Butterfly in cursive
"butterfly" takes 3 strokes to write in cursive: the letters in one flow, then cross the ts. Follow the letter-by-letter steps below and print the free worksheet to trace and copy it.
Lowercase
Capitalized
Free butterfly worksheet
Butterfly in cursive practice sheet
1 page · US Letter, prints on A4 · free
"butterfly" on three-line guides in two sizes: a solid model, dashed copies to trace, and blank lines to write it on your own.
Want it with other words or a different line size? Use the worksheet generator.
How to write butterfly in cursive
- Start with the b (undercurve, loop, slant, undercurve, checkstroke): a tall loop that comes back down to the baseline, then a small curve ending in a checkstroke at the midline.
- From the checkstroke of the b, write the u (undercurve, slant, undercurve, slant, undercurve): two undercurves side by side, the opposite motion of the n.
- Swing up into the t (undercurve, slant, undercurve; cross): a tall retraced undercurve and slant, shorter than the l, crossed after the word is written.
- Swing up into the t (undercurve, slant, undercurve; cross): a tall retraced undercurve and slant, shorter than the l, crossed after the word is written.
- Swing up into the e (undercurve, loop, slant, undercurve): a small loop between the baseline and the midline.
- Swing up into the r (undercurve, slide right, slant, undercurve): an undercurve, a short slide to the right at the midline, then a slant down.
- Swing up into the f (undercurve, loop, slant, loop, undercurve): the only lowercase letter that uses the full range, with a loop above the midline and a loop below the baseline.
- Swing up into the l (undercurve, loop, slant, undercurve): one tall loop, the simplest tall letter.
- Swing up into the y (overcurve, slant, undercurve, slant, loop, overcurve): an overcurve, a slant, an undercurve and a second slant that drops below the baseline into a loop.
- After the word, cross the ts.
How the letters in butterfly connect
- bu b to u: a checkstroke join. The b ends at the midline, so the u starts from the top instead of from the baseline.
- ut u to t: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the u swings up into the t.
- tt t to t: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the t swings up into the t.
- te t to e: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the t swings up into the e.
- er e to r: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the e swings up into the r.
- rf r to f: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the r swings up into the f.
- fl f to l: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the f swings up into the l.
- ly l to y: an undercurve join. The exit stroke of the l swings up into the y.
The letters in butterfly
Butterfly questions
How many strokes does it take to write butterfly in cursive?
3 strokes: one continuous stroke for the letters, then cross the ts. Inside a word the pencil stays on the paper; dots and crosses are added once the word is finished.
Which letters in butterfly are joined at the midline?
The b. This letter ends with a short bridge stroke at the midline, so the next letter starts from the top rather than from the baseline. That is what makes "butterfly" look different from a word with only baseline joins.
Is butterfly capitalized in cursive?
Only at the start of a sentence or in a title. In running text "butterfly" is written in lowercase, all letters joined. The capitalized form Butterfly is shown above for sentence openers and headings.
What is the hardest letter in butterfly?
The r and the f. r is the letter most adults get wrong. The slide right is tiny: think of a small step, not a hump. Practice f right after l and g: the top half is an l, the bottom half is a mirrored g loop.