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How to Write 8 in Cursive

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content

Digit 8 in Playwrite US Trad (traditional school cursive).

A cursive 8 is a figure of eight written in one movement, not two circles stacked on top of one another. The stroke crosses itself in the middle, and the top loop is slightly smaller than the bottom. Starting direction is the main thing to learn, because the way you begin decides whether the digit comes out smooth or lumpy.

How to write 8

Start: At the top line, just right of the centre, moving up and left.

  1. 1Start at the top, just right of centre, and curve up and to the left to form the top loop.
  2. 2Bring the stroke down and to the right, crossing the centre of the digit on a diagonal.
  3. 3Continue down and around to the left to form the bottom loop, rounding the base on the baseline.
  4. 4Come up on the right side and cross the middle again, heading toward the top-left.
  5. 5Finish by joining the top loop where you began, overlapping slightly, then lift and leave a gap.

Variations between schools and countries

Zaner-Bloser teaches the 8 as a figure that begins at the top right and crosses in the middle. D'Nealian slants the figure and makes the loops more oval. Some writers draw the 8 as two stacked circles in two strokes, which is clear but slower, and others start at the top left and move clockwise. A few older hands start the 8 with a leading loop, which is a flourish rather than a different digit. The top loop should always be smaller than the bottom loop to look stable.

Common mistakes with 8

  • Drawing two separate circles stacked on top of each other

    Practise the diagonal crossing in the middle so the digit is one continuous figure.

  • A bottom loop that is smaller than the top loop

    Make the top loop a little smaller so the digit does not look top-heavy.

  • Not closing the top loop so the 8 looks like a 3 or an S

    Bring the stroke back to its starting point and overlap slightly.

  • A very narrow figure that looks like a 0 with a scribble

    Open the loops to about half the digit width each.

Where you will write 8

The 8 is easy to alter on cheques, where it can be changed into a 3 or a 6, so close both loops completely. In dates, 8 appears in 2008, 2018 and 28 and keeps its shape in a row of numbers if you write it fast and light. For tattoos, the figure eight is related to the infinity symbol when turned on its side, but the digit and the symbol are different designs.

Printable practice sheet

Trace the grey letters, then write your own on the empty lines. Prints on one page (Letter or A4).

Cursive practice: 8 8 8 8 8 8

Name: ____________________   coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste styles for 8

Unicode has script letters but no script digits, so no copyable 8 is truly cursive. The styled versions you can paste are bold 𝟖, double-struck 𝟠, monospace 𝟾, circled ⑧, negative circled ❽, superscript ⁸ and subscript ₈. A sideways 8 is the infinity symbol ∞ in a different character; do not paste ∞ to mean the number eight. The number font generator shows how an 8 looks within a longer number, while a hand-drawn figure eight is best produced as an image from a script font.

Cursive 8: questions

How do you write an 8 in cursive?
Start at the top right of centre, curve up and left to form the top loop, cross down on a diagonal through the middle, round the bottom loop on the baseline and come back up through the middle to close the top. It is one continuous figure with the top loop smaller than the bottom.
Which way should I start an 8?
Most models start at the top, just right of centre, moving up and to the left, so the first loop is counterclockwise like your other digits. Starting from the top left and going clockwise is also common. Pick one and keep it, because a consistent direction makes your 8 neater.
Why does my 8 look like two circles?
Because it is drawn in two strokes, one circle on top of another. A real 8 crosses itself at the centre in one stroke. Slow down and practise the diagonal that links the loops, then increase speed. The result is a smoother, slimmer figure.
Is there a cursive 8 to copy and paste?
There is no script 8 in Unicode. You can copy bold 𝟖, double-struck 𝟠, circled ⑧ or negative circled ❽, but these are other styles of plain digits. A cursive 8 is only available as an image from a script font.

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