Have you ever looked at people’s handwriting and noticed how different the styles can be? Why do some people write in cursive and others print? Why is some handwriting neat while some is sloppy? The week of January 20th – 26th is known as National Handwriting Analysis Week and celebrates the uniqueness in an individual’s handwriting. In fact, handwriting analysis is officially known as graphology. This field of study can help reveal a person’s character, personality traits, abilities, behaviors, etc. by looking at the various styles and ways a person writes. Interested in knowing what your handwriting could mean without having to become an expert in graphology? No worries – I’ve got the fast facts below.

Size of Your Letters – The larger you write, research states, the more outgoing, people-oriented, and outspoken you are. Average size letters show a person is well-adjusted and able to adapt well to different situations. If you print on the smaller side, you are shy, studious, and concentrated on the tasks at hand.

Spacing between Words – I have never put much thought into the spacing I place between my words until now. However, wide spacing means you enjoy your freedom and don’t like to be overwhelmed or feel crowded. Narrow spacing shows you can be intrusive at times and prefer to be with people.

Shape of Letters – 

• Rounded Letters – Creative and artistic.
• Pointed Letters – Tend to be curious and are very intelligent.
• Connected Letters, such as cursive writing – Logical, systematic, and make careful decisions.

Slanting of Letters – 

• No Slant – Logical, practical, and don’t let your emotions interfere with your decisions.
• A Slant to the Right – Open to new experiences and enjoy meeting others.
• A Slant to the Left – Tend to be on the more private side and keep to yourself. In addition, you work more “behind the scenes” on projects. However, the exception to this research is if you are right-handed and your handwriting slants to the left, you are rebellious in some ways.

Looping of the Letters – Look at letters in the alphabet with loops, such as the “l, e, and a” and you may notice narrow or wide loops.

• Narrow Loops – Can be tense at times and can be skeptical of others. You don’t let your emotions influence you and like to be in control.
• Wide Loops – Relaxed, open-minded, and go with the flow most of the time, as well as liking to try new experiences and meet new people.

Dotting Your I’s and Crossing Your T’s – Most people have heard of the quotes about “dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s,” meaning the person pays attention to all of the small details in a task. Yet, in our case, we are actually talking about dotting and crossing the two letters.

• Dotting Your I’s –

• • If the dot is high over the I – very imaginative.
  • If the dot is left over the I – tend to be a procrastinator.
  • If the dot is to the right – very detailed-orientated and organized.
  • Just a circle dot, not filled in, over the I – you are a visionary.
  • Lastly, instead of a dot, you include a slash, means you can be self-critical with little patience.
• Crossing Your T’s –
  • At the top of the t, as in writing with an uppercase letter, shows you are ambitious, optimistic, and have a positive self-esteem.
  • Right in the middle means you are confident and comfortable.
  • Long Crosses – Very determined and enthusiastic, yet, can be stubborn at times with a resistance to change.
  • Short Crosses – Can show a lack of determination and motivation.

Signature – 

• Not Legible – Very private and can be hard to read or understand.
• Legible – Confident and comfortable in your own skin.

After researching the “logistics” behind a person’s handwriting, I decided to take a look at my own. First, I started with my signature, which is not legible, therefore revealing that I am private. This trait is something I do see in myself. Next, I wrote the phrase “smart person” and discovered that:

• My letter size is large and at times, I can be a people person.
• Spacing between the two words is a little on the wider side and I can completely relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed or crowded.
• Shape of my letters was rounded. From this detail, I am creative and artistic, which I can agree with.
• No slant and wide loops mean that I think logically and can be relaxed, open-minded, and “go with the flow.” All of these traits are part of my personality, yet, reveal themselves depending on the situation.
• The cross in my t was long and right in the middle. Depending again on the situation, I can be confident, comfortable, determined, and stubborn sometimes.

Want to know what your handwriting means? Analyze a few words with the explanations to see!