Can You Pass This Difficult Cursive Letters Test?

By: Dora Sobze
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Pass This Difficult Cursive Letters Test?
Image: PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Variations of the cursive script we know today date back as far as the ancient Roman empire, stemming from the Etruscan alphabet. After hundreds of years of use, cursive is becoming a lost art in recent times when it comes to everyday handwriting.

Whether or not to continue teaching cursive in schools has become a heated debate! While some argue that cursive has become irrelevant, there is clearly still a demand for elegant penmanship - calligraphers continue to work for the White House, which has a budget of $263,000 a year for calligraphers! Not to mention, you're probably already familiar with trending calligraphy on Pinterest and elegant looping fonts going viral on social media.

While some elementary schools around the world still require cursive as part of the curriculum, many schools have dropped the requirement. In the United States, there have been many variations of the elegant looping letters over the years. Distinct styles of cursive have even been associated with different social classes, professions and genders, as men and women were once taught to stylize their penmanship based on their sex. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that a modern day cursive was systematized into what's known as the Spencerian method, which formed the basis for the new styles of script taught in schools.

Interested in touching up your penmanship so you can start your own DIY calligraphy project? Or maybe you just want to see how much cursive you really remember from the third grade. Test your memory and take this quiz to see how many cursive letters you can accurately recognize. Then you'll be ready to take out your pen and ink and get practicing again!

Capital V
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Can you name this cursive letter?
u
x
r
V
Capital D
Wiki commons
Do you recognize this letter of the alphabet?
D
v
e
B
d lowercase
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This letter looks quite different when it's capitalized. Think you can name this cursive letter?
d
q
o
z

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a lowercase
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This letter might remind you of apples. Can you guess what it is?
s
f
a
p
t lowercase
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Whether you're writing in print or script, you have to remember to cross these. Which letter is it?
e
t
h
j
Capital T
Wiki commons
Can you name this cursive letter?
a
T
g
R

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b lowercase
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Which letter sounds the most like the name of an insect?
o
b
e
p
Capital J
Wiki commons
The name of Beyoncé's famous rap star husband begins with this letter. Which one is it?
q
y
I
J
w lowercase
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Which cursive letter do you think this is?
c
g
k
w

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Capital G
Wiki commons
Gee (hint, hint), you're probably wondering what letter this could be?
Q
G
Z
C
e lowercase
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This cursive letter is an excellent choice for word games. Which is it?
y
r
e
v
p lowercase
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Can you identify this letter in cursive?
p
m
r
Q

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r lowercase
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This might be a pirate's favorite letter. Which is it?
c
k
r
f
n lowercase
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Think you can name this lowercase letter?
n
m
t
r
q lowercase
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This letter has a tail, but it's not a curlicue. Which is it?
e
w
q
f

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s lowercase
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What is this letter that looks and sounds like a snake?
i
p
r
s
Capital X
Wiki commons
This one might be tricky, but can you guess this cursive letter?
l
v
s
X
h lowercase
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Can you name this cursive letter that's sometimes silent?
h
j
z
f

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capital L
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If you're rooting for a team, you don't want to hear this letter because it means they lost. Which is it?
i
L
p
a
Lowercase i
Wiki commons
Capitalized, you use this letter to refer to yourself. Can you identify which letter this is?
i
g
j
l
Capital Z
Wiki commons
Which script letter do you think you see? You won't see this very often since it's the least commonly used.
q
Z
v
m

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j lowercase
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Think you can name this cursive letter?
k
j
e
x
Capital F
Wiki commons
If you're taking a test, you won't want this to be your grade. Which letter is it?
g
F
p
j
Lowercase m
Wiki commons
Can you name this cursive letter? It looks like two of the lowercase N.
m
w
s
d

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y lowercase
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Sometimes it's a vowel and sometimes it's a consonant. Can you recognize this cursive letter?
T
b
o
y
Capital O
Wiki commons
Do you know which cursive letter this is, that sounds just like it's shaped?
O
q
R
u
Capital E cursive
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Which of these capital letters do you think you see?
t
U
E
b

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Capital A
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This is the very first letter of the alphabet. Which is it?
n
g
r
A
Capital P
Wiki commons
There are usually at least two of these in a pod. Which cursive letter do you think this is?
P
s
r
g
Captital N cursive
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Think you know which cursive letter this is? It looks like a sideways Z.
f
N
S
e

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x lowercase
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Which of these letters marks the spot?
k
x
v
m
k lowercase
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OK (hint, hint), do you recognize this cursive letter?
f
l
p
k
Capital S
Wiki commons
Which cursive letter do you think this is?
b
c
w
S

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Capital Y
Wiki commons
This letter is toward the end of the alphabet. Can you guess which one it is?
m
Y
f
j