Grace 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.

Grace is written with 5 letters: G, r, a, c, 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 G

Cursive capital G starts like a capital C, then turns back on itself with a small hook before it leaves toward the r. The hook is the part to watch: without it the G reads as a C. Make the G tall, about twice the height of the small letters, and finish low so the join into the r is short.

r into a: a flat high join

In most names the join into a comes from the baseline and rises. In Grace the r leaves at the middle line, so the connector to the a runs flat along the middle line. That makes the pair ra one of the neatest joins in the name, but only if the r has a pointed shoulder. If the r is rounded it looks like an n and the flat join looks accidental.

c and e: two small round letters

After the a come c and e. The c is an open curve that rises from the baseline, and the e is a small loop. Because they are so similar in size and shape, beginners often write c as e or e as c. Keep the c open and the e looped, and let the e end with a short flick to close the name.

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

• Skipping the hook on the G, so it reads as a C.
• Rounding the r so it looks like an n. Give it a pointed shoulder.
• Closing the c into an o.
• Writing the e without a loop, so it looks like a c.

Grace is short enough to repeat many times. Write the name ten times on one line, then write only the pair ra ten times to train the flat join. Next write ce ten times to separate the open c from the looped e. A good test is to write the name very small, at roughly 5 mm high: the hook of the G and the loop of the e are the first shapes that fail at small size.

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 Grace 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.

Gracie is the usual pet form and Gracey is a spelling variant. Both keep the G, r and a, then change the ending: the e of Grace becomes an i with a dot, or a y with a tail. Writing them side by side is a quick way to see how an ending changes the look of a name.

Grace comes from the Latin word gratia, meaning favor, kindness or thanks. It became popular as a virtue name in English-speaking countries and has stayed in steady use since. It is also a common word in its own right, as in grace and poise.

Well-known bearers include the actress Grace Kelly and the computer scientist Grace Hopper. The name Hannah is sometimes said to share the same meaning through Hebrew, which is why Hannah and Grace are often paired on gift items.