Cursive Names

Dorothy in Cursive

Watch the name Dorothy drawn in cursive stroke by stroke, trace it on the writing lines, and print a free practice worksheet.

Dorothy starts with the capital D, which opens on a downcurve, and the whole word takes 3 strokes with 2 pencil lifts. Watch it drawn stroke by stroke below, trace it on the lines, and print the free Dorothy worksheet when you're ready for pencil and paper.

Dorothy written in cursive on handwriting guidelines, with a green starting dot and a red stop sign

How to write Dorothy in cursive

  1. 1Form the capital D on its own and lift before the next letter.
  2. 2Keep the pencil down through o-r-o-t-h-y, letting each exit stroke become the next letter's entry.
  3. 3Last, return to cross the t — always after the body of the word is done.
Strokes: 3Pencil lifts: 2Letters: 7

The capital D fills the space between the baseline and the topline. t and h are tall letters that reach toward the topline. y drops below the baseline. o and r stay between the baseline and the midline.

How the letters in Dorothy connect

3 of Dorothy's 5 joins leave the letter on an undercurve. The exceptions are o-r, where o ends on a checkstroke that carries into the undercurve opening of r and o-t, where o ends on a checkstroke that carries into the undercurve opening of t. Remember: the capital D stands alone, so lift the pencil before the next letter.

The letters in Dorothy

Dorothy is only as good as its letters. Each card links to the full guide — animation, joins, quiz, and worksheet — for that letter.

Trace Dorothy in cursive

Now write it yourself. Put your finger or mouse on the green circle and follow every stroke of Dorothy — the check only advances while you stay on the line.

Put your finger or mouse on the circle and pull it through the first stroke.

Free printable Dorothy cursive worksheet

Print the free Dorothy in cursive worksheet to move from the screen to paper: trace Dorothy along the dashed models, write it starting from each green dot, copy it beside the model, then fill the blank writing lines on your own.

Need a different name? Make your own name tracing worksheet — free, for any spelling.

Frequently asked questions

1. Form the capital D on its own and lift before the next letter. 2. Keep the pencil down through o-r-o-t-h-y, letting each exit stroke become the next letter's entry. 3. Last, return to cross the t — always after the body of the word is done.

Not quite: the body of Dorothy flows in 2 runs, but it takes 3 strokes in all. The pencil lifts 2 times: after the standalone capital D and to cross the t.

3 of Dorothy's 5 joins leave the letter on an undercurve. The exceptions are o-r, where o ends on a checkstroke that carries into the undercurve opening of r and o-t, where o ends on a checkstroke that carries into the undercurve opening of t. Remember: the capital D stands alone, so lift the pencil before the next letter.

The capital D fills the space between the baseline and the topline. t and h are tall letters that reach toward the topline. y drops below the baseline. o and r stay between the baseline and the midline.

D is a standalone capital. Finish it, lift the pencil, then begin the second letter of Dorothy on its own.

Practice writing Dorothy with real feedback

Scribble teaches cursive this same way on iPad — watch, trace, write, and get feedback on shape, size, spacing, and slant.

Try Scribble