By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content
Key facts
- Bubble numbers are digits drawn with thick, rounded strokes and soft corners, so each one looks inflated like a balloon.
- The digits on this page are set in Bagel Fat One, an open-source typeface, so they are reference outlines and not hand-drawn.
- Digits fall into three shape types: loops (0, 6, 8, 9), hooks (2, 3, 5) and straight lines (1, 4, 7), and each needs slightly different care.
- Unicode has no bubble digits, only circled ones such as ⓪①②③, and the basic block of circled numbers stops at 20.
- Between two inflated digits, leave a gap of about a quarter of a digit's width so the outlines do not touch.
What are bubble numbers?
Bubble numbers are digits drawn with thick, rounded strokes and soft corners, so each one looks like it was inflated like a balloon. They show up on birthday banners, classroom boards, notebook covers, locker labels and posters, usually in bright colours with a white highlight and a shadow underneath.
The recipe is the same as for bubble letters: draw a thin skeleton of the digit, inflate it into a tube with an outline, round off the ends and rub out the skeleton. Digits are in some ways easier than letters, since there are only ten of them and none has a descender below the baseline. But the shapes themselves are a mix of loops (0, 6, 8, 9), hooks (2, 3, 5) and straight lines (1, 4, 7), and each type needs a slightly different approach.
Where should I start?
If you have never drawn bubble lettering, read the five steps below, then try the 0 and the 8, which show how loops work. Trace the printable sheet first if you want a guide, and move to the bubble letters alphabet once the digits feel easy.
What do the digits from 0 to 9 look like?
The digits above are rendered in Bagel Fat One, an open-source typeface. They are not hand-drawn, and we are saying so on purpose: a font repeats the same shape every time, whereas drawn bubble numbers vary a little from digit to digit, which is part of their charm. Use the sheet as a reference for proportions, and as outlines to trace and colour.
How do I draw a bubble number?
The method is the same for every digit:
- Draw the skeleton. Write the digit in a single thin line, large enough to be inflated: at least as tall as the width of three fingers.
- Draw the outline. Go around the skeleton at about a finger-width distance on both sides, keeping the distance even. Corners become curves.
- Close the ends. Join the two outlines at each end of the stroke with a semicircle, so the end looks like the end of a sausage.
- Open the holes. In loops such as 0, 6, 8 and 9, check that the inner space is still visible and not squeezed shut.
- Rub out the skeleton, then add a white highlight on the upper left and a shadow on the lower right.
A pencil outline first, then pen, then colour is the usual order. Tracing paper over the printable sheet below is a good way to learn the shapes.
What should I watch for in each digit?
| Digit | Shape type | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Loop | Draw an oval, not a circle, so it does not read as a letter O. Keep the hole an oval too. |
| 1 | Straight | Add a short flag at the top and, if you like, a base. A plain tube can look like a lowercase l or a capital I. |
| 2 | Hook | Make the curve at the top wide, and keep the diagonal into a flat base. Round the corner where the diagonal meets the base. |
| 3 | Two hooks | Make the top bowl a little smaller than the bottom one, and leave a clear notch on the left where they meet. |
| 4 | Straight | The hardest digit. Use the open form (a diagonal, a bar and a stem that crosses it) and round every corner. A closed triangle gets heavy and its hole shrinks. |
| 5 | Straight and hook | Draw the flat top and the stem as one tube, then add a rounded bowl. Keep the gap between stem and bowl clear. |
| 6 | Loop | Start with the bowl at the bottom, then sweep the tail up and curl it. Keep the bowl open. |
| 7 | Straight | A bar and a diagonal. Round the corner at the top right, and cross the stem only if you want a continental-style 7. |
| 8 | Two loops | Make the top loop smaller than the bottom. Both holes must stay open, or the 8 looks like a pair of blobs. |
| 9 | Loop | Think of the 6 turned upside down: a bowl at the top, a tail that curves down on the right. |
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Uneven thickness. The tube must be the same width everywhere. Check with a pen cap held across the stroke.
- Closed holes. In 0, 6, 8 and 9 the inner shapes are the details that make the digit readable. Leave them clear.
- Sharp corners. If a corner of a 4 or 7 has not been rounded, the digit looks cut out, not inflated.
- Digits of different heights. Rule two light lines and keep every digit between them. A multi-digit number like 2026 looks much neater that way.
- Squeezed spacing. Leave a gap of about a quarter of a digit’s width between two inflated digits, or the outlines touch.
What can I use the digits for?
Bubble numbers suit birthday ages (draw the number large and decorate it with confetti), countdowns and calendars, jersey and locker numbers, door numbers for a child’s room, and classroom number lines. For a banner, trace each digit onto card, cut it out and colour it. Drawn in outline-only form, a 100-day-of-school poster is a good project for children to fill in themselves.
Can I print and colour the digits?
The printable sheet on this page has a hollow outline of every digit from 0 to 9 in the same typeface. Print it at A4 or US Letter, then colour, shade or trace over the outlines. The large size also works as a template for a banner: enlarge it on a copier and cut around the shapes.
Can I copy and paste bubble digits?
Unicode has no bubble digits, only circled ones. They look like numbers inside a bubble and paste into bios, captions and chats, but they are not artwork and cannot be enlarged or coloured. Screen readers read them oddly, so use them for decoration. Circled digits are a decoration, not a replacement for drawn bubble numbers. For more digit styles to copy, the number font generator offers circled, bold, double-struck and other numeral styles, and the bubble text generator does the same for letters inside circles.