Letter s · secretary hand
Long s
Also called ſ, double-length s
Unit 2very common
A tall s that runs from above x-height to below the line, made like f without its tick. Used at the start and in the middle of words.
Model letter
Write it
Watch the quill write the long s, trace it stroke by stroke, then copy it. Scribes wrote it in 4 ways; the usual one comes first.
In practice lines
Every long s below was checked by hand. They are not yet sorted by form, so some show another long s.
Practice lines drawn in period hands
Don’t confuse it with
Practise this letter Unit 2 · Meet the long s
Write itWatch, trace and copy