Cursive letters / S
Cursive S: capital and lowercase s
Cursive S climbs from the baseline to the headline, makes a small top loop, then swings down the right in a big curve and curls back inside itself. Lowercase s climbs from the baseline to a point just above the midline, drops in a rounded curve, tucks back, and exits along the baseline.
Specimen
Capital S and lowercase s in traditional school cursive.
Copy and paste cursive S
Paste-ready script letters for a bio, caption, or text: 𝒮 𝓈 𝓢 𝓼. More looks in the cursive generator.
Copy box
Script
𝒮𝓈
Bold script
𝓢𝓼
Italic
𝑆𝑠
Bold italic
𝑺𝒔
This is Unicode text, not a handwriting font. It will look different in every app.
Write
How to write S in cursive
Capital S
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Capital S, step by step
- Start on the baseline at the left. Make a long slanted upstroke to the headline.
- Turn left into a small loop that peeks above the headline and crosses the upstroke just below it.
- Come down the right side in a big round curve that reaches the baseline.
- Swing left along the bottom and curl up and inward, ending just above the baseline. Lift, so the next letter starts on its own.
The whole capital S in one read
Capital S starts on the baseline at the left. Make a long, slanted upstroke all the way to the headline. At the top, turn left and make a small loop that peeks just above the headline and crosses back over the upstroke a little below it. From the crossing, come down the right side in a big, round curve that bulges out past the midline and reaches the baseline. Swing left along the bottom and curl back up and inward, ending just above the baseline inside the curve. That inward curl is the end of the letter, so the next letter starts on its own.
Lowercase s
Watch the pen. Each number appears where its step starts; the steps below match.
Lowercase s, step by step
- Start on the baseline. Undercurve up to a small rounded point just above the midline.
- Come down the right side in a bulging curve to the baseline, then tuck back left toward the upstroke.
- Go back right along the bottom and curve up to exit.
The whole lowercase s in one read
Lowercase s starts on the baseline. Make an undercurve up and to the right until it reaches a small rounded point just above the midline. From that point, come down the right side in a curve that bulges out and rounds off at the baseline. Swing back left along the bottom and tuck the end in toward the upstroke without touching it. To join, go back along the bottom of the curve to the right and curve up into the next letter. The s is a single point with a round belly. It has no loop anywhere.
Join
Joining s to other letters
s into t
After the tuck, the s exit sweeps right along the baseline and climbs up into the t stem, meeting it partway up. The t stem comes down from about halfway between the midline and the headline, right over that climb, and ends in a small hook. Cross the t at the midline after the word is finished. There is no loop at the top of the t, and it stays well below the headline.
s into h
From the bottom of the s, the exit climbs much higher than it does for t. It rises past the midline all the way to the headline, loops left over the top, and comes straight down to the baseline as the h stem. From the baseline, go back up and make the h hump at the midline. The tall loop is what separates sh from st. Do not stop halfway.
s into o
The s exit sweeps up out of the tuck and runs into the left side of the o. Ride up that side to the top of the oval, just under the midline, then circle counterclockwise down and around until the oval closes. The o sits right against the belly of the s with no long connector. Keep the o as tall as the s point, not taller.
Watch for
Common cursive s mistakes
Adding a loop so s becomes e
The top of lowercase s is a point, not a loop. If you swing the upstroke over to the left and down, you close a little loop and the letter reads as e with an odd tail. Stop the undercurve at the point just above the midline and come straight down the right side. Only the capital S has a loop, and that one sits up at the headline.
Dropping the belly straight down into r
Lowercase r and s both start with a baseline climb past the midline. In r, a short shoulder steps right and a straight line drops down. In s, the stroke comes down from the point in a round, bulging curve and tucks back to the left. If your s has a flat step at the top and a straight drop, it reads as r. Round the belly out to the right.
Starting capital S at the top
Printed S starts at the top right and snakes down. This cursive S does not. It starts on the baseline at the left and climbs to the headline first, then makes a small loop and comes down the right side. If you start at the top, you lose the long upstroke and the loop, and the letter looks like a printed S or a backward 2. Start low.
Free cursive S worksheet
Sheets use Playwrite US Trad, a traditional US school cursive.
Free, no sign-up. The PDF builds in this browser.
Practicing more than one letter? Get all 26 in the Complete Cursive Workbook, $9.
Cursive S questions
How do you write a capital S in cursive?
Capital S starts on the baseline at the left. Make a long, slanted upstroke all the way to the headline. At the top, turn left and make a small loop that peeks just above the headline and crosses back over the upstroke a little below it.
How do you write a lowercase s in cursive?
Lowercase s starts on the baseline. Make an undercurve up and to the right until it reaches a small rounded point just above the midline. From that point, come down the right side in a curve that bulges out and rounds off at the baseline.
Does cursive capital S connect to the next letter?
No. Capital S ends on its own, so lift the pen and start the next letter with its normal entry stroke.
What is the most common mistake with cursive s?
Adding a loop so s becomes e. The top of lowercase s is a point, not a loop. If you swing the upstroke over to the left and down, you close a little loop and the letter reads as e with an odd tail.
Can I copy and paste a cursive S?
Yes. The copy box on this page gives you Unicode script letters (Ss) that paste into bios, captions, and messages. They look like cursive but are a font-style symbol, not handwriting. For a printed sheet, use the free S worksheet on this page.