By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content
Key facts
- The A to Z sheet on this page is a typeface, not hand-drawn, so every letter repeats exactly. Hand-drawn bubble letters vary a little, which is part of their charm.
- Bubble letters keep the skeleton of ordinary block letters: a thin letter is drawn first, then inflated with an outline and rounded ends.
- Four traits define the style: even stroke thickness, rounded ends, open inner spaces in A, B, O and R, and often a white highlight with a shadow.
- Bubble letters are artwork to print, trace and colour. Bubble text such as ⓑⓤⓑⓑⓛⓔ is Unicode that pastes into bios and messages.
- Viewing, printing and tracing the alphabet on this page is free, with no sign-up or account.
Bubble letters are letters with thick, rounded strokes that look puffed up like balloons. To draw them, sketch a thin skeleton letter, outline it at an even distance, round every corner, then shade or add a highlight.
What are bubble letters?
Bubble letters are letters with thick, rounded strokes and soft corners, drawn so that each one looks puffed up like a balloon. They are one of the first lettering styles people learn because the construction is simple: a thin letter is drawn first, then inflated with an outline. Classroom posters, notebook covers, graffiti-influenced art and children’s party signs all use them.
The style has few rules, but a few traits make it recognisable: every stroke has about the same thickness, every end is rounded, and the inner spaces (the holes in A, B, O and R) stay open. Many bubble letters also add a white highlight and a shadow to look glossy.
The bubble letters alphabet from A to Z
The sheet above is a font, so the shapes are identical every time. Use it as a reference for proportions and as something to trace; the drawing steps further down show how to make your own.
Uppercase and lowercase bubble letters
Uppercase
Uppercase bubble letters are what most people draw first. They are tall, simple and easy to read, and they are easier to inflate because the strokes are mostly straight lines and arcs. For titles and labels, capitals look the most deliberate.
Lowercase
Lowercase bubble letters are rounder and friendlier. Letters such as a, b, d, g, p and q are built from a circle and a stem, which suits inflating well. The tall ones (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) reach the top line and the others sit at the x-height. Mixing capitals at the start with lowercase afterwards, as in a name, is the usual choice. Keep bowls open so that, for example, an e does not turn into a blob.
Why do bubble letters stay readable?
Bubble letters are readable because they keep the skeleton of ordinary block letters. The thickness only adds weight, so the eye still recognises an A or an R. Problems appear when the inflation hides the structure: if the counter of an e closes, or if two letters touch so that their outlines merge, the word becomes harder to read. Good bubble lettering leaves a visible gap or a clear overlap between neighbours.
Rounded shapes also explain the style’s tone. Sharp corners signal precision or aggression; round ones read as soft, playful and friendly, which is why bubble letters turn up on children’s books, sticker packs and party decorations. For a more serious look, keep the outline thin and the fill dark.
What are bubble letters used for?
- Printing and colouring. An outlined letter is a ready-made colouring page. Children can fill each letter with patterns or colours.
- Tracing. Place thin paper over the sheet or use a light box, trace the outline and add your own shading.
- Posters and signs. Names, door signs, birthday banners and classroom labels.
- Notebooks and journals. Headings and titles in a bullet journal.
- Designs. Stickers, T-shirts and social media images.
- Graffiti. The throw-up, a fast two-colour graffiti style, is built from bubble letters. The graffiti alphabet shows how tags, throw-ups and pieces differ.
Where should I start?
- Never drawn bubble letters? Print the colouring sheet above, put tracing paper over it and trace one word.
- Want your own name in bubble letters? Use the bubble letter generator for an outline you can print and colour.
- Want to draw by hand? Follow the how to draw bubble letters guide, which builds each letter from a skeleton.
- Need digits? See bubble numbers 0 to 9.
How do I get the most from the sheet?
- Print it at A4 or US Letter and put tracing paper over the page.
- Trace only the outside contour first, then add the inner counters, so the shapes stay balanced.
- Compare each traced letter with the one next to it, because stroke thickness should match.
- Change something: add a highlight, shift the shadow or give the letter a pattern fill so it becomes yours.
How do I draw my own?
Drawing your own is the most satisfying route. The how to draw bubble letters guide walks through seven steps from skeleton to colour and has tips for awkward shapes such as A, K, M, W, S and R, and for the numbers. The picture shows the idea on a B: a thin letter, an outline around it, rounded corners with inner spaces kept open, then a shadow and a highlight.
If you would rather print or trace a particular word, the bubble letter generator turns text into an outline image you can download and colour. The lettering image maker lets you choose other fonts and colours, which helps when bubble letters are too soft for a heading.
Can I copy and paste bubble letters?
Another thing people mean by “bubble letters” is Unicode text such as ⓑⓤⓑⓑⓛⓔ. These are real characters you can paste into a bio, comment or message with the bubble text generator. They work anywhere that supports them but cannot be coloured, resized as graphics or printed as artwork, and screen readers may read them poorly. For anything that needs to be read reliably, use plain text.
Once you know the bubble letters alphabet, the next step is to pick a use: print the sheet, draw a word, or paste bubble text. For another look you can copy and paste, the cursive text generator turns plain words into joined script letters.