How to Write Thanksgiving in Cursive

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

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

Thanksgiving is twelve letters, one of the longest holiday words you will write, and it has the most variety of any in this set: ascenders, a descender at both g's and a v bridge. It is a good test of rhythm and spacing. On a place card or banner, the length forces you to plan the width before you start.

Copy and paste "Thanksgiving" in cursive

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Letter by letter

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

The joins in Thanksgiving

Th: Capital T is a cap stroke and a stem and does not join. Lift and start the h loop to the right. Keep the h shorter than the T so the capital leads.
an: The a exits at the baseline into the n's first stroke. Keep the humps of the n rounded and the same width as the a.
nk: The n exits at the baseline and climbs to the k's full height. The k's loop and knot need a little space, so do not crowd it against the s.
sg: The s ends with a short exit that flows into the g's oval. Close the g at the top and drop the stem below the line.
gi: The g's loop returns to the baseline and exits straight into the i. Keep the i short and dot it last.
iv: The i exits into the v, which ends with a high bridge. The bridge sits at the top of the v, so the next letter starts at the midline.
vi: After the v's bridge, the i starts at the midline with a short stroke. Keep the bridge level so the i does not droop.
ng: The n's last hump exits into the final g. Close the g oval and loop the descender back to the baseline, finishing with a short exit.

Tricky spots

Two g descenders: Thanksgiving has two g's, one in the middle and one at the end, and their loops must match. Draw them on the same slant and keep them narrow so they do not collide with the line below.
Spacing a long word: With twelve letters, small errors in spacing add up. Plan on a guide line and lightly mark the word's centre, then write outward. Keep the gaps between letters equal.
v then i: The v ends with a high bridge. If it drops, the following i starts too low, and the sequence v-i-n looks like a w. Keep the bridge level with the midline.

Capitals

Thanksgiving is capitalised because it is a holiday name, so the capital T is the only capital. The T does not join to the h in school cursive, so a small gap follows. For a banner, write the word with a large T and keep the remaining letters at the same size, so the line reads smoothly across the full width.

Variations and styles

Thanksgiving is often written in a flowing brush script on place cards, with a leaf, a pumpkin or a turkey in place of the dots. A banner might stack Happy over Thanksgiving. A long swash from the final g can underline the word. For calligraphy, thicken the T, h, k and g downstrokes.

Printable practice sheet

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

Cursive practice: Thanksgiving

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of Thanksgiving

ℊ (U+210A) is the only substitute, and it recurs: the s is followed by a borrowed g, and the word ends on another, so 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝓈ℊ𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃ℊ has two ℊ among its twelve letters. Bold script 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴𝓼𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 uses none, which helps because a long word makes any mismatch more visible.

Thanksgiving in cursive: questions

How do I fit Thanksgiving on a card?

Count the letters, mark the centre and write the middle first, working outward. If you run out of space, reduce the letter height rather than squeezing the gaps, because narrow gaps cause misreads. Twelve letters with two g descenders also need clear space below the line, so leave room before the next line of text.

Is Thanksgiving one word or two?

In American English, Thanksgiving is one word and always capitalised when it refers to the holiday. The phrase give thanks is two words, and thanksgiving in lowercase can refer to the act of giving thanks in general. On a card, use the capital T and keep all twelve letters in one flowing line.

How do I write the two g's in Thanksgiving?

Close the oval first, drop the stem below the baseline, then loop back to the baseline. Keep both loops the same width and slant, so they match when read across the line. The first g joins forward into the i and the second ends the word, so the last one can finish with a short exit.

What decorations suit a Thanksgiving place card?

A small leaf, a pumpkin or an acorn work in place of a dot, and the i dots are the natural spot because the word has two of them. Keep decoration away from the g descenders, so they do not collide with the loop.