How to Write Hello in Cursive

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · October 2026 · How we review content

"Hello" in Playwrite US Trad, a typeface modelled on traditional school cursive.

Hello is only five letters, but it has two tall loops side by side and ends with a letter that exits high. That is why it is the classic first word on cursive practice sheets and a favourite for signs, art prints and handwritten notes. Get the rhythm of the loops right and the whole word lines up.

Copy and paste "Hello" in cursive

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Letter by letter

Each distinct letter in "Hello" has its own stroke-by-stroke page.

The joins in Hello

He: In Zaner-Bloser style the capital H's crossbar finishes heading right and carries into the e. If you learned a version where the crossbar ends inside the letter, lift and start the e just after the right stem instead.
el: The e's baseline exit becomes the upstroke of the first l. Do not enlarge the e; keep it small so the tall l loop towers over it and the word has a clear rhythm.
ll: Each l is a tall loop, a straight slant down and a baseline exit. Match their heights and slants exactly, and keep the loops narrow so the pair does not look like a wide waveform or an ee.
lo: The l exits at the baseline and the o starts at the midline, so the join climbs. Make the oval close at the top and finish with a short bridge, since the final o has no following letter to join.

Tricky spots

The two l loops: They should look like twins: same height, same slant, same width. Check by drawing guide lines slanted at the same angle, because one leaning l makes the pair look like it was written in two sittings.
Closing the final o: The o must meet itself at the top, not stay open like a c. Close it, then flick a short bridge to the right. An open o in hello reads as hellc or helloe at small sizes.
Capital H: Capital H is two separate stems plus a looped crossbar, so it is drawn in three strokes. Lean both stems at the same angle and let the crossbar's loop sit at the midline rather than dropping low.

Capitals

Hello normally starts with a capital H, as in Hello there or Hello, friend. It is one of the few capitals that does connect in Zaner-Bloser cursive, because the crossbar flows out to the next letter. In a casual caption, lowercase hello with the tall l loops looks soft and friendly, and it removes the three-stroke capital.

Variations and styles

On a card or wall print, stretch the two l loops taller than normal for a dramatic rhythm. A signature-style hello often starts with a long entry stroke and ends with an underline swash from the final o. Brush lettering can thicken both l downstrokes and leave the e and o hairline thin for contrast.

Printable practice sheet

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

Cursive practice: Hello

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of Hello

Plain script gives ℋℯ𝓁𝓁ℴ, three borrowed letters (ℋ U+210B, ℯ U+212F, ℴ U+2134) with only the two l glyphs coming from the ordinary math script block. Bold script 𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 avoids the mix entirely. If a platform renders the plain version unevenly, switch to bold.

Hello in cursive: questions

How do you write the double l in hello?

Write two identical tall loops one after the other. Each l starts at the baseline, loops up to the top line and drops straight down to the baseline, then exits into the next. Match the height and slant so the pair looks like evenly spaced fence posts.

Is the capital H in Hello connected?

In Zaner-Bloser cursive it is: the crossbar loop finishes by heading right and carries into the e. In some Palmer-style hands the crossbar ends inside the H and you lift. Either looks fine, as long as the H leans the same way as the rest of the word.

Why does my o look open at the end of hello?

Most people hurry the oval and leave a gap at the top. Slow down and finish the circle at the midline before drawing the bridge. The bridge should come from a closed o, even if there is no letter after it.

What size should the l loops be?

As tall as the top line and about twice the height of the e and o. If they are taller, the word looks stretched; if they are the same height as the o, ll starts to resemble a row of e shapes.