Letter Formation: How To Form Every Letter From A To z
Letter formation is the way a letter is written by hand: where the pencil starts, which way it moves, the order of the strokes and where it stops. Tap any letter to watch it formed the UK school way, with a start dot and arrows, then trace it or print a sheet.
On this page
- How Each Letter Is Formed
- What Is Letter Formation?
- What Does Correct Letter Formation Look Like?
- How To Form Each Letter From A To z
- Which Letters Are Formed The Same Way?
- Why Are There Two Ways To Write A Lowercase A?
- How Can Children Practise Letter Formation?
- What Should Children Manage By The End Of Year 1?
- Are Capital Letters Formed The Same Way?
- Questions About Letter Formation
How Each Letter Is Formed
How Each Letter Is Formed
What Is Letter Formation?
Letter formation is the sequence of movements a child makes to write a letter. It has four parts:
- The start point, where the pencil first touches the paper.
- The direction the pencil moves.
- The order of the strokes, including any lifts.
- The finishing point.
Get those four right and letters come out consistent, quick and ready to join later. Get them wrong and the habit sticks, which is why the DfE writing framework says teaching should be consolidated before moving on so children do not practise letters incorrectly.
What Does Correct Letter Formation Look Like?
Correct letter formation means each letter starts in the right place, moves in the right direction and sits on the line. Check five things:
- Nearly every letter starts at the top. The exception is e, which starts in the middle.
- Round letters go anticlockwise, like the letter c.
- Tall letters reach the top line and tails drop below the base line.
- Every letter sits on the base line, not above or below it.
- In pre-cursive, each letter ends with a small exit flick.
How To Form Each Letter From A To z
Each card gives the start point, the movement and the mistake children make most often. Family names follow BBC Bitesize. The four named families are explained further down.
How To Form The Letter A
The letter a starts at the top right of the letter, at two o'clock, and curls anticlockwise round to the line. Then it goes back up to the top and straight down the stem. It is a curly caterpillar letter.
Common mistake: drawing a circle first and adding the stem as a separate stroke.
How To Form The Letter b
The letter b starts at the top and goes straight down to the line. Then it goes back up the stem and round to the right to close the bowl. It is a one-armed robot letter.
Common mistake: drawing the bowl first. That is the movement of d, and it is where b and d get mixed up.
How To Form The Letter c
The letter c starts at two o'clock and curls anticlockwise round, stopping at the bottom right. One movement, no lifts. It is a curly caterpillar letter, and the curl it makes is the start of a, d, g, o and q.
Common mistake: starting at the bottom or curling clockwise.
How To Form The Letter d
The letter d starts with a c, curling round anticlockwise. Then the pencil goes up to the top and straight down the stem. It is a curly caterpillar letter.
Common mistake: starting with the tall stem and adding the bowl. That is a b movement.
How To Form The Letter e
The letter e starts in the middle of the letter. Go across to the right, then curl anticlockwise round over the top and down to the line. It is a curly caterpillar letter. Schemes differ on where e starts, so follow your school's model.
Common mistake: starting at the bottom, or drawing a loop.
How To Form The Letter f
The letter f starts just below the top right and curves back over the top, then goes straight down to the line. Lift the pencil and cross it at the middle line. BBC Bitesize lists f as a curly caterpillar letter, and some schemes group it elsewhere.
Common mistake: drawing the cross first, or making f as tall as l.
How To Form The Letter g
The letter g starts with a c curl. Then it goes straight down below the line and curls left to make the tail. It is a curly caterpillar letter.
Common mistake: drawing a circle and a separate line, or curling the tail to the right.
How To Form The Letter h
The letter h starts at the top and goes straight down to the line. Then it goes back up the stem, over the hill and down. It is a one-armed robot letter.
Common mistake: lifting the pencil instead of going back up the stem.
How To Form The Letter i
The letter i starts at the middle line and goes straight down to the line. Lift the pencil and add the dot last. It is a long ladder letter.
Common mistake: putting the dot on first.
How To Form The Letter j
The letter j starts at the middle line and goes straight down below the line, then curls left. Add the dot last. It is a long ladder letter.
Common mistake: curling the tail to the right.
How To Form The Letter k
The letter k starts at the top and goes straight down, back up the stem a little, out to the middle line, back in to the stem and out to the base line, all without lifting the pencil. It is a one-armed robot letter, and the one without a curve. Some schemes, Oak National Academy among them, make the arm with a small loop instead of a point.
Common mistake: leaving a gap between the arm and the stem.
How To Form The Letter l
The letter l starts at the top and goes straight down to the line. It is the simplest long ladder letter.
Common mistake: starting at the bottom and writing upwards.
How To Form The Letter m
The letter m starts at the middle line. Go down, back up and over the first hill, then down, back up and over the second hill and down again. It is a one-armed robot letter.
Common mistake: hills of different heights, or a lift between them.
How To Form The Letter n
The letter n starts at the middle line and goes down, back up, over the hill and down. It is a one-armed robot letter and the pattern for m.
Common mistake: starting at the bottom, or lifting instead of retracing.
How To Form The Letter o
The letter o starts at two o'clock and curls all the way round anticlockwise, closing where it began. It is a curly caterpillar letter.
Common mistake: going clockwise, or not closing the circle.
How To Form The Letter p
The letter p starts at the middle line and goes straight down below the line. Then it goes back up the stem and round to close the bowl. It is a one-armed robot letter with a tail.
Common mistake: drawing the bowl first. That is the movement of q and leads to p and q mix-ups.
How To Form The Letter q
The letter q starts with a c curl, then goes straight down below the line and flicks out to the right. It is a curly caterpillar letter with a tail, and the flick is what makes its tail different from g.
Common mistake: curling the tail the wrong way.
How To Form The Letter r
The letter r starts at the middle line and goes down to the line, back up and over a short arm. It is a one-armed robot letter.
Common mistake: an arm that is too long or too round.
How To Form The Letter s
The letter s starts just below the top right and curves left, then curves back to the right and down like a snake, finishing at the line. It is a curly caterpillar letter.
Common mistake: reversing the two curves.
How To Form The Letter t
The letter t starts at the top, lower than l, and goes straight down. Lift the pencil and cross it at the middle line. It is a long ladder letter.
Common mistake: making t as tall as l, or crossing it first.
How To Form The Letter u
The letter u starts at the middle line and goes down, curves round at the line and back up to the middle line. Then it goes straight down again. It is a long ladder letter.
Common mistake: missing the second downstroke.
How To Form The Letter v
The letter v starts at the top left and goes diagonally down to the line, then diagonally up to the top right. It is a zig-zag monster letter.
Common mistake: rounding the point, which turns v into u.
How To Form The Letter w
The letter w starts at the top left and goes down, up, down and up in two v shapes. It is a zig-zag monster letter.
Common mistake: rounded points or uneven peaks.
How To Form The Letter x
The letter x starts at the top left and goes diagonally down to the right. Lift the pencil, start at the top right and cross it going down to the left. It is a zig-zag monster letter.
Common mistake: drawing two v shapes instead of a cross.
How To Form The Letter y
The letter y starts at the middle line like u. Then it goes straight down below the line and curls left. BBC Bitesize lists y as a long ladder letter, and some schemes group it elsewhere.
Common mistake: curling the tail to the right.
How To Form The Letter z
The letter z starts at the top left, goes across to the right, then diagonally down to the left and across to the right again. It is a zig-zag monster letter.
Common mistake: writing it backwards or rounding the corners.
Which Letters Are Formed The Same Way?
UK schools group the 26 lowercase letters into families of letters that start in the same place with the same first movement. The table shows the four named families used by BBC Bitesize, which is the vocabulary most primary teachers know.
| Family | Letters | Shared first movement | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curly caterpillar | c a d g q o e s f | A curl anticlockwise from two o'clock | Curly caterpillar letters |
| Long ladder | l i t u j y | A straight line down | Long ladder letters |
| One-armed robot | r n m b h p k | Down, back up, then over | One-armed robot letters |
| Zig-zag monster | z v w x | Straight diagonals | Zig-zag monster letters |
The DfE writing framework lists five typical groups instead: c o a g q d, i l t k j, v w u y f, r n m h p b and e s x z. It adds that the families "may differ slightly, depending on the handwriting programme used". Teaching one family at a time is the usual approach, and the full picture, including where the sources disagree, is on the letter families page.
Why Are There Two Ways To Write A Lowercase A?
Children are taught the single-storey a, a circle with a stick, while most printed books use the double-storey a with a hook on top. Both are the same letter.
The same goes for g. School handwriting uses the single-storey g, and books often print a double-storey g with a closed loop below the line. Copying a book letter in handwriting adds strokes the school model does not have.
How Can Children Practise Letter Formation?
Short, frequent practice beats long sessions. The DfE writing framework says handwriting teaching should be daily, in small steps, and demonstrated by the teacher.
- Watch and copy. Play the letter on the whiteboard with Handwriting Repeater and say the movement together.
- Trace on a tablet. The tool checks the start point and direction, not just the outline.
- Write it big. Sky writing and large arm movements build the pattern before the pencil does.
- Say the movement. "Down, round, up" for each letter, with our letter formation rhymes for a phrase to match.
- Print a sheet. Make one with handwriting worksheets.
Use sheets after the movement has been shown, with an adult watching. The framework warns that tracing dotted letters or practising without supervision can hinder a child's mental model of the movement.
What Should Children Manage By The End Of Year 1?
By the end of Year 1, the National Curriculum expects pupils to "begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place". They also form capital letters and digits, and learn which letters belong to which handwriting families.
In Year 2, the target moves on to lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another. See handwriting and the National Curriculum for every statement, word for word.
Are Capital Letters Formed The Same Way?
Capital letters follow the same rules: they start at the top and move in a set direction. They are taught after lowercase letters and are not joined to the next letter. The full set is on the capital letter formation page.
Questions About Letter Formation
Does Correct Letter Formation Matter?
Yes. The DfE writing framework says fluent handwriting "is a significant predictor of positive writing outcomes", and that weak formation makes joining harder to learn later.
Can Children Practise Letter Formation Online?
Yes. Trace any letter on a tablet or phone with the tool above. It shows the start dot and direction, and it checks them.
Can I Print A Letter Formation Sheet?
Yes. Tap Print on any letter, or make a full a to z set with the worksheet generator.
Should Children Learn Lowercase Or Capital Letters First?
Lowercase first. The National Curriculum asks Year 1 pupils to begin forming lower-case letters and to form capital letters, and most schools teach lowercase first because most writing is in lowercase.
Is This The Same As My Child's School?
Nearly always, and schools differ on a few letters. Use the style chip above the letters to match print, pre-cursive or cursive, and check e, f, k and y with the class teacher.