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About This Quiz
The Sumerians created the first writing system in human history. Known as Cuneiform, the wedge-shaped symbols look nothing like the flowy and romantic letters of cursive. Cursive writing dates all the way back to the Romans, but it didn't get it's signature look the cursive until the Renaissance during the 14th century. Cursive, formally known as Italic, came to America during the Spanish requests. Over time cursive letters were simplified, and in the late 19th century the Palmer and Zaner-Bloser methods were developed are still used today. In the past students learned how to write in cursive using chalk and mini chalkboards but you may have
Up until recently, cursive was an important skill taught in grade school, but over the last few years, schools have decided to forgo cursive in the classroom, preferring to concentrate on print only. In fact, the Common Core Standards, a set of educational standards gaining popularity in the states, dictated hat cursive will no longer be taught in elementary schools.ÂÂ
While some cursive letters are so similar to print they are easy to identify, others look completely different than their counterparts. Do you still write in cursive or know how to sign your name? Prove it by challenging yourself with this quiz! Find out if you can identify these cursive letters in just 6 minutes!
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
H
g
C
This letter can be phonetically confusing due to similar sounds that the letters /k/ and /s/ make. It was originally used to transcribe a Phoenician sound, and has been kept since.
d
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Which cursive letter is this?
B
Did you know that the letter 'b' is over 3,000 years old? It used to be referred to as 'beta,' which is why people today sometimes use beta for something that is 'in second.'
z
A
l
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Which cursive letter is this?
i
Did you know that /j/ came to be as a variation of /i/? /I/ was used as both a vowel and consonant until the 1500s.
U
r
w
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Which cursive letter is this?
J
P
p
Y
This letter is also Greek, and is known in the Greek alphabet as upsilon. In historic Latin, is was rarely used.
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Which cursive letter is this?
z
D
This letter has maintained its position as the fourth letter of the alphabet for all of its existence. Although the shape of the written letter is a bit different than it has been historically, it has always held a rounded shape.
e
w
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
w
s
R
N
In some languages such as Arabic, the letter /n/ is called 'nun.' 'Nun' also means fish in Arabic.
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n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
P
n
a
M
Greeks called this letter Mu, Phoenicians Mem. Either way, it is considered a sacred and powerful letter because it represents water.
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Which cursive letter is this?
D
R
This letter has a correlation to dogs in ancient Latin, since it was thought of as a trill that made the same noise as a growling dog. Maybe that's why the canine name, 'Rover,' is so popular!
F
C
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Which cursive letter is this?
Y
U
v
T
If you are ever playing hang-man or Wheel of Fortune, guess this letter! It is the most frequently used of all the English consonants.
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Which cursive letter is this?
H
Did you know that in the 1800s, it was common for people to not pronounce /h/ in words like hospital and herb without the beginning sound? In the U.S., people still pronounce herb without the /h/.
l
B
c
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Which cursive letter is this?
U
X
Have you ever read the words like Xander or xylophone and wondered what the point of the /x/ is? This letter is said to be like a phonetic chameleon since it doesn't always have a distinct sound.
W
k
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
g
Although this letter was related to the /c/ in the Phoenician alphabet, the Greeks used it for the guttural /ga/ sound.
h
Y
r
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Which cursive letter is this?
m
b
J
The letter was also used for both consonant and vowel sounds until the 1500s. However, it did not become popular in English for another hundred years.
H
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
r
p
k
The capital version of this letter is easier to write in cursive than the lower-case, since it has fewer loops. This sound is frequently used in English and in Germanic languages.
u
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Which cursive letter is this?
f
In 3000 B.C., the letter /f/ began as a picture of a snake. Over thousands of years, it has slowly changed to be the letter it is today in the English alphabet.
R
x
y
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n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
W
v
q
Perhaps you learned in elementary school that /q/ must be followed by a /u/. Have you ever wondered if there is a word with a /q/ but no /u/? There are a few, but most are derived from non-English words. 'Qintar,' for example, is the monetary unit of Albania.
f
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
a
Did you know the letter 'a' is derived from an ox's head? Well, not the literal head, but a picture of the ox's head in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
L
m
o
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
w
Did you know that if you search 'w facts' on the internet, you'll find results about former President George W. Bush? His middle initial must have made a mark!
A
h
E
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n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
V
h
H is also the symbol for hydrogen, an element in the table of elements. It is the most common element in the universe.
O
w
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Which cursive letter is this?
V
There is a pop singer from South Korea named 'V,' who is in the boy-band BTS. Check out their music videos today!
u
q
g
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Which cursive letter is this?
I
P
O
The Phoenicians gave this letter a vowel sound, and in regards to the written form, it has remained about the same since its origin.
y
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Which cursive letter is this?
p
A
Speaking of blood types, A negative is another rarity. About 6 percent of people also have this type of blood.
n
m
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
z
E
'E!' is a T.V. show and network that broadcast news about the celebrity and entertainment world. If you want to know the latest Hollywood gossip, turn on this channel!
X
c
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Which cursive letter is this?
m
N
X
p
It may seem phonetically strange to English speakers that this letter is known as 'rho' in the Greek alphabet. It is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
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Which cursive letter is this?
i
g
G
The United States has had many presidents whose name began with this letter. From all the Georges to Gerald and Grover, this must be a presidential letter!
o
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
o
L
J
b
B is also used in the medical world to describe the virus called 'Hepatitis B.' Don't worry, it's only contagious through contact with blood or bodily fluids.
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
z
B
x
Have you heard of the new iPhone X? It has amazing new features, including face recognition as your password!
n
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Which cursive letter is this?
r
P
There are a lot of veggies that begin with this letter. And now, delicious latte drinks start with this letter too, thanks to the pumpkin latte!
v
Q
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
t
Ford made its Model T car for about 20 years in the early 1900s. It was known as an affordable car for the common man.
k
U
Y
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
z
How many words can you think of that start with the letter /z/? Zebra, zipper, zombies and zoology are a few ideas for those of you playing Scrabble!
j
H
h
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Which cursive letter is this?
d
F
f
m
The beloved candy, M&Ms, has made its mark on this letter. Did you know that it stands for the two last names of the chocolatiers who started the company? Mars and Murrie were their last names.
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Which cursive letter is this?
q
E
e
This letter's origin is Epsilon, a Greek letter. There are many companies today named after Epsilon.
r
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
P
d
D is the name of a programming language created by Walter Bright. It is a high level language and was released in 2001.
r
e
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Which cursive letter is this?
N
n
What's one of the first things that pops up when you internet search 'n'? Netflix! This internet movie rental system has changed the way our society finds entertainment, and probably put a few physical rental stores out of business.
M
X
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Which cursive letter is this?
a
A
S
This is the 19th letter of the English alphabet, and is also the initials of a children's T.V. show where they teach letters, "Sesame Street."
b
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
B
j
What is jade? Jade is a gemstone known for its green color and often used in Asian art.
v
C
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n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
l
This is the 12th letter in the English alphabet and is used often in English spelling. In fact, it is one of the top ten most commonly used letters.
u
y
t
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Which cursive letter is this?
w
r
T
v
Did you know this letter was not distinct from /u/ until the 1300s? In the 1500s, /u/ as a vowel, was finally formed, making /v/ the true consonant.
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
Y
o
This letter also describes a type of blood. O negative blood is a rare blood type; only about 6 percent of people have it.
B
v
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n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
U
y
Being near the end of the alphabet, sandwiched by /x/ and /z/, this letter is a phonetic chameleon. It is sometimes a consonant and other times a vowel.
d
c
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
K
C
u
'U' is often used to abbreviate the name of a state university. Take 'U of M' for University of Michigan, or 'U Dub' for University of Washington for example!
c
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Which cursive letter is this?
W
Have you ever thought of transcribing this letter simply using two 'u's; /uu/? This is what people who wrote in Old German did.
U
p
I
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Which cursive letter is this?
P
D
F
Want to know a fun fact about /F/? It is a historic letter that comes from Egyptian hieroglyphs.
G
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
v
z
K
Where does the saying 'o.k.' come from? Some think it's an abbreviation for 'oll korrect,' but it is more likely that it became a part of English lingo when a political party named the O.K. Club began. This was actually an abbreviation for the president's hometown.
m
n/a
Which cursive letter is this?
c
x
h
U
The Gothic alphabet shows the first /u/. It became its own letter, apart from the /v/ in the 1300s.
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Which cursive letter is this?
T
s
a
r
This letter is growing very popular in the tech-data world. It is 15th in all data programming languages.
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Which cursive letter is this?
H
j
s
Sigma is the Greek letter and the original name for /s/. This is also a good letter to guess when playing guess-the-word games, as it is commonly used in English.
l
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Which cursive letter is this?
h
H
d
Q
Have you ever considered that /q/ and /k/ make a similar sound in the back of the throat? This letter usually needs the letter /u/ after it.
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You Got:
/49
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