F in Cursive: How to Write It
The lowercase f is the classic cursive troublemaker: it's the only letter that lives both above the headline and below the baseline. Get the two loops and the crossbar in the right places and it becomes one of the most satisfying letters to write. The sample on this page is rendered in an open-source cursive font — your hand will develop its own version.
f
The letterforms on this page are rendered in Cedarville Cursive, an open-source font — school styles like Zaner-Bloser or D'Nealian differ in details. Treat the steps as the source of truth for stroke order; let the sample show you one possible shape.
Write it step by step
- 1Start on the baseline. Curve up and slightly back as you rise toward the headline — the upward stroke leans a little left.
- 2At the headline, loop over to the left and pull straight down. Keep going well past the baseline into descender territory — f is the only lowercase letter with a head loop and a tail loop.
- 3At the bottom of the tail, curl left, loop under, and swing back up to the baseline. End with a small exit stroke to the right — this is what connects f to the next letter.
- 4Finish with the crossbar: a short horizontal stroke through the stem around x-height, roughly midway between the baseline and the headline.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Crossing too high. The crossbar belongs near x-height — cross near the top and the f reads like a fancy t.
- Shrinking the descender. If the bottom loop stays above the baseline, the tail has nowhere to form and the f looks like an unfinished l.
- Bulging the stem. The downstroke between the two loops should be straight; a wavy stem is the number one giveaway of an untrained f.
Practice words
fluffy · office · careful · before · griffin
Turn this letter into a practice sheet
Opens a cursive tracing sheet with this lesson's words filled in. Download the PDF and print it.
See this letter on the alphabet chart and download the sheet →
Frequently asked questions
Why is the cursive f so hard?
It's the only lowercase letter with both a head loop and a tail loop, so your hand has to run two opposite loops in one motion, then remember the crossbar. Slow repetition of the full stroke — up, down, under, cross — builds the muscle memory faster than writing whole words.
Does a cursive f connect to the next letter?
Yes. The under-loop at the bottom swings up to the baseline and exits to the right, so f connects to every letter that follows it. The connection out of f feels awkward at first because the exit comes from below the line — slow down for one or two words and it clicks.
Should the crossbar be part of the main stroke?
In most school styles the crossbar is a separate stroke added after the body. Some writers cross on the way up during the final under-loop — it saves a pen lift but produces a slanted, inconsistent bar. Pick one way and stay consistent across the page.
Voice to Handwriting · voicetohandwriting.online