How to Write the English Alphabet: From A to Z

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Simple visual steps to master the written alphabet

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• Sample Alphabets and Practice Page
|
• Uppercase Print Letters
|
• Lowercase Print Letters
|
• Cursive Letters
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips

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Writing all 26 letters of the English alphabet can seem like a challenge. But if you are going to master the English language on the page, you will need to be able to use the alphabet to form words and sentences. Whether you are teaching yourself or your child how to write the letters of the English alphabet, it's important to start slow and practice each letter until they are easy to write. Get started with this complete guide on writing letters A to Z!

Things You Should Know

• Use a piece of wide-ruled lined paper to practice your letters. The lines will help you to write the letters evenly and uniformly.
• Practice both uppercase and lowercase letters in print. Then, learn cursive letters.
• Start with the first letter of the alphabet. Write an uppercase letter A by drawing two angled vertical lines that meet at the top: /\. Draw a horizontal line between them: A.

Steps

Sample Alphabets and Practice Page

Sample Handwriting Practice Page

Sample Lowercase Alphabet

Sample Uppercase Alphabet

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Uppercase Print Letters

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1. 
   1
   Take out a piece of lined paper. Wide-ruled lined paper will help you write each letter evenly and uniformly. It will also help to distinguish the difference in size of the upper case and the lower case letters.

   • If you are teaching your child how to write the alphabet, interact with them as they write each letter.
   • Once they finish writing the letter “A” and the letter “B”, for example, ask them about the differences between each letter.
   • This will help your child remember each letter and start to get a sense of the different shapes of each letter.
2. 
   2
   Make the letter A. Draw one angled vertical line facing right: /. Draw another angled vertical line facing left: \ and ensure both lines touch each other at the top upper tips: /\. Draw a horizontal line in the middle of the two lines: A. This is A.
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3. 
   3
   Practice the letter B. Draw one vertical line: | . On its right side, draw two half-bubbles, going down the line: B. This is B.
4. 
   4
   Try the letter C. Draw a half-moon, with an opening on the right: C. This is C.
5. 
   5
   Make the letter D. Draw a vertical line: |. Then, starting at its top right, draw a backward C (step 3): D. This is D.
6. 
   6
   Practice the letter E. Draw one vertical line: |. Draw three horizontal lines, all on the right side of the first line, each 1/3rd shorter than the original (if you want, make the middle line shorter than the lines on the top and bottom). One goes on top, one in the middle, one on bottom: E. This is E.
7. 
   7
   Try the letter F. Draw an E (step 5), but omit the bottom horizontal line: F. This is F.
8. 
   8
   Make the letter G. Draw a C (step 3). Then, draw a horizontal line halfway through the opening of the C and a vertical line to connect the horizontal line to the bottom of the C: G. This is G.
9. 
   9
   Do the letter H. Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, draw a horizontal line in the middle, connecting them: H. This is H.
10. 
    10
    Try the letter I. Draw one vertical line: |. If desired, put two short horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the vertical, placing them so the vertical connects them in the middle of the horizontal lines. This is I.
11. 
    11
    Practice the letter J. Draw a backward-facing fish hook: J. This is J.
12. 
    12
    Make the letter K. Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw two lines, starting from the right-hand side, each starting from the middle. One angles up, the other down: K. This is K.
13. 
    13
    Make the letter L. Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a shorter, horizontal line on the bottom right: L. This is L.
14. 
    14
    Try the letter M. Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, starting from the inner, top tips, draw two shorter angled lines that touch 1/2 way in the middle: M. This is M.
15. 
    15
    Practice the letter N. Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, draw a line that starts from the inner top tip of the left line, and angle it so it touches the other line on the inner bottom tip: N. This is N.
16. 
    16
    Make the letter O. Draw a full moon: O. This is O.
17. 
    17
    Try the letter P. Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a 1/2 bubble on the right side upper tip that touches the middle of the vertical line: P. This is P.
18. 
    18
    Do the letter Q. Draw a full moon: O. Then, on the near-bottom right, draw a vertical line angling right, part-way in the O, and part-way out: Q. This is Q.
19. 
    19
    Practice the Letter R. Draw a P (step 16). Then, starting from where the bottom 1/2 bubble touches the vertical line, draw a small line angling right and down: R. This is R.
20. 
    20
    Make the letter S. In one stroke, draw a squiggly line headed left, then right, then left (like drawing 1/2 of an 8): S. This is S.
21. 
    21
    Do the letter T. Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a shorter, horizontal line on top: T. This is T.
22. 
    22
    Make the letter U. Draw the shape of a horseshoe, with the open side facing up: U. This is U.
23. 
    23
    Try the letter V. Draw two vertical lines next to each other, but, angle the left one to the right and down, and the right one to the left and down: V. This is V.
24. 
    24
    Practice the letter W. Draw two V's (step 22) next to each other: W. This is W.
25. 
    25
    Do the letter X. Draw one angled line down and to the right. Draw another angled line up and leaning right: X. This is X.
26. 
    26
    Try the letter Y. Draw a small V (step 22) on the top half of the line. Then, where the two lines meet, draw a vertical line down: Y. This is Y.
27. 
    27
    Make the letter Z. In one stroke, draw a horizontal line, then a vertical line that angles downward left, then a horizontal line to the right: Z. This is Z.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Lowercase Print Letters

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1. 
   1
   Practice the letter a. Draw a circle on a piece of lined paper. When you get to the spot where you started the circle, make a small tail. |This is a.
2. 
   2
   Make the letter b. Draw a vertical line: | , and then a lowercase, backward c that joins the vertical line. This is b.
3. 
   3
   Try the letter c. You write c the same way whether it is in uppercase or lowercase, but if you are writing lowercase, make your c smaller than an uppercase C, so it's the same size as the other lowercase letters. This is c.
4. 
   4
   Make the letter d. Lowercase d is written like a backward b (step 2 under lowercase). Draw a vertical line, and then to the left of it, draw a lowercase, backward c. This is d.
5. 
   5
   Try the letter e. You draw lowercase e with quite a few curves. First, draw a short, horizontal line in the middle of the space. Curve it up and around to make a c shape, with a line in the middle. This is e.
6. 
   6
   Make the letter f. Draw a curve, and bring it down in a vertical line. Just above the middle of the letter, draw a short horizontal line across the vertical one. This is f.
7. 
   7
   Practice the letter g. Draw a c, and then an upside-down lowercase f (step 6 under lowercase, without the horizontal line in the middle) below it. This is g.
8. 
   8
   Try the letter h. Draw a vertical line, then about halfway up add a curved line that goes down to the bottom. This is h.
9. 
   9
   Make the letter i. Draw a vertical line, then put a dot on top of it. This is i.
10. 
    10
    Practice the letter j. Same as uppercase J, but make it lower down in the line of writing and put a dot on top of it. This is j.
11. 
    11
    Try the letter k. Same as uppercase K, except the lines angling up and down do not quite reach the top. This is k.
12. 
    12
    Practice the letter l. Draw one vertical line. You can stop here or add a small curved tail at the bottom right. This is l.
13. 
    13
    Make the letter m. Draw a straight line. Starting from a little under the top, on the right, make a hump that goes to the top, curves downward ("spills water", not "holds water"), and goes back down in a straight line. Then retrace the straight line and make another hump in the same way. This is m.
14. 
    14
    Do the letter n. Same as lowercase m (step 13 under lowercase), but make only one hump. This is n.
15. 
    15
    Make the letter o. Same as uppercase O, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. This is o.
16. 
    16
    Try the letter p. Same as uppercase P, but lower on the line of writing. This is p.
17. 
    17
    Make the letter q. Like a backward lowercase p (see step 16 under lowercase). This is q.
18. 
    18
    Practice the letter r. Draw a straight line. Starting from a little under the top, make a small curved line heading to the right and curving down ("spills water"). This is r.
19. 
    19
    Make the letter s. Same as uppercase S, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. This is s.
20. 
    20
    Try the letter t. Same as uppercase T, except here the horizontal line is a little under the top, instead of at the very top. Also, if you want, you can curve the vertical line upward at the very bottom ("holds water") on the right. This is t.
21. 
    21
    Make the letter u. Make an uppercase U the size of the other lowercase letters, but add a straight line on the right and put a small "tail" at the bottom of that line. This is u.
22. 
    22
    Try the letter v. Same as uppercase V, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. This is v.
23. 
    23
    Practice the letter w. There are two ways to do this one. Either write an uppercase W the size of the other lowercase letters, or write two uppercase U's next to each other, making them the size of the other lowercase letters. In fact, this letter's name is pronounced "double u". This is w.
24. 
    24
    Try the letter x. Same as uppercase X, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. This is x.
25. 
    25
    Make the letter y. Draw a lowercase v (see step 22 under lowercase), but at the point where the lines meet, draw a line that continues the right line of the v. This is y.
26. 
    26
    Try the letter z. Same as uppercase Z, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. This is z.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cursive Letters

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1. 
   1
   Use a piece of lined paper. Lined paper is especially useful when learning how to write the alphabet in cursive, as the loops and dashes of cursive can be difficult to complete without the use of lines as a guide.

   • When learning how to write cursive letters, start with lowercase letters first, followed by uppercase letters. Lowercase letters are more accessible and will give you a beginner’s sense of how to write cursive letters.
2. 
   2
   Draw the letter a. Start with a downward slope, making a lowercase O shape. At the top left side of the O, draw a line sloping downward and curving out at the end. This is a.
3. 
   3
   Make the letter b. Make an upward slope and then loop it around as you make a downward slope. Continue the downward slope to make a lowercase U shape. End the U with a small curve to the right side. This is b.
4. 
   4
   Practice the letter c. Start with a curve in the center of the page. Slope downward in a circle and then end the slope with a long slope towards the right side of the paper. The slope can move upward at the end of the letter. This is c.
5. 
   5
   Try the letter d. Make a round, lowercase O shape. Then, draw a vertical line from the top of the page down the meet the right ride of the O. Curve the slope out at the bottom towards the right side of the paper. This is d.
6. 
   6
   Make the letter e. Start with a slope upward to the middle line of the paper. Make a loop and then end the letter with a long slope towards the right of the paper. This is e.
7. 
   7
   Do the letter f. This is one of the more challenging letters, so don’t be afraid to practice it several times. Start with a long slope upward, forming the beginning of a lowercase b. Bring the bottom of the loop downward to form another loop underneath the lowest line on the paper. Draw the end of the loop towards the right side of the paper in an upward curve. This is f.
8. 
   8
   Practice the letter g. Start with a round O shape. At the bottom right side of the O, add a slope that moves downward, underneath the last line of the paper and then curves back upward. This is g.
9. 
   9
   Do the letter h. Make an upward slope to form the beginning of a lowercase b, with a long slope that loops and then draws downward. At the end of the downward vertical line, add an upside-down lowercase u shape. This is h.
10. 
    10
    Try the letter i. Make an upward slope to the middle line in the paper, then bring the slope downward from the center to the bottom right of the paper. Place a dot over the middle point, where the two lines meet. This is i.
11. 
    11
    Make the letter j. Draw an upward slope to the middle line of the paper. Then, bring the slope downward, past the last line of the paper. Loop the bottom of the slope and bring it upwards, towards the right of the paper. This is j.
12. 
    12
    Do the letter k. Do an upward slope to form the beginning of a lowercase b, with a long slope that loops and then draws downward. At the end of the downward vertical line, slope back up to form a lowercase O shape. Draw a line from the bottom of the O shape downward to the right of the paper. This is k.
13. 
    13
    Draw the letter l. Draw a slanted upward line and then loop down to create a downward line that curves to the right of the paper. This is l.
14. 
    14
    Do the letter m. Make a small, narrow, upside-down lowercase u. At the end of the upside down u, slope back up to create another upside down u. End with one more upside-down u. This is m.
15. 
    15
    Practice the letter n. Create a small, narrow upside-down lowercase u. At the end of the upside down u, slope back up to create another upside down u. This is n.
16. 
    16
    Make the letter o. Make a round, sloped circle. At the top of the circle, draw a curve upward to the right of the paper. This is o.
17. 
    17
    Try the letter p. Start from the bottom line of the page. Make a small slope upward and then slope downward to make a loop underneath the bottom line of the page. Draw a slope upward to form a lowercase O shape. End with a slope from the bottom of the O shape that curves upward to the right side of the page. This is p.
18. 
    18
    Do the letter q. Make a round O shape, similar to how you drew the lowercase letter "a" in cursive. On the right side of the O shape, draw a line downward and form a loop underneath the last line on the page. Then, draw a line from the top of the loop to the middle line of the page. This is q.
19. 
    19
    Make the letter r. Start with an upward slope to the middle line of the page. Make a small vertical line to the right from the top of the upward slope. Curve down from the end of the slope to the bottom line. This is r.
20. 
    20
    Try the letter s. Make a curved line upwards to the middle of the paper. At the top of the curved line, make a rounded line downwards until it meets the bottom of the first line. End with a curved line upwards. This is s.
21. 
    21
    Do the letter t. Make a vertical line upward and then draw downward over the same vertical line. End the downward vertical line by curving upward to the right of the page. Draw a small horizontal line in the middle of the vertical line. This is t.
22. 
    22
    Practice the letter u. Start with an upward slope from the bottom line to the middle line. Make a curve downward and then make another curve upward. This is u.
23. 
    23
    Make the letter v. Start with a slope upward from the bottom line to the middle line and then make a curve downward to form a pointed u shape. Finish with a small curve to the right of the page. This is v.
24. 
    24
    Try the letter w. Create two u’s, joined together. Make an upward slope from the bottom line to the middle line. Then, make a curve downward and then another curve upward. Repeat this again and end with a vertical curve to the right of the page. This is w.
25. 
    25
    Do the letter x. Create a loose, sideways z then draw a straight line angled from the bottom left to the top right through the z. This is x.
26. 
    26
    Make the letter y. Start with a slope upward from the bottom line to the middle line. Then, curve back downward to create a loose u shape. At the end of the u, make a slope that curves downward and loops underneath the bottom line of the page.

    • Finish by drawing the slope at the end of the loop upward to the right of the page. This is y.
27. 
    27
    Practice the letter z. A cursive z does not look like a printed z. Start with a slope from the bottom line to the middle line that forms a curve that is leaning to the right.

    • At the end of the curve, make a curve that rises up and then slants downward, underneath the bottom line of the page.
    • Make a loop underneath the bottom line and then finish with a curve upward towards the right of the page. This is z.
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  With the collection of few words, your sentence will be formed. If you are writing cursive don't forget to join letters while making words, and after completing a word, leave some space too. It will help your writing look good and clean.

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  How can I improve my writing?

  

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  Practice it. You can also have someone read your writing to you. The ear is usually better at catching mistakes than your eyes are.

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  Why do so many people want to learn cursive when it's completely useless in the real world?

  

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  It is not completely useless; lots of people use it at work. Others just want to have nice handwriting.

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Tips

• Practice every day in your spare time to make progress. Also, taking a handwriting class would be helpful.
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• Once you get this down, try putting letters together to form words. For example: Combine steps 20, 8, and 5, to make THE. Combine steps 3, 1, and 20, to make CAT. Or, steps 1, 20, and 5 to make ATE. Put these three words together to form a sentence: THE CAT ATE.
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• Do not include the periods or commas after each step when writing each letter.
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• Make sure you practice correctly and don't take any shortcuts when you're first learning. Over time, it'll become easier and you won't have to go step by step for each letter.
• When writing in the calligraphy or cursive styles, write in a smooth way. Don't force the letters but try to let them flow, especially as you become more practiced.
• Once you get more advanced, you can try writing your letters in fun styles like bubble or 3D block letters.

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