Let’s be real for a second. The cursive "s" is the black sheep of the alphabet. You’ve got your "a" and your "o" which basically look like their printed cousins, and then you hit the "s" and everything falls apart. It doesn't look like an "s." It looks like a little sail or a weirdly squashed triangle. Honestly, it’s the one letter that makes people want to give up on penmanship entirely and go back to typing everything in Comic Sans.
Learning how to write s in cursive is less about following a rigid rulebook and more about understanding the flow of your hand. Most of us were taught the Zaner-Bloser or D'Nealian methods in third grade, and then we immediately forgot them because, well, life happened. But there is a genuine, rhythmic beauty to a well-executed cursive "s" that connects smoothly to the rest of a word. It’s the difference between your handwriting looking like a frantic doctor’s note and looking like something worth framing.
The Anatomy of the Lowercase S
The lowercase "s" is a bottom-dweller. It stays between the midline and the baseline, never venturing up into the attic like a "t" or "l." You start at the baseline. You’ve got to slant upward, heading toward that midline, but don't just go straight up. It needs a bit of a curve, a gentle lean to the right.
Once you hit the midline, you’re making a sharp turn—not a 180-degree flip, but a curved descent back toward the starting point. This is the "belly" of the letter. If you make it too fat, it looks like an "o" gone wrong. Too thin, and it’s just a line. The trick is to bring that curve back until it just barely touches the initial upward stroke.
Then comes the "tail." You can't just stop. Cursive is about connection. You flick that tail back out to the right, ready to grab the next letter. This tiny exit stroke is what distinguishes a sloppy "s" from a professional one. If you're writing the word "island," that tail has to transition perfectly into the "l." It’s all about the hand-off.
Why the Uppercase S is a Different Beast Entirely
Now, the capital "S" is where things get fancy. And by fancy, I mean potentially frustrating. While the lowercase version stays small and humble, the uppercase cursive "S" is a grand, sweeping gesture.
You start at the baseline and sweep all the way up to the top line. But here’s the kicker: most traditional styles require a loop at the top. You swing around, come back down in a large, graceful curve, and then—this is the part everyone messes up—you cross back over the original stem.
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It looks like a stylized musical clef. It’s dramatic. It’s bold.
But here’s a secret: many modern cursive writers skip the complex loop. If you look at the Spencerian script—a style developed by Platt Rogers Spencer in the mid-19th century—the "S" has a very specific, almost bird-like elegance. Spencerian was the standard for American business writing for decades before the more simplified Palmer Method took over. The Palmer Method stripped away the "extra" flourishes to make writing faster. In the Palmer version, the capital "S" is more utilitarian. It’s still recognizable, but it’s built for speed, not just for looking pretty on a wedding invitation.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Flow
People overthink the "s." They really do. They try to draw it instead of writing it. When you draw a letter, your hand is tense. Your grip on the pen becomes a literal death grip. That leads to "shaky hand syndrome," where your lines look jagged and uncertain.
One major mistake is making the "point" at the top of the lowercase "s" too sharp. It’s not a needle. It’s a pivot. Another issue is the "gap." If you don’t bring the belly of the "s" back to touch the upward stroke, it looks like a "u" or a weird "r." In cursive, closed loops should be closed.
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- The Grip: Hold your pen lightly. If your knuckles are white, you’re doing it wrong.
- The Slant: Consistency is more important than the actual angle. If your "s" slants at 45 degrees but your "i" is vertical, the word looks "broken."
- The Paper: Don't practice on blank printer paper. Use lined paper. You need those boundaries to train your muscle memory.
The Connection Game
Cursive isn't just a collection of letters; it’s a string of energy. The hardest part of learning how to write s in cursive is figuring out how it plays with others.
Take the word "less." You have two "s" characters in a row. You finish the first one with that little exit flick, and that flick becomes the entrance stroke for the second one. It should feel like a wave. Up, around, touch, flick, up, around, touch, flick.
If you’re connecting an "s" to an "o" or a "v"—letters that end at the midline—you have to adjust. You don't go back down to the baseline. You bridge across. This is "advanced" cursive, the kind of stuff they didn't spend enough time on in school. Mastering these bridges is what makes your writing legible. If you don't get the bridge right, "so" can easily look like "se" or just a smudge of ink.
Is Cursive Still Relevant?
You might wonder why we're even talking about this in 2026. Everything is digital. We have haptic feedback keyboards and AI that can mimic our handwriting perfectly.
But there’s a cognitive link between the hand and the brain that typing just doesn't replicate. Dr. Virginia Berninger, a researcher at the University of Washington, has spent years studying this. Her research suggests that handwriting—especially cursive—engages different brain circuits than typing. It helps with fine motor skills and, surprisingly, with idea generation. When you write an "s" in cursive, you're not just selecting a character; you're creating a shape.
There's also the historical aspect. If you can't write cursive, you probably can't read it very well either. Imagine looking at your great-grandmother's letters or original historical documents and seeing nothing but "squiggles." Learning the "s" is a small step toward maintaining a connection to the handwritten past.
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Practical Steps to Master the S
Don't try to write a whole novel in cursive today. You'll get frustrated and your hand will cramp. Start small.
- Trace first. Get a template. There are a million free PDFs online from reputable sources like the Peterson Directed Handwriting site. Trace the "s" fifty times. Feel the path.
- Focus on the "swing." Spend five minutes just making the upward entrance stroke. Over and over. Get the slant right.
- The "Belly" Check. Practice the downward curve. Ensure it touches the midline and returns to the stem.
- Slow down. Speed is the enemy of form. In the beginning, you should be moving your pen at a snail's pace.
- Change your pen. Sometimes a ballpoint is too "slippery." Try a gel pen or a fine-liner. They provide a bit more "tooth" or resistance against the paper, which gives you more control.
A Quick Note on Lefties
If you’re left-handed, writing cursive "s" (or anything else) can be a nightmare because you’re pushing the pen instead of pulling it. You also run the risk of smearing the ink as your hand follows the line.
Lefties often find it easier to tilt the paper significantly to the right. This allows for a more natural arm movement. Don't try to mimic the "right-handed slant" perfectly. Your "s" might be more vertical, and that’s perfectly fine. Legibility and comfort trump "perfect" form every single time.
Honestly, the best cursive is the one that you can actually read. If your "s" looks a little unique, call it "character." As long as it functions within the word and flows from the previous letter to the next, you've won the battle.
Actionable Next Steps
Ready to actually do this? Forget the fancy parchment for now. Grab a cheap legal pad and a pen that feels good in your hand.
- Drill the Lowercase: Write the letter "s" 20 times in a row. Don't worry about speed. Just worry about the touchpoint where the belly meets the stem.
- The "Double S" Challenge: Write words like "glass," "boss," and "issue." This forces you to practice the connection, which is the hardest part.
- The Signature Test: Most people use a capital "S" in their signature or at the start of sentences. Practice a capital "S" that feels natural to you—decide now if you want the top loop or a simpler, more modern peak.
- Consistent Slant: Use a ruler to draw light diagonal lines on your paper if you have to. Use them as a guide to keep your "s" leaning at the same angle as your other letters.
Handwriting is a muscle memory game. You didn't learn to walk in a day, and you won't master the cursive "s" in five minutes. But once you get that rhythmic "up-around-flick" motion down, it becomes second nature. You'll stop thinking about the letter and start thinking about the words. That's when the magic happens.
Stop reading and go find a pen. Practice five "s" characters right now on the back of an envelope or a sticky note. That's how you actually start.