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Y in Old English Letters

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

Capital Y
Lowercase y

Rendered in the UnifrakturMaguntia typeface, an open-source font. It is a reference shape, not a hand-drawn letter.

Y is a letter of two halves, a V at the top and a stem below, and in blackletter that stem often swings out into a decorative tail. The capital has a heavy left arm, a thin right arm and a stem that rests on the baseline, while the lowercase y dips below the line like g and p. Beginners find it easy to build but hard to balance.

Outline version to colour or trace

Open in the Old English text generator →

How to draw a Old English capital Y

  1. 1Draw the heavy left arm as a diagonal at about 45 degrees from the top left to the centre, ending in a diamond.
  2. 2Add the thin right arm as a diagonal from the top right to the same point, using the corner of the nib.
  3. 3Draw the stem from the junction down to the baseline, giving it the full width of the pen and a diamond foot.
  4. 4Add a small hook at the left end of the arm and check that the junction sits at the middle of the letter.

Tip: Keep the junction at the centre of the letter's height. If it sits too high, the Y appears top-heavy, and if too low, it looks like a V on a stick.

How to draw a Old English lowercase y

  1. 1Draw the left arm as a short diagonal from the x-height down to the junction, starting with a diamond head.
  2. 2Add the right arm as a thin line from the top right, meeting the first at the junction.
  3. 3Pull the stem past the baseline, curving to the left in two facets to form the tail.
  4. 4Finish the tail with a diamond or small point, matching the descenders of g and p.

Tip: Draw the tail last, after the arms are in place. That way you can adjust its length to fit the space beneath the line.

What makes Y awkward or easy

The Y is awkward because it combines diagonals and a vertical in one form, and the lowercase also descends below the line. It can be confused with v or with p at a small size, particularly if the tail is faint.

Variations

Textura y often has a straight, short tail ending in a point, while Fraktur y is more curved and flowing. Capital Y forms vary widely and sometimes use a swash tail. Check a specimen for a given alphabet.

Common mistakes with Old English Y

  • The junction is placed too high.

    Pencil a guide at the middle height and bring both arms to it.

  • The tail is too long and runs into the next line.

    Shorten it and leave extra line spacing.

  • Both arms are equally heavy.

    Use the nib's corner for the right arm to create the contrast.

Ideas for Old English Y

Y is a good initial for names like Yara, Yusuf or Yvonne, and for words like Yeoman on a crest. A gothic Y has a strong symmetrical shape that suits patches and caps, and the lowercase y offers a graceful tail in a tattoo word.

Printable Old English Y sheet

Trace the outlines, then fill the empty rows with your own letters.

Old English letter Y y Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com

Old English Y you can copy and paste

Both the capital Y and the lowercase y have normal mathematical Fraktur forms. Fraktur: 𝔜 (U+1D51C) and 𝔶 (U+1D536). Bold Fraktur: 𝖄 (U+1D584) and 𝖞 (U+1D59E).

Old English Y: questions

How do I stop the Y looking like a V on a stick?
Keep the junction at the middle of the letter and make the stem as heavy as the left arm. If the stem is thin, the form falls apart. Check the proportions at a small size. Hold the letter at half size and ask whether the stem looks as strong as the left arm.
Does lowercase y go below the line?
Yes, the tail drops below the baseline like g and p. Leave extra line space and keep the length consistent across all descenders. Leave about a full x-height beneath the line, or the tail will collide with the next row.
Is the Y the same in all blackletter styles?
No. Textura tends to be more compact, while Fraktur forms are more curved. The capital has several variants, so check a sample before copying. Sample sheets for UnifrakturMaguntia and Fraktur typefaces show two different capital Y designs side by side.

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