If you’ve ever tried to teach a third-grader how to write in script, you know the exact moment the crying starts. It isn’t the letter o. It isn’t even the dreaded z that looks like a mutated three. No, the real breakdown happens when they hit the cursive small letter s.
It’s weird. Honestly, it looks nothing like its printed cousin. While most lowercase cursive letters at least attempt to mimic their typed counterparts—think of how a d or a t stays relatively recognizable—the lowercase s decides to go its own way entirely. It’s a slanting, triangular little sail that requires a specific kind of muscle memory that feels totally counterintuitive at first.
Most people struggle because they try to draw it. You can't draw cursive. You have to flow it. The cursive small letter s is a lesson in tension and release, and if you get the angle wrong by even a few degrees, it ends up looking like a messy ink blob or a random checkmark.
The Anatomy of a Perfect Lowercase S
Let’s get into the weeds of how this thing actually works. You start at the baseline. Most people forget that. You don't start at the top. You lead in with a stroke that slants upward, usually at about a 45-degree angle, reaching toward the midline.
Once you hit that peak, it gets tricky. You have to curve it back down. But it’s not a round curve. It’s more of a "belly." You bring that stroke down toward the baseline, bowing it out to the right, and then—this is the part that trips everyone up—you tuck it back in to touch the original upward stroke.
Finally, you kick it out. That "tail" or exit stroke is what connects it to the next letter. Without that exit, your s is just a lonely triangle sitting on the line. Master penmen, like those who follow the Spencerian or Palmer methods, will tell you that the secret is all in the wrist. If you move your fingers too much, the letter gets cramped.
Why It Looks So Different From Print
Historically, we have the "long s" to blame for some of our modern confusion. You’ve seen it in old documents—the thing that looks like an f but is actually an s. While the cursive small letter s we use today isn't that "long s," the evolution of handwriting favored speed over legibility.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, business was done by hand. If you were a clerk, you needed to write fast. Lifting your pen was a waste of time. The looping, triangular shape of the lowercase cursive s developed because it allowed the hand to move upward and downward in one fluid motion without breaking the connection. It’s a shape born of efficiency, even if it looks like a riddle to a modern kid raised on tablets.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Handwriting
Most adults who still use cursive—and yes, we do exist—tend to get lazy with the "tuck." Instead of bringing the belly of the letter all the way back to the stem, they leave it open.
When you leave the cursive small letter s open, it starts to look like an r. This is the primary cause of "doctor handwriting" that nobody can read. If the bottom of the s doesn't close, the human eye reads the upward slant and the curve as the shoulder of an r. It’s a nightmare for transcriptionists.
Another big issue? Height. People make them too tall. A lowercase s should never peak as high as a t or an l. It needs to stay snug under the midline. If it pokes up too high, it throws off the "x-height" of your entire sentence, making your writing look erratic and nervous.
The Left-Hander’s Struggle
If you're a lefty, the cursive small letter s is your mortal enemy. Because you’re pushing the pen across the page rather than pulling it, that upward slant often ends up digging into the paper. Lefties often have to tilt their paper at an extreme angle—sometimes 90 degrees—just to get the "belly" of the s to look right without smearing the ink.
Some left-handed writers actually skip the traditional tuck-in entirely. They use a modified version that looks more like a printed s but with lead-in and lead-out lines. It’s a valid workaround. In the world of modern calligraphy, "legibility is king," as Margaret Shepherd often suggests in her work on penmanship. If the traditional way doesn't work for your hand, change the way.
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Is It Even Worth Learning Anymore?
There is a heated debate in school boards across the country about whether we should even bother with this. Some argue that in an era of AI and mechanical keyboards, teaching a child how to loop a cursive small letter s is as useful as teaching them how to churn butter.
But there’s more to it than just "pretty writing."
Neurologically, writing in cursive engages different parts of the brain than typing. A study by Dr. Karin James at Indiana University used MRI scans to show that the brain’s "reading circuit" lights up when children practice handwriting by hand, but not when they trace letters or type them. There’s a physical connection between the hand and the mind that happens during that complex, fluid motion of the s.
Plus, there’s the "National Archives" problem. If we stop teaching cursive, we are essentially locking the doors to our own history. If you can't read a lowercase s in a letter from your great-grandmother or in the original draft of a historical document, you're dependent on a translator. That’s a weirdly vulnerable place for a society to be.
Modern Calligraphy and the "S" Revival
Funnily enough, while it’s dying in some schools, it’s exploding on Instagram and TikTok. Professional calligraphers have turned the cursive small letter s into an art form. They use flexible nibs to create "line variation."
When you press down on the downstroke (the belly), the nib spreads, and you get a thick, juicy line of ink. When you move upward, you release the pressure for a hair-thin line. This contrast is what makes formal invitations look so expensive. It’s the same letter, but elevated from a classroom chore to a design element.
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How to Fix Your Own Cursive S
If you want to improve your handwriting as an adult, don't start by writing sentences. Start with the "slant."
- Get some lined paper. Better yet, get some French ruled (Seyes) paper. It has extra horizontal lines that help you keep your heights consistent.
- Practice just the upward stroke. Over and over.
- Add the "pointy top." Make sure it’s a point, not a loop. A looped s looks like a mess.
- Practice the "belly." Make it rounder than you think it needs to be.
- Close the gap. Touch the stem.
It feels like 3rd grade all over again, but 10 minutes of this is actually weirdly meditative.
Transitioning to Other Letters
The real test of a cursive small letter s isn't how it looks on its own. It’s how it handles the "si" or "st" connection. Because the s ends at the baseline, but a letter like i starts with an upward stroke, the transition is usually seamless. However, connecting an s to an o or a v requires a "bridge" stroke that can get messy if you aren't careful.
Basically, you have to ensure the exit stroke of the s doesn't lose its shape when it reaches for the next letter. Keep it low. Keep it consistent.
Actionable Steps for Better Penmanship
If you're serious about mastering the cursive small letter s, start by slowing down. Most of us write too fast because we’re trying to keep up with our thoughts. Cursive isn't for speed anymore; it's for intent.
- Switch your pen: Use a fountain pen or a high-quality gel pen (like a Pilot G2 or a Pentel EnerGel). Ballpoints require too much downward pressure, which makes the fluid curves of the s feel jerky.
- Check your grip: If you’re white-knuckling the pen, your s will look cramped and angry. Relax your hand.
- Focus on the baseline: The most important part of the letter isn't the top; it's the point where it touches the line. If your letters are "floating," the whole word looks sloppy.
The cursive small letter s might be a tiny thing, but it’s a perfect microcosm of why handwriting matters. It’s a mix of history, physics, and personal style. Whether you’re signing a check or writing a thank-you note, that little triangular shape says a lot more about your attention to detail than a standard Times New Roman font ever could.
Stop treating it like a chore. Treat it like a skill. Once you get that "tuck" right, everything else in your handwriting starts to fall into place. It’s the anchor of the lowercase alphabet. Master the s, and you’ve mastered the hardest part of the curve.
To truly improve, spend five minutes a day on "drills" focusing specifically on the connection between the s and vowels. Start with "sa," "se," "si," "so," and "su." This builds the muscle memory for the exit stroke, which is where most people fail. Consistency beats intensity every time when it comes to retraining your hand.