Uncovered :: Identifying Handwriting

There are many different techniques and indicators to look for in a sample of writing to identify who wrote it. I will explain 12 of those main points below.

1. Line quality: Do the letters flow or are they written with very intent strokes?

(Is the writing curvy and/or cursive like, or are straight lines used?)

2. Spacing of words and letters: What is the average space between words and letters?

(Are the letters really close, or further away? And the words? Paragraphs?)

3. Ratio of height, width, and size of letters: Are the letters consistent in height, width, and size?

(Are all of the letters approximately the same size, or are some bigger than others?)

4. Lifting pen: Does the author lift his or her pen to stop writing a word and start a new word?

(Is the writing all connected as if it was cursive, or is it all disconnected?

5. Connecting strokes: How are the capital letters connected to lower-case letters?

(Are the capitals connected to the lowers case is different ways? Are they even connected at all?)

6. Strokes to begin and end: Where does the letter begin and end on a page?

(Do they start at a certain margin? Maybe at the first red line, an inch or so from the first red line, or maybe they just start at the beginning of the page?)

7. Unusual letter formation: Are there any letters written with unusual slants or angles? Are some letters printed rather than written in cursive?

(Are certain letters different than all of the other letters?)

8. Pen pressure: How much pen pressure is applied on upward and downward strokes?

(Is the writing light, or does it seem to be pressed down hard?)

9. Slant: Do letters slant to the left or right? If slant is pronounced, a protractor may be used to determine the degree.

(Self explanatory.)

10. Baseline habits: Does the author write on the line or does the writing go above or below the line?

(Does the writing stay in the blue lines, or does it escape into the above/below lines?)

11. Fancy writing habits: Are there any unusual curls or loops or unique styles?

(Example: A curl at the end of a y. Or a loop-bottomed t.)

12. Placement of diacritics: How does the author cross the t’s or dot the i’s?

(Maybe they use hearts to dot the i's, or even a small circle instead of a dot.)