Cursive W (Capital & Lowercase)
Cursive W is really two letters' worth of motion in one. The capital W in cursive has a starting hook, two rounded dips and a shorter middle peak, while the lowercase w is two cups that end with a small bridge at the midline instead of an exit at the baseline.
Here you'll find both forms on handwriting lines in the traditional US school style, a clear stroke guide for each, the most common slips, practice words and a free worksheet.
Only need a W that looks like cursive for a bio or a team name? The copy symbols are a little further down.
- Cursive Script
- Bold Cursive
How to Write a Capital W in Cursive
- Start with a hook. Begin just below the top line on the left and curl up to touch it, the same opening you use for U and V.
- Make the first dip. Slant down to the baseline and round off the bottom smoothly.
- Rise to the middle peak. Swing up again, but stop about halfway between the midline and the top line. The middle peak is shorter than the two outer strokes.
- Make the second dip. Come back down to the baseline in a second rounded bottom, the same size as the first.
- Climb and curl. Swing all the way up to the top line and finish with a short curl to the right.
How to Write a Lowercase w in Cursive
- Start at the midline. From the end of the previous letter, or a short entry stroke, arrive at the dashed midline.
- First cup. Pull down to the baseline, round off and swing back up to the midline.
- Second cup. Retrace down the stroke you just made, round off on the baseline again and rise to the midline.
- Keep the cups even. Both cups should be the same width and both peaks should touch the midline.
- Finish with the bridge. End with a small curl to the right at the midline. The next letter hangs from this bridge.
Common Mistakes With Cursive W
A cursive w goes wrong mostly in its count and its ending. Check for these.
- Ending at the baseline. A w that finishes low reads as a u with an extra cup. Always end at the midline with the bridge.
- Three cups instead of two. The lowercase w has two cups plus a bridge. A third cup makes it look like uu or a scribble.
- A tall middle peak on the capital. If the middle stroke reaches the top line, the capital W turns stiff and printed. Keep it lower than the sides.
- Sharp points. Pointy bottoms make the w look like a zigzag. Round every turn on the baseline.
- Uneven cups. One wide and one narrow cup is the main reason a w looks wobbly in a word.
- A drooping bridge. If the bridge sags, the next letter starts too low and the join looks broken.
How Cursive W Connects to Other Letters
In this traditional style the capital W does not join the next letter. It ends with a curl at the top line, so you lift your pencil and start the next letter separately, as in Will and Wales.
The lowercase w finishes at the midline, so the letter after it starts high. In swim the bridge from the w glides straight into the i. Before an e or an a, the bridge dips just slightly into the next letter.
Coming into a w after an o works the same way: the bridge from the o runs along the midline into the first cup of the w, as in flower. That gives you two bridges in a row, so keep both short and level.
Copy and Paste Cursive W Symbols
These W characters are part of Unicode's script and italic sets. They look handwritten and paste into most apps, but every symbol is separate, so they won't connect like true cursive.
| Style | Capital | Lowercase |
|---|---|---|
| Cursive Script | ๐ฒ | ๐ |
| Bold Cursive | ๐ฆ | ๐ |
- ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐น
- ๐ฒโด๐๐นโฏ๐
- ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฝโฏ๐
- ๐ฒโด๐
Words That Start With W
The w changes the start of the next letter, so practice it in front of different vowels and consonants.
- Short words: we, win, web, wet, wax, way, wow, wish
- Longer words: water, window, winter, wonder, wallet, welcome, weather, whisper
- Middle w and after o: swim, flower, power, towel, snow, below, follow, tower
- Names and places: Will, Wendy, Walter, Willow, Wales, Warsaw, Wyoming, Wednesday
Words that start with wh, like whisper and white, are perfect drills. The h has to hang from the bridge and still reach the top line.
Printable Cursive W Practice Worksheet
Print the sheet and trace the faint letters first, then write your own on the empty lines. Count the cups in every lowercase w you write: two, then the bridge.
The sheet prints on its own, without the rest of this page, on US Letter or A4 paper.
Cursive W practice
Name: ______________________Date: ____________
fontwix.com ยท Cursive W
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write a capital W in cursive?
Start with a hook below the top line, slant down to a rounded dip on the baseline, rise to a shorter middle peak, dip to the baseline again, then climb to the top line and finish with a small curl to the right.
How many humps does a cursive lowercase w have?
Two cups, followed by a small bridge at the midline. The bridge is not a third cup, it's the connection to the next letter.
Does cursive W connect to the next letter?
The lowercase w always does, from the midline. The capital W in this traditional style ends at the top line, so you lift before the next letter.
Why is W called double u?
The letter grew out of two u's (or v's, which were once the same letter) written side by side. You can still see that in cursive, where the w looks like two cups joined together.
How do I type a cursive W?
Copy ๐ฒ or ๐ from this page. To turn a whole word into script, use the fancy text generator.