O in Cursive: How to Write It
Lowercase o shares its opening with a, but it does not drop a stick. You close the oval and retrace a short way out to the right so the next letter can join.
o
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 the cursive o on the baseline and swing up to the midline, rolling left into an oval.
- 2Close the oval completely. The end of the stroke should meet the start near the top right.
- 3Retrace slightly and exit to the right at the midline. Do not drop to the baseline the way a does.
Common mistakes to avoid
- An open oval. A gap turns o into c, or into a when you add a tail by habit.
- Exiting from the bottom. The join from o leaves near the midline, not along the baseline.
- A skinny oval that looks like a loop of e. Give o a real bowl, as wide as it is tall.
Practice words
to · you · look · one · school
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
Does cursive o connect?
Yes, but the exit is high, near the midline, after a short retrace. That high join is the detail people skip, and then the next letter starts in the wrong place.
How is cursive o different from a?
a closes the oval and then pulls down to the baseline. o closes the oval and leaves sideways. Practice them as a pair: same opening, different ending.
Should I lift the pen inside o?
No. Close it and retrace out in the same stroke. A lift usually means the oval was drawn like a print o, clockwise from the top, which will not join.
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