet with any name or word, or read our guide on how to write in cursive.

Letters That Trip Learners Up

A few letters in the cursive alphabet are reliably the hardest to learn. Lowercase r and s have shapes that don't match their print counterparts — r starts with a small humped entry, and s uses a closed loop where print writing uses an open curve. Lowercase z ends with a descender loop that doesn't appear in its straight-line printed version. Among capitals, Q often surprises beginners because it looks more like a stylised 2 than the print letter, and F, T, and S have decorative entry strokes with no parallel in print. Spending an extra session or two on just these letters speeds up the rest of the alphabet.

Why the Cursive Alphabet Still Matters

Cursive isn't required by most US school curricula anymore, but it hasn't disappeared. Several states — Texas, California, North Carolina, Ohio, and others — have added it back into elementary standards over the past few years. Beyond the classroom, cursive shows up in everyday adult life: reading older family letters, signing legal documents, addressing wedding invitations, and decoding handwritten recipes from grandparents. Research from the University of Washington and Indiana University has also linked cursive practice to improved reading comprehension and fine motor development in young children. Learning the cursive alphabet is the foundation that makes all of this possible, and tracing the letters above is the fastest way to start.

Want cursive you can use online instead of by hand? The cursive text generator on the homepage turns anything you type into cursive you can copy into Instagram, Discord, and more, and the handwriting generator renders any text in real cursive fonts and downloads as a PNG.