Honestly, the cursive s is a bit of a rebel. You’re gliding along, looping your l’s and swinging your g’s, and then suddenly, you hit this weird, slanting triangle that doesn't look anything like its printed cousin. It’s the black sheep of the Spencerian and Palmer methods.
Most people give up right here.
If you look at a standard lowercase s in print, it’s a balanced curve. In cursive? It’s a sharp ascent followed by a belly that tucks back into itself. It’s one of the few letters that requires a complete shift in hand logic. Mastering the cursive s isn't just about penmanship; it's about understanding how flow and friction work together on the page.
The Anatomy of a Proper Cursive s
Why does it look so weird? Well, historically, the letter was designed for speed. When pens were quills or dip pens, lifting the nib was the enemy. The cursive s was engineered to be a "closed" loop that stays low to the baseline, allowing the writer to rocket into the next letter without losing momentum.
You start at the baseline.
You push upward at a slant, usually around 45 degrees. When you reach the "midline" or the "header," you don't loop over like an o. Instead, you pause—just for a microsecond—and then curve back down toward the starting point. This creates a little "belly." The most important part, the part that everyone messes up, is the "tie-back." You have to bring that curve back to the original upward stroke to close the letter before swinging out to the next one.
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It’s a tiny, muscular movement. If you’re lazy with the tie-back, your s looks like an r. If you’re too wide with the belly, it looks like an o that’s had a very long day.
Common Mistakes That Make Your Writing Unreadable
I’ve seen a lot of "doctor handwriting" in my time. Usually, the culprit is a collapsed cursive s.
- The "Open Belly" Syndrome: This happens when you don't bring the curve all the way back to the stem. It leaves a gap. To a reader, this looks exactly like a lowercase u or a messy i.
- The Overshoot: People get excited and take the initial stroke too high. If your s passes the midline, it starts competing with your t’s and l’s. Keep it short.
- The Pointy Top: While the top should be a sharp turn, it shouldn't be a jagged spike. A slight, soft peak is what gives the letter its grace.
The Great Capital S Debate
Now, the uppercase cursive S is a different beast entirely. It’s a grand, sweeping gesture. While the lowercase version is shy and stays between the lines, the capital version wants to be the star of the show.
It starts with a massive upward swing from the baseline, loops at the very top, and then swoops down in a large, graceful curve that crosses back over itself. It’s almost calligraphic by nature. In the Palmer Method—which was the standard in American schools for decades—the capital S was often taught as a series of rhythmic ovals.
The trick here is balance. If the top loop is too small, the letter looks top-heavy. If the bottom curve is too shallow, it looks like it's about to fall over. It’s all about the "lean." Every cursive letter should lean slightly to the right, but the cursive s needs that lean to stay legible.
Why We Still Bother With This in 2026
You might think cursive is a dead language. It’s not.
In fact, recent studies in neuroeducation, like those highlighted by researchers at the University of Washington, suggest that the "continuous flow" of cursive writing engages the brain differently than typing or even printing. When you write a cursive s, your brain is planning the transition to the next letter simultaneously. It’s a high-level cognitive task.
There’s also the matter of "graphic signatures." Your signature is your legal thumbprint. A signature that relies on the unique, fluid connections of a cursive s is significantly harder to forge than a series of disconnected print letters.
Plus, let’s be real: reading historical documents is impossible without it. If you want to read your great-grandmother's letters or archival records from the 19th century, you have to be able to spot that tiny, tucked-in s among the ink blots.
How to Practice Without Losing Your Mind
Don't just fill pages with the same letter. That’s boring and your hand will cramp. Instead, focus on "connection pairs." The cursive s is hardest to write when it follows a letter that ends high, like a b or a w.
Try writing the word "bus."
The b ends with a little tail in the air. You have to drop down slightly to start the cursive s. It feels clunky at first.
Then try "is."
The i leads perfectly into the bottom-up stroke of the s. This is where cursive feels like magic—when the letters seem to want to hold hands.
Actionable Steps for Better Penmanship
- Check your grip. If you're squeezing the pen like you're trying to choke it, your curves will be jagged. Loosen up. The pen should rest on your middle finger, held by the thumb and index.
- Slow down the "point." When you reach the top of the s, stop for a fraction of a second. This "stop-and-go" rhythm creates the sharp definition the letter needs.
- Mind the "tail." Every lowercase s needs an exit stroke. This is the bridge to the next letter. Make sure it starts from the "tie-back" point on the baseline, not from the middle of the letter.
- Use lined paper. It sounds elementary, but even experts use guides. You need to see where that midline is to keep your s consistent.
The cursive s is essentially the "final boss" of the cursive alphabet. It doesn't follow the rules of the other letters. It requires a bit of finesse and a lot of muscle memory. But once you nail that specific, tucked-in curve, the rest of your handwriting tends to fall into place. It’s the anchor of a good hand.
Master the Connection
To truly own this letter, spend five minutes today writing words that end in "ss," like glass or grass. Linking two cursive s characters together is the ultimate test of your spacing and slant. If you can make them look like identical twins, you've officially mastered the most difficult letter in the script. Focus on keeping the exit stroke of the first s as the entry stroke for the second. This fluid motion is what creates that classic, sophisticated look that print simply can't replicate.