# What Are Your Handwriting Quirks? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409 "2023-02-07T01:56:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/21 "2023-02-07T16:19:48Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m not sure if 4 is the result of typeface, and most people _write_ it open, or if some write it closed. It’s been five decades since I learned to write my numbers, and these days I rarely see the printed (on ink and paper) writing of anyone I know. My home address has a 4 in it, so I get to see it quite often. I looked at the handwritten Christmas cards we got, and every single one had an “open” 4 on it. Same with the hand-written checks I get. There’s only a sample size of two that have fours in them, but both were open. I was a little surprised, as I would have guessed more of an 80-20 split there. One weird thing I do occasionally do with my quickly written 4s is that I leave off the top right stroke. So think of a letter “H” with the bottom left foot and top right arm missing. In that case, I do seem to subconsciously tilt the top left arm a bit to the right. > [@HeyHomie](#): > > You must not be a mathemetician or work in a related field. Zero and a zero-with-a-line-through-it [mean different things](https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/null-set#:~:text=A%20null%20set%20or%20empty,denoted%20as%20%E2%88%85%20%3D%20%7B%20%7D.). I thought the null set symbol was more circular and with a slash more pronounced through it. When I write a null set character, it looks different than a zero with a slash through it (though I very very rarely slash my zeroes.) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/22 "2023-02-07T16:31:50Z")
I write capital "A"s and capital "P"s like in the logo of Austin Peay (a college in Tennessee). It’s a long story that dates back to December 1991 when the mighty Southern Illinois Salukis defeated Austin Peay in a basketball game. [![](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/main_logo_1.jpg) ](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/main_logo_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/23 "2023-02-07T17:36:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Probably my most notable oddity is that my 8s are made by two counter-clockwise circles one below the other. Not some complicated S-like thingy. I do that, too. I close my 4s. I also write 9s with a single clockwise swirl, rather than the anti-clockwise loop and a downward stroke that was taught in school ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/24 "2023-02-07T17:56:46Z")
Looking at the charts I’ve seen, apparently I make my capital E differently. I make a “square C” (like this: ⵎ) starting from the top right edge, and then add the middle line, rather than drawing a vertical line and then three vertical lines. I do however draw the vertical line first when writing an F. I also draw my Is with the serifs, like this `I`, and draw the top line first, same as I do with T. When I do add a top line to my Js, however, I always do it last. And I always cross my t’s afterwards (sometimes after the letter, other times after the word, particularly when there are doubles). I don’t close my 4s, but I do often angle the left line a bit. And my 9s go straight down, while my 6s curl from the top. Oh, and one quirky thing with numbers I’ve always known: my 7s don’t have a line through them, but do have a serif, like this: ## 𝟽 or ワ ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/25 "2023-02-07T22:40:58Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Probably my most notable oddity is that my 8s are made by two counter-clockwise circles one below the other. Not some complicated S-like thingy. That’s the way they teach it in drafting. When I was young, my mom had very hard to decipher writing. I remember her saying all you have to do is write the first 1-2 letters legibly, and then approximately the correct number of little bumps. My writing is similar. Enough letters are legible that, in context and with minimal effort, you’ll be able to figure out what I’ve written. For whatever reason I got in the habit of - if a word contains a lower case t, I’ll continue the curve after the final letter up and back to cross it without lifting the pen. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/26 "2023-02-07T22:42:29Z")
It’s unreadable. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/27 "2023-02-07T23:18:14Z")
I do double-storey lower-case a’s and g’s. I put a serif at the bottom of i’s, l’s, and t’s, and a serif at the upper right on q’s, v’s, and w’s, and serifs at both ends of the top left to bottom right line in x’s. Lower-case f’s extend below the baseline with a curve to the left. The descender on a y gets a little flourish, too. Upper case letters are pretty normal. The outside lines on an M are straight up and down, but W are angled out. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/28 "2023-02-07T23:25:18Z")
My lowercase “d” is quasi-cursive: one single stroke. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > my 8s are made by two counter-clockwise circles one below the other. Not some complicated S-like thingy. Same here; I’ve been writing 8s that way ever since high school drafting class. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/29 "2023-02-08T03:31:18Z")
I think my only real quirk is my capital E’s are made like capital Sigmas, Σ. This is mostly used as my middle initial. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/30 "2023-02-08T03:58:57Z")
My Es are all upper case. And are drawn first as an uppercase L, then the upper horizontal stroke added, then finally the middle horizontal stroke. Which rarely meets the vertical stroke and is rarely horizontal, usually sloping up to the right about 30 degrees. It’s a mess; an idiosyncratic mess. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/31 "2023-02-08T05:47:22Z")
I write in all caps. Count me as another who crosses their 7s and Ƶs. Sometimes for zero I’ll put a diagonal strike through it: 0̸. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/32 "2023-02-08T19:44:55Z")
I don’t hold the pen properly, despite years of teachers and my mother doing their best to make me. My handwriting is neat and legible, and that’s all that should count. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/33 "2023-02-08T19:47:18Z")
If I’m not being careful my 4 and my 9 look nearly identical, because my pen follows the same path for both. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/34 "2023-02-09T00:20:23Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > It’s not really in an effort to clarify and reduce ambiguity. It’s more an affectation to try to look worldly and urbane. That’s probably how it started with me, but I stuck with slashing my sevens, zeds, and zeros because of the practicality. In real life I’d say “zee” just as much as “zed” depending on my audience, but when writing, it’s just easier than judging whether or not my audience wants Zs or Z’s. ---
**Author:** ![SpinyNorma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SpinyNorma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinyNorma)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/35 "2023-02-09T05:13:51Z")
My handwriting is basically printing that’s at least somewhat connected.If I write slowly and carefully, it’s pretty legible, or at least you can take a good guess at it. The faster I write, the harder it is to read–even for me. When I was growing up, people used to ask if I was left handed, something that struck me as weird since I was obviously writing with my right hand when they’d ask. Finally in high school, I saw a lefty writing and got it. I tend to hold my pen with the end pointed on top of my fingers rather than resting on the web between my thumb and my hand. I also tend to “hook” my hand while writing. You can always tell if I’ve been writing or drawing because the side of my hand will be smudged from dragging across the paper. I’ve been told I have the handwriting of a serial killer, mainly because the slant of the letters change randomly, sometimes in mid-sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/36 "2023-02-09T18:59:38Z")
I barely lift my pen. My “t” contains both upstroke and downstroke and I’m spreading them rather wide (upside down V) and then a line northwest to do the strikethrough. Basically, my t’s look like little stars. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/37 "2023-02-09T19:37:55Z")
Sevens and zeds with a crossbar on the diagonal. Open-top fours. When I print a capital “I” in the middle of a word, it is a simple vertical stroke. At the beginning of a word, I add serifs at the top and bottom. When printing E and F, the teachers wanted me to do the vertical stroke, top to bottom, then lift the pen to do the horizontal strokes. For F, I do the vertical stroke, bottom to top, then the top horizontal, without lifting the pen, then lift the pen to do the bottom horizontal. For E, I do the top horizontal, right to left, then the vertical, then the bottom horizontal, left to right, then lift the pen to do the middle horizontal. For D, P and B, I do the vertical stroke, bottom to top, then the curved strokes without lifting the pen. For T, I do the horizontal stroke first, then the vertical. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409/38 "2023-02-09T19:53:56Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > For decades, my ‘handwriting’ has been ALL CAPS and block letters. It used to be mistaken for typewritten, it was that good. It’s only mostly legible at this point. Same for me, but I user upper and lower case block sized letters. Meaning upper case are larger than lower case even tho all are capital letters. Mine has gotten sloppier too, I think from simple lack of practice. When I was young both girls my age and women would always ooh and ahh at my writing. That doesn’t happen anymore. Just a old man scribble now. 🙁 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-handwriting-quirks/979409.md?page=1)