How to Write Ella in Cursive

Your name in school cursive with the capital, the joins and the tricky spots explained, plus a printable practice sheet.

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

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

Ella is a four-letter name with two tall loops in the middle, which gives it a very clear silhouette: a looped capital, two narrow towers and a small closing a. Nearly all of the work is in making the two l's identical. If one is wider or taller, the name looks lopsided, and with so few letters there is nothing to hide it.

Copy and paste "Ella" in cursive

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Letter by letter

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

The joins in Ella

El: The E's undercurve climbs straight into the first l's loop. Make that climb steep so the E and l don't leave a gap, and keep the loop narrow enough that it doesn't take over the capital.
ll: Two loops of equal height, slant and width. The first l exits at the baseline and rises directly into the second. Leave a clear gap between the loops so they don't merge into one thick shape.
la: After the second l's undercurve, go over and back for the a's oval and close it. Because the name is short, a slightly longer exit stroke can finish it off neatly.

Tricky spots

Matching loops: The two l's are the whole middle of the name. Draw them as a pair, with the same height and slant, and check the spacing against the E on the left and the a on the right.
Loops filling in: On small writing, the l loops can close up and look like plain strokes. Keep each loop at least a pencil width open at the middle, so Ella doesn't turn into Eiia.

The capital E

Capital E is a backward 3 with a small left-pointing loop in the middle, and its undercurve exit joins the first l. Keep the capital about twice the lowercase height so that the two l loops sit comfortably beside it rather than towering over it.

Ella as a signature

A signature for Ella is a chance for big gestures, because the name is short. A tall E with a long entry curve, then two confident l's, then a final a that sweeps into an underline, is a very readable result. The two loops are the signature feature, so don't flatten them or the name loses its shape.

Short forms of Ella

Ella is usually written in full. Ellie is a common alternative, which replaces the a with ie, bringing a dotted i and an open e at the end.

As a tattoo

Ella is short enough to be written large, which helps the loops stay open. Keep the two l loops evenly spaced and ask for a stencil so the artist can see the height match between them. A short name sits well on a wrist or finger edge when the size is at least 8 mm x-height.

Printable practice sheet

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

Cursive practice: Ella

Name: ____________________ coolletteringgenerator.com

Copy-paste versions of Ella

Copy-paste Ella in script is ℰ𝓁𝓁𝒶 and in bold script is 𝓔𝓵𝓵𝓪. Just the capital ℰ (U+2130) is borrowed, from the Letterlike Symbols block, and it leads a very short string. Because the two l's and the a are standard script, the E can look a little lighter or more upright on some devices. Bold script gives all four characters the same weight. Four characters also fit most name fields easily.

Ella in cursive: questions

How do you write Ella in cursive?

Draw a capital E like a backward 3, climb into a tall l loop, repeat a second matching l, then finish with a closed a. The name can be written without lifting the pen, because capital E connects. The thing to watch is that both l loops end up the same height and the same width.

How do you write double l in cursive?

Make two tall narrow loops with the same height and slant. The first exits at the baseline and rises straight into the second. Keep a visible gap between loops so they don't merge at the top into one thick shape, which is the usual flaw when the pen moves too fast between the two l's.

Does the E connect to the l in Ella?

Yes. Capital E ends in an undercurve in Zaner-Bloser and D'Nealian cursive, so it joins the l. Keep the exit steep so the climb itself forms the loop. A shallow exit leaves a flat connecting stroke, and the first l then starts too wide, which throws off the match with the second l.

What does Ella look like in cursive?

A looped capital E, two tall narrow l's side by side and a small round a. The matching l's are the most noticeable feature, and in a four-letter name nothing else draws the eye away from them. If one l is taller or wider than the other, the whole name looks lopsided.