How to Mirror Write

Using Reference Material

Make an alphabetical reference chart to easily view the reversed letters. Creating a backward letter guide can help you easily practice writing the letters in reverse. To do this, grab a piece of paper, and write out each letter of the alphabet. Then, write the corresponding backward letter directly underneath. For example, take a piece of paper and write out "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." Then, write out "ɒ, d, ɔ, b, ɘ, ʇ, ϱ, ʜ, i, į, ʞ, l, m, n, o, q, p, ɿ, ƨ, Ɉ, υ, v, w, x, γ, z," to create your mirror writing guide. Don’t worry about practicing lowercase i, l, o, t, v, w, x. These letters look the same backward as they do forward.

Use reversed text from an online generator to easily practice. Search online for “mirror writing text generator” and select a website from the list of options. Type in the text you want to practice with, and select “Write” or “Start” to mirror your text. Oftentimes, you can print the text right from the website. Then, look at the backward text as you practice mirror writing. If the website you selected does not have a direct print option, copy the text into a Word document, and select “Print” from the “File” menu.

Try copying a normally-written sentence to practice writing in reverse. Another option is to use a normally-printed sentence to help you get comfortable. Pick any sentence or phrase you’d like. Start your sentence or phrase on the left side of the paper. Write out your sentence clearly and legibly. Then, try writing the text backward, starting on the right side of the paper. You can keep writing the sentence 3-5 times to feel out the technique. For example, write "I am learning to mirror write," on the left side of the page. Then, place your pen on the right side of the page, and try writing "ɘɈiɿw ɿoɿɿim oɈ ϱninɿɒɘl mɒ I," backward from right to left.

Use your reference materials to mirror write until it is second nature. You can use 1 or all of these options to help you learn mirror writing. Use whichever method helps you the most, and practice regularly until you no longer need the guide.

Practicing the Basic Technique

Write at least 1 mirrored sentence a day if it fits with your schedule. The best way to develop your mirror writing skills is to practice as often as possible. Aim to write a minimum of 1 sentence a day to work on your skills, as this is a small commitment that you can easily add into your schedule. For extra practice, try to mirror write 3-5 sentences a day. Practice with a reference guide for as long as you need. Then, simply write the sentence backward from the get-go.

Use the same notebook to practice so you can document your progress. Select a spiral-bound or composition-style notebook to use, and record all of your mirror writing attempts in the notebook. This way, you can easily flip through prior attempts to see how much you’ve improved. This can be a great source of motivation as you learn mirror writing. When you first start, your letters may look sloppy or messy. Practice diligently to improve the shape of your letters.

Time and record each practice session to track your improvements. Before you start practicing, use the stopwatch feature on your smartphone. Press “Start” immediately before you begin, and press “Stop” when you finish the mirrored sentence. Record the time of the practice session on the same page in your notebook. If you do this each time you practice, you can see how much you improve over time. This is helpful when developing your skills because you can see the direct results.