Cursive Generatorbw in Cursive
A bridge join between b and w, difficulty 4 of 5.
To join b to w, finish the b at the midline with its short exit stroke and carry on level, without lifting, into the w. The w starts from that bridge instead of from the baseline, so its first stroke is shorter than usual. Keep the bridge short: a long one leaves a gap at the top of the b.
Words with bw
- subway
- cobweb
- bobwhite
How a bridge join works
The first letter ends at the midline instead of the baseline, so the next letter cannot start with its usual upstroke from the line. It takes a short, nearly level bridge from the top of the first letter and begins its own shape from there, which is why the second letter looks slightly different after b, o, v and w than it does elsewhere.
The mistake to watch for
Learners drop the connector back down to the baseline and start the second letter as if after a baseline join, which leaves a loop or a gap at the top of the first letter; keep the pen at midline height across the bridge.
Practising bw
Write bw on its own a few times, then inside the words below, then in a sentence. This is one of the harder joins, because the second letter has to adapt to the first; a week of short daily drills on the practice sheet is a reasonable plan.