Cursive X

How to use the Cursive X practice sheet

1. Check the Title on the sheet field. The default is Cursive X, and you can change it.
2. Open Letters and choose Capital X and lowercase x (the default), Capital X only, or Lowercase x only.
3. Choose a Line size that fits the grade: Extra large, 1 inch (pre-K to K); Large, 3/4 inch (K to 1st); Medium, 5/8 inch (2nd, the default); or Small, 3/8 inch (3rd and up).
4. Set Rows to trace the capital and Rows to trace the lowercase from 0 to 4 each.
5. Set Rows of letter pairs (joins) from 0 to 3, and Practice words from Off to 8 words.
6. Optionally type up to 3 words in Your own words (optional).
7. Set Blank rows to write on from 0 to 6.
8. Choose Tracing letters (Light gray or Dotted outline), Lines, and Color (Grayscale or Color lines in blue and red).
9. Check the sheet preview. It updates as soon as a setting changes. Turn Big model of the letter at the top and Show descender line on or off as you wish.
10. Pick US Letter or A4 as the paper size, then select Print or save as PDF.

All settings are stored in the page address (the part after #), so a bookmarked or shared link opens the same sheet. Reset settings restores the defaults. New worksheet makes a different sheet with the same settings, and each sheet has a short worksheet code shown under the buttons.

How do you write a capital X in cursive?

Trace the gray model on the sheet, then compare it with the chart your school uses for the strokes. Stroke order differs between US handwriting programs, such as Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian, so this page does not give one fixed order. What the sheet does show is the finished letter: in the font used here, the capital X reaches the top line, the same height as the tall lowercase letters (b, d, f, h, k and l), and it sits on the baseline without dropping below it.

Use the dark model at the start of each trace row as your reference. Compare the height of your letter with the top line and the baseline, and make sure both ends of the letter land on the baseline. Capitals are tall, so the top of the letter should touch the top line.

How do you write a lowercase x in cursive?

Trace the gray model in the lowercase trace row, and compare it with your school’s chart for the strokes. The finished lowercase x is a small letter. It reaches the dashed midline, not the top line, and it sits on the baseline. It is finished with a crossing stroke, and it does not go below the baseline, so it never reaches the descender line.

In the trace rows, each lowercase x stands on its own. In the word rows, the letters connect the way the cursive font joins them, so the x can meet the letter before or after it. Practice it in the pair rows, such as ox and ix, to see how it joins with its neighbors.

What does the cursive letter x look like?

Put the two forms side by side. The capital X is tall and reaches the top line, while the lowercase x is small and reaches only the dashed midline. Both sit on the baseline, so their bottoms line up, and the main difference is height. The big model row at the top shows the capital X and the lowercase x in dark letters, which makes this comparison easy.

The tool draws the letters in Playwrite US Trad, a font modeled on traditional American school cursive. Letter shapes differ between handwriting programs, such as Zaner-Bloser and D’Nealian, so if your school’s chart looks different, follow the chart your child is taught with.

Does it show the stroke order with arrows?

No. The sheet does not show stroke order or arrows. Stroke order and direction differ between handwriting programs, and a font cannot show them correctly.

The first dark letter in each row is only a model to copy. It does not show a starting point or the direction of the pen. Use your school’s chart for the strokes, and use the sheet to check the shape, height and joins of the finished letter.

Can I print only the capital or only the lowercase letter?

Yes. Set Letters to Capital X only or Lowercase x only. Then check the sheet preview to see which rows remain before you print. You can also set the trace rows for each form to 0 to remove them from the page.

Use Capital X only when your child is practicing the tall form, and Lowercase x only when working on the small form. Both options keep the same settings for line size and color.