William 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.

William is written with 7 letters: W, i, l, l, i, a, m. 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 W

The capital W is wide: two downstroke-and-upstroke pairs, finishing with a stroke that leaves from the top line. From there the pen slides down to the baseline to start the i. Keep the W about twice the height of the small letters and leave space after it.

i, l, l, i: four narrow letters

The middle of William is a run of four narrow letters. The i is short; the l is tall. Written quickly they blur into a row of uprights. Make the l loops clearly taller than the i, give the two l loops the same height, and keep the gaps even. Count: short, tall, tall, short. If you cannot see the pattern in your own handwriting, slow down.

Two dots, added at the end

There are two i letters, so two dots. Write the entire name first, then go back and place both dots directly above the stems, at the same height. Do not put them early; the pen would stop twice in the middle of the word. The final letters a and m are round and humped, so end with a clean m of three humps.

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

• Making the W narrow and pointed like a print W.
• Uneven l loops: one reaching the top line, one falling short.
• Dots drifting to the right of the i stems.
• Writing a two-hump m at the end.

Write illi ten times first, since it contains the hardest rhythm. Then write iam ten times. Add the W last, on a separate line, because it is the widest letter. Finally write the whole name and add both dots. The common mistakes guide shows how to check spacing, which matters in a seven-letter name.

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 William 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.

Will, Bill and Billy are the usual short forms. Will keeps the W and the narrow i, l, l run, which is the hardest part of the full name. Bill and Billy swap the W for a B. They are good practice pieces for a quick signature.

William comes from a Germanic name, Wilhelm, built from elements usually glossed as will or desire and helmet or protection, giving the sense of resolute protector. It was carried to England by the Normans after 1066, when William the Conqueror became king, and it quickly became one of the most common English names.

Short forms include Will, Bill, Billy and Liam. The Irish name Liam is a short form of the Irish William, Uilliam, so the two names are related.