Montessori Conference 2026 Q2: Why do I write better in cursive?
Question 2:
I’m dyslexic, why do I write better in cursive?
Answer:
It’s not just because in cursive the “b” does not look like a flipped “d”. In short, it’s because the muscle memory of how letters are written is important and when writing cursive you are forced to use the correct writing method. Let me explain.
Writing is a multi-sensorial activity: it involves sound, sight, and feeling (fine-motor dexterity). You might not consciously be aware of it, but when writing you listen to a word in your mind, you see what letters are in it, and then you write those letters with muscle memory. This means that letters differ on three levels: they look different, they sound different, and they feel different. Any of these three levels can lead to confusion between letters. For example, a “u” looks similar to an “n” (it’s just upside down) and the “e” short vowel sounds similar to the “a” short vowel (listen to the middle of “men” vs “man”). But most people forget that some letters also feel similar, meaning, they are written similarly. For example, “a” and “d” both start at the same place, make a circle, and then make a line (the line for the “d” just goes up further).
The importance of how letters feel – the muscle memory of writing them – is a crucial part of stabilising letters and overcoming confusion. For example, when learning the differences between “b” and “d” (the two letters dyslexics most commonly confuse), you must make sure to learn that they are written very differently. A “b” starts on top, goes down and then makes a circle. A “d” starts in the middle, makes a circle, and then goes up to make the line. A “b” should therefore feel very different to a “d”. Many people, especially dyslexics who confuse “b” and “d”, write a “d” in the same way as they write a “b”: they start on top and then come down to make a circle (to the right for a “b” and to the left for a “d”). If you write like this, then “b” and “d” will not only look and sound similar, but also feel similar, and therefore you will be more likely to confuse them.
When writing cursive you never lift your hand while writing a word, so you can’t really start letters at the wrong place. This forces you to use the correct writing method and therefore prevents you from writing one letter instead of another – or from writing the mirror-image of a letter.
Nonetheless, I’m typically not a big fan of cursive for dyslexics, because I’ve noticed that it causes more problems than it solves. Yes, it forces you to write letters correctly, but now you have an entire new set of letter shapes to master on top of the print letters you are already confused about.
For the same reason, when giving typed work to a dyslexic I recommend using fonts that look like handwriting. How letters look must be as consistent as possible.
For more on fonts read further here:
For more on cursive read further here:
