What Does Spacing in Handwriting Mean?

In handwriting, there is space between lines, between words, and between letters, and there are the margins. Each has a different job, and each can change the way a page looks and reads. When you look at a page of handwriting, it's the empty spaces that may catch your eye before the letters do.

Spacing is one of the overall patterns. It is something to observe, not a shortcut to declaring what someone’s personality must be.

Space between lines

Line spacing affects how easily you can follow the writing. Clear spaces between the lines let each line stand on its own. When descending letters from one line run into the writing below (lower loops on g's and ys, for example), the page can look crowded.

When you consider several lines rather than measuring just one or two, is the spacing fairly consistent? Or doe they narrow as the writer reaches the bottom of the page? The size of the paper and how much the writer needed to fit on it matter, too.

Space between words

Words can sit close together, be separated by regular spaces, or appear almost like islands. A useful comparison is the writer’s own letter size. In Reading Between the Lines, I suggest using the width of a handwritten m as a rough point of reference. A gap that looks wide in small writing may be ordinary in much larger writing---it's proportional.

Pay attention to changes as well as averages. Does the writer leave more space after a pause or near the end of a line? Is the pattern similar on another page written under different circumstances?

Two examples of spacing in handwriting: the first has extremely widely spacing, while the second is extremely narrow.

Graphologists consider word spacing when exploring how a writer uses personal space. But a wide gap by itself cannot tell you whether someone is friendly, reserved, or lonely, any more than narrow spaces by themselves cannot tell you whether the writer is intrusive and pushy.

Space between letters

Letter spacing is different from word spacing. It tells something about the internal space the writer gives themself. Some writers form words with close, squeezed letters; others leave more room. You may also see a writer change spacing within a word. Before interpreting that variation, check whether the pen stopped, the writer corrected a letter, or the word had to fit into a limited space. These small interruptions can affect the visible gap.

Try comparing two pages

Find two naturally written pages, preferably on similar paper. Without reading the words, look at the gaps between lines, words, and letters. Which kind of space gives each page its distinctive appearance? Then look more closely: is that spacing consistent, or does it vary?

If you need guidance on collecting a useful page, see How to Choose a Handwriting Sample for Analysis. In the next posts, we’ll take a closer look at word spacing and line spacing separately.

For more illustrated examples of how spacing fits into handwriting analysis, find Reading Between the Lines on my nonfiction books page.