Cursive S, uppercase and lowercase
Stroke stepsS in wordsPrintable practice sheet
Red line: baseline. Dashed line: midline, the top of short letters. Top blue line: the height of capitals. Both letters here are drawn from the outlines of one school-cursive typeface, so every size on this page is measured, not sketched.
Lowercase cursive s
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1Start on the baseline and curve up to the top of the letter. [1]
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2Turn at the top in a point, not a loop, then come down in a curve that swings out and back until it touches the baseline. [3][2]
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3Rise a little and close the letter against the first stroke. [2][3]
What the handwriting manuals say. The steps above use only these points; the letter drawn is the modern typeface, so small details of the old models differ.
“The first curve, like that in the r, commences at the ruled line, and rises on an angle of 39° to the hight of the letter.”
“diverges gradually from the first right curve, for a distance of two-thirds the length of the letter, then turning towards it, and still descending, touches the ruled line, and rises from this point one-fourth of a space, terminating with a dot on the first curve.”
“Small s should be pointed, not looped, at the top, and entirely closed on the base line.”
S in joined words
In cursive the s joins the letters on both sides of it. These words are set in the same typeface, which joins letters by itself.
- Sam
- sun
- seas
- Sister
- is
- US
How tall each letter sits on the lines
| Letter | Top of the letter | Bottom | Width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowercase s | 116% of the midline height (579 vs 500 units): the tip rises a little above the dashed line | on the baseline (-19 units) | 619 units including the lead-in stroke |
| Uppercase S | 109% of capital height (1087 vs 1000 units): the top loop passes the top line | on the baseline (-19 units) | 1008 units including the lead-in stroke |
Units are the typeface's own grid, 1,000 to the em. Read from the font file of Playwrite US Trad; see how these are made.
Practice sheet
One page, fits US Letter and A4. Two rows of each letter start with a dark model to copy, then letters to trace; two word rows; two empty rows for writing alone.