# How Do You Hand Write the (US) Dollar Sign? One or Two Lines? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117 "2011-12-05T12:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/21 "2012-12-16T21:51:44Z")
Either according to my mood or hurry at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/22 "2012-12-16T22:08:34Z")
I use one line since my handwriting isn’t that great and the second line is likely to look like a one next to the dollar sign. Actually, I started doing it because I realized that when I was reading other people’s bad handwriting that was the mistake I was making. Also, I make a line through my Zs so they don’t look like 2s. But that’s from math classes. I hated having a page look differential equation and finding out that somewhere in the middle I started writing 2 instead of Z. Putting a line through it stopped that. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/23 "2012-12-17T05:16:12Z")
Used two lines when I was a kid, but somewhere along the way I switched to using just one. And I put lines through 0s, to distinguish them from Os (Navy habit); through Zs, to distinguish them from 2s (don’t know where I acquired that habit); and through 7s (high-school German class habit). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/24 "2012-12-17T05:21:14Z")
Two: one short one at the top and another short one at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/25 "2012-12-17T19:18:22Z")
I used to write it with two, but out of sheer laziness I now write it with one. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/26 "2012-12-17T20:53:25Z")
Hmmmm. I really had to think about that! And then write it because I couldn’t remember! Two. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/27 "2012-12-17T23:37:02Z")
Oddly enough, I’m inconsistent. A lot of times I’ll write it with one line, and then decide that it looks funny or the line isn’t straight and add a second line. Then I’ll decide that two lines is hard to read and do one line the next time. A handwriting analyst would have a field day with me. (If handwriting analysis were a real thing.) I find it surprising that so many people think that two lines is the “official” way, especially since most fonts and keyboards seem to use one line. I’m also surprised that both ways seem to be original. I would have expected one form to have developed first, but it seems to have been an individual variation in handwriting from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/28 "2012-12-18T00:14:55Z")
One for speed, two for illustration. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117/29 "2012-12-18T17:53:40Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > I always use two lines. I don’t understand using one line, that’s like not dotting i’s or saying, "fuck it, I’m not drawing the middle bit of the ‘H’ any more. > > I understand one line as a dollar sign, it just seems really strange to not put both lines to me. Jesus. Looking over some crap I’ve written, and I realized I don’t dot my i’s either! :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-hand-write-the-us-dollar-sign-one-or-two-lines/605117.md?page=1)