When was Sütterlin script taught?

In Prussia from 1915, in other German states from the 1920s, and in a slightly slanted form across the German Reich from 1935. In 1941, it was replaced by Latin “normal script”.

Who invented Sütterlin script?

The graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin designed it in 1911 for the Prussian ministry of culture, as a simplified school form of the older Kurrent.

How long does it take to learn to read Sütterlin?

With ten minutes of practice a day, you will recognize the letters after about a week and can read simple letters after two to three weeks, if you know some German. The reading trainer on this page quizzes letters, words and typical lines.

Is there a Sütterlin font?

Yes. You can download our Langula Sütterlin font for free and use it in Word, Pages or graphics programs. For a short text, the generator on this page is enough.

Sütterlin Script: Alphabet, Reading Trainer & Generator

What is Sütterlin script?

Sütterlin script goes back to the Berlin graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin (1865–1917). In 1911, the Prussian ministry of culture commissioned him to design a simpler script for first-graders. It was taught in Prussia from 1915, and other German states adopted it in the 1920s. From 1935, a slightly modified, somewhat slanted form was used in all schools as the “Deutsche Volksschrift”, until German script was abolished altogether in 1941.

Sütterlin keeps the letters of the older Kurrent but simplifies them: they stand upright, have an even width and short ascenders and descenders. That makes Sütterlin easier to read than Kurrent, and anyone who can read Sütterlin can read Kurrent almost by themselves.

Typical traps

e looks like a narrow n with two points.
n and u are built the same way, so the u gets a curve above it.
h has a loop below the line, and r looks like a small v with a hook.
The long ſ stands at the start of a syllable and looks like a long stroke with a loop.

Capital letters

The Sütterlin alphabet

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Ä

Ö

Ü

Lowercase letters

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

ä

ö

ü

ß

ſ (long s)

Generator

Sütterlin generator: convert text to Sütterlin

Your text

ScriptSize set the long ſ automatically transparent background (PNG)

Tip: type an ancestor's name to see how it looks in the old script, then look for that shape in the record. If an s comes out wrong, type ſ or s in the word yourself; words that already contain an ſ stay as they are.

Download the Sütterlin font for free

For Word, Pages and more: a TTF file with a free license.

Go to the fonts

Frequently asked questions about Sütterlin

When was Sütterlin script taught?: In Prussia from 1915, in other German states from the 1920s, and in a slightly slanted form across the German Reich from 1935. In 1941, it was replaced by Latin “normal script”.
Who invented Sütterlin script?: The graphic artist Ludwig Sütterlin designed it in 1911 for the Prussian ministry of culture, as a simplified school form of the older Kurrent.
How long does it take to learn to read Sütterlin?: With ten minutes of practice a day, you will recognize the letters after about a week and can read simple letters after two to three weeks, if you know some German. The reading trainer on this page quizzes letters, words and typical lines.
Is there a Sütterlin font?: Yes. You can download our Langula Sütterlin font for free and use it in Word, Pages or graphics programs. For a short text, the generator on this page is enough.

More on old German script

Old German ScriptAll three alphabets and the reading trainer Kurrent ScriptGerman handwriting since the 16th century FrakturThe blackletter print type, with a free font Old German Script GeneratorConvert text to old script, save as image or PDF Free Old German FontsSütterlin, Kurrent and Fraktur to download

Sütterlin Script: Alphabet, Reading Trainer and Generator

Reading trainer: can you read this?