HANDWRITING & GRAPHOLOGY
Letter B handwriting analysis
The lowercase b places a tall stem above a body-height bowl. Its upper extension and the space enclosed by the bowl are separate shapes.
Compare b letter forms
The returning upper stroke encloses a narrow loop. Compare its width with the lower bowl, rather than combining both into one loop count.
The stem rises without an enclosed upper loop. The lower bowl can remain rounded even when the stem is straight.
Capital B has two bowls. Compare their relative size, the central junction and the length of the main stem.
These original diagrams isolate upper stem and body bowl. Compare their shapes with several occurrences in your own handwriting; the dashed guides show the body band.
What to look for
- Is the upper extension looped or straight?
- Which enclosed space is larger?
- Does the body bowl sit on the writing line?
Begin with the ordinary lowercase body, then follow the opening and finishing strokes. Record where the letter joins its neighbors and whether the same form appears at the beginning, middle and end of a word.
Read b within words
Use words such as before and habit as starting points for a sample comparison. Write them in your ordinary hand, then compare the b forms with examples already present in a note.
A neighboring stroke can close an oval, extend a shoulder or hide a return. Trace the visible boundary before naming the feature. Compare letter shape separately from the word’s slant and the line’s direction.
Connect the letter to a whole-page reading
One letter supplies a local observation. Repeated forms show whether that observation belongs to the wider writing rhythm. Use the linked feature guides to compare its proportions, turns and connections with the rest of the sample.
Compare an enlarged capital or a signature initial with ordinary letters on the same page. A decorative opening may occupy a different height and shape from the body letters that follow it.