HANDWRITING & GRAPHOLOGY
How to analyze handwriting: a step-by-step guide
Analyze handwriting by moving from the whole page to lines, words and repeated letters. Record visible observations first, then compare how the features combine in graphology.
1. Choose an ordinary sample
Use several lines of spontaneous writing in the usual hand. Keep the full page available for margins and the original sheet available for pressure. Note whether the sample is a rushed note, a carefully copied passage or a signature-only image.
2. Inspect the page and writing lines
Trace the writing block and compare the four margins. Follow the body-letter bottoms along each line to locate the baseline. Record steady, rising, falling or locally uneven direction. Keep that direction separate from stem slant.
3. Compare words and bodies
Use ordinary lowercase bodies to establish size. Compare word gaps with that body height, and line gaps with the extensions above and below. Look at several tall stems for slant and several interior joins for connections.
4. Examine repeated letters
Choose one oval letter, one upper stem and one lower tail. Compare opening, closure, turns and finishing strokes. Repeat the check in another word so a neighboring stroke does not become the whole conclusion.
5. Build a feature-based reading
Write the observed feature beside the traditional theme it suggests. Combine related features: small bodies with open gaps, upright stems with a rising baseline, or a large signature initial with compact ordinary writing.
Use the online result layers to inspect the marked geometry, and the observation sheets to keep a manual record. The letter reference provides annotated examples when a particular form needs a closer look.