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Cursive script is a style of handwriting in which the letters of a word are joined together, and cursive D is a good test of the control you built on earlier letters. It rewards a steady slant, a calm hand, and attention to where each stroke starts and stops on the lines.

Trace the Cursive Letter D

Start with the worksheet before you try cursive D from memory. The sheet shows a large model at the top, then dotted rows to trace, then blank lines for free writing. Trace the small oval first and keep it inside the midline to baseline space. Then trace the tall stem and check that it reaches the top line without going past it. After two traced rows, cover the model and write one row on your own. Compare that row with the model and fix only the worst part, usually the stem. Do not fill a whole page with fast copies of this letter, because a wrong stem repeated many times is harder to fix than a slow, correct stem.

Download the Letter D worksheet (PDF)

Before You Start

What Cursive D Looks Like

Capital cursive D in the model on this page starts with a tall stem that leans to the right, then sweeps around in a large loop that returns to the baseline, and finishes with a stroke across the top to the right. It fills the full height from the top line to the baseline and is wider than the small form. Small cursive d starts with a small oval between the midline and the baseline, on the left side of the letter, then pulls a tall stem up from the right side of the oval to the top line, then back down to the baseline, and finishes with a short rise to the right. The key feature of small cursive d is that tall stem on the right side of the oval. If that stem is on the left side, the letter reads as b, not d.

How to Write Capital Cursive D

Capital this letter in the model on this page is written in three strokes. The pen lifts between strokes, which is normal for a capital letter. Do not try to force the capital form into one stroke, because the loop will collapse and the top finishing stroke will end up in the wrong place.

How to Write Lowercase Cursive d

Small cursive d is the form you will use most often, because it appears inside almost every word that contains d. It is written in two main motions, an oval and a tall stem, and the step cards below break the stem motion into its rise and its return so you can check each part.

How to Write Cursive D: 10-Minute Daily Practice Routine

Ten minutes a day is enough for cursive D if you split the time between the oval and the stem. Most students need more time on the stem than on the oval, because the stem is what makes this letter readable.

1. Warm up for two minutes: draw small ovals between the midline and the baseline, five in a row, all the same size.
2. Practice the stem for three minutes: write small d slowly and check that every stem reaches the top line and stays on the right side of the oval.
3. Join for three minutes: write da, de, di, do, du, and dr, one pair at a time, and check that the exit from cursive D stays level.
4. Write words for two minutes: write Dog, Duck, and Door slowly, then read them back and fix only the worst letter in each word.

Words That Start With D in Cursive

Practice cursive D with short, familiar words first, so you can focus on the oval and the stem instead of the spelling. Say each word as you write it, and pause after the first letter to check the stem before you finish the word.

Names are useful for cursive D because the capital form appears at the start, where it is easy to see. Write Daniel and David in a column and compare the capital forms. If one capital is wider than the other, the loop changed, not the letter itself. For small cursive d in the middle of a word, use words like garden, today, and under, because the entry into d from another letter is different from the entry at the start of a word, and the tall stem must still reach the top line.

Common Mistakes With Cursive D

How to Join D Cursive Letters

Small cursive d joins from a short rise at the baseline, on the right side of the letter. That rise is low and level, which makes it easy to lead into most small letters. The pairs da, de, di, do, du, and dr are the best first practice, because each one tests a different entry height in the next letter. Into a and o, keep the rise level and let the next oval start at the midline. Into e, keep the rise short so the small loop of e does not start too high. Into i, use a short connector and add the dot only after you finish the whole word. Capital this letter usually starts a word, so it does not join from the left. Write the capital, lift the pen, and start the next letter separately, unless your teacher uses a connected capital model.

Joining cursive D to the next letter

Into tall letters, the rule is simple: finish small d at the baseline, then rise into the tall stem of the next letter without a kink. Into l, t, and h, the rise should be smooth and the tall stem should start at the same slant as the d stem. If the rise is too steep, the next tall letter will lean too far to the right. If the rise is too flat, the next tall letter will start too low and look separate. Practice dr and do first, because r and o show the difference between a low entry and a midline entry very clearly. Once those pairs feel steady, add da and de, which need a tighter, smaller entry.

How to Write D in Cursive: Practice Sentences

Sentences teach spacing and stamina, which single letters cannot teach. Write each sentence three times: once very slowly, once at a normal pace, and once without stopping.

Daniel drew a duck by the door.
Daisy danced with a doll at dawn.
The dog dug a deep ditch.
We practice cursive D with dog and duck every day.

Read each sentence back and check three things: is every small oval inside the midline to baseline space, does every tall stem reach the top line, and does the stem stay on the right side of the oval? Circle the best sentence in each set of three and try to beat it next time.

Letter D in Cursive for Names and Signatures

For a first name that starts with cursive D, keep the capital a little larger and more open than in ordinary writing, because it reads better at a glance and gives the name a clear start. The rest of the name should stay at normal small letter size. For a signature, the same capital can be written faster and looser, but the large loop must stay visible and the top finishing stroke must stay in place. If a signature becomes a scribble, slow it down until the loop is visible again, then build speed back up. Names like Daniel, Daisy, and David are good signature practice because they pair a clear capital this letter with simple small letters after it.

Teaching Cursive D to a Child

Teach small cursive d before capital cursive D, because the small form appears in almost every word and pays off right away. Let the child trace the oval first, then add the stem, then write the whole letter from memory. Keep sessions short, ten minutes a day, and praise the stem on the right side before you correct anything else. A useful check is to write d and b side by side and ask which one has the stem on the right. That one question teaches the key rule of cursive D faster than a long list of rules. For a child who writes with the left hand, tilt the paper a little to the right and move the paper, not just the hand, as the line goes on, so the hand does not cover the part of the letter that still needs checking.

Cursive D, Frequently Asked Questions