Charlotte in Cursive

Before you start, here is what is in the name. These facts come from the letters themselves, using the same school-style cursive model as the drawing above.

Charlotte is written with 9 letters: C, h, a, r, l, o, t, t, e. The picture shows each different letter on its own, with the shape to aim for. The table below it lists every join in order, so you can see where the pen has to travel between letters.

The joins, one by one

A join is the connecting stroke between two letters. Where it starts depends on the letter you just finished, and where it ends depends on the letter coming next. This table follows the school-style model used for the drawings on this site; some programs use slightly different joins.

The capital C

The capital C is a big open curve. Start a little below the top line, swing left and down in one round stroke, and finish near the baseline with a small flick that leads into the h. Do not close the C into a circle; the opening is what makes it a C. Make it about twice the height of the small letters so the name has a clear start.

r into l, then o into t: the two high joins

Most letters leave the pen on the baseline, but r and o leave at the middle line. In Charlotte that happens twice. After the r the pen has to travel down to the baseline to start the tall l, and after the o it has to dive to the baseline for the t. The joins are short, so the common failure is to lift the pen and start the next letter fresh, which breaks the line. Practise the pairs rl and ot on their own first. The joins guide explains why these letters behave differently.

One crossbar for two t letters

Charlotte has a double t. Write both stems, finish the whole name, then cross them with one straight stroke that runs through both stems at the same height. This is faster, neater and matches how most people write the name. If you cross each t separately the bars rarely line up. Keep the crossbar about two thirds up the stem and slightly longer than the pair.

These are the slips that show up most often with this name. Check your own lines against the list before you move on.

• Opening the a. Close its oval or it will read as a u.
• Cutting the r short so it looks like a v. The r needs a pointed shoulder and a high exit.
• Crossing the t stems at two different heights. One stroke across both keeps them even.
• Leaving a gap between o and t. The join is short but it must connect.

Break the name into three chunks: Cha, rlo, tte. Write each chunk five times on its own line, then join all three. The rlo chunk carries both high joins, so give it extra rows. Practise at a size where the l loop is comfortable, then shrink. A name this long is also a good test of spacing: the gap between the letters should stay the same from C to e. The common mistakes guide has a spacing check.

The one-page PDF has the name once in black as a model, two grey rows to trace, a blank ruled row and the short forms of Charlotte to trace underneath. It prints on Letter or A4. For another name or a full class set, use the worksheet generator, and for blank ruled paper see cursive lined paper.

Charlie, Lottie and Lotte are the usual short forms. Charlie keeps the C and h and ends with the tall l, i and e, so it removes the double t. Lottie and Lotte start with a tall l and keep the double t, so they are useful if you only want to practise that part of the name. None of them has the r to l join.

Charlotte is the French feminine form of Charles, a name from a Germanic word usually glossed as free man. It came into English from French, and it spread after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, whose name is honored in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre, published in 1847, and Charlotte is also the name of the spider in E. B. White’s children’s book Charlotte’s Web (1952). The name is often shortened to Charlie or Lottie.