Original research · Last full test run: July 28, 2026

Cursive Text Compatibility Matrix

All 49 styles from the Unicode Font Generator, scored across 8 environments. Use this table when cursive shows as □□□ boxes or question marks — then switch style or export a PNG.

Last verified: July 28, 2026 · Method: paste each style into the listed apps on current iOS Safari and Chrome for Android, plus Samsung Internet spot-checks.

Last tested July 28, 2026 — iOS Safari Last tested July 28, 2026 — Android Chrome Last tested July 28, 2026 — Samsung Internet Last tested July 28, 2026 — Instagram Last tested July 28, 2026 — TikTok Last tested July 28, 2026 — WhatsApp Last tested July 28, 2026 — Discord Last tested July 28, 2026 — Gmail
WorksPartial / older devicesOften fails
Style iOS SafariAndroid ChromeSamsung InternetInstagramTikTokWhatsAppDiscordGmail
Cursive
Bold Cursive
Fraktur ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bold Fraktur ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Double-Struck ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bold Serif
Italic Serif ~ ~
Bold Italic Serif ~ ~
Small Caps ~ ~
Sans-Serif
Sans Bold
Sans Italic
Sans Bold Italic
Monospace
Circled ~ ~
Black Circled ~ ~
Squared ~ ~
Black Squared ~ ~
Parenthesized ~ ~
Fullwidth
Superscript ~ ~
Subscript ~ ~
Wide ~ ~
Strikethrough ~ ~
Underline ~ ~
Double Underline ~ ~
Dotted ~ ~
Crossed ~ ~
Wavy ~ ~
Mirror ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Upside Down ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hearts ~ ~ ~
Stars ~ ~ ~
Arrows ~ ~ ~
Fancy Brackets ~ ~ ~
Curly ~ ~ ~
Vaporwave ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wide Spaced ~ ~
RanDoM CaSe ~ ~
1337 Speak ~ ~
Binary Code ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Morse Code ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Emoji Letters ~ ~ ~
Block Letters ~ ~ ~
Royal Crown ~ ~ ~
Fancy Dotted ~ ~ ~
Fancy Lines ~ ~ ~
Fancy Waves ~ ~ ~
Fancy Cross ~ ~ ~

Methodology: each style generated in CursiveGen, pasted into the listed apps on current iOS Safari and Chrome for Android (plus Samsung Internet spot-checks). “Partial” means tofu or missing glyphs on at least one common device class. Combining-mark effects (underline, strikethrough) can look fine while Fraktur still fails — judge by the cell, not the category label alone.

What the tofu screenshots taught us

The classic failure mode is not “cursive is broken” — it is “this phone’s font file never shipped the Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols block for that exact code point.” Bold Cursive and Standard Cursive sit in ranges vendors usually keep. Double-Struck and Fraktur are the first to become □□□ on budget Android. Decorated wrappers (hearts, crowns) add extra symbols that some in-app browsers strip even when the script letters survive.

Illustrative failure references live in our gallery and blog posts; this matrix is the canonical scorecard. If your audience is mixed iOS/Android classrooms, default to Bold Cursive for bios and PNG export for anything that must look identical everywhere.

How to Fix Cursive Text That Shows as Boxes

  1. Switch to Bold Cursive in the Unicode Font Generator.
  2. If it still breaks, use the handwriting image exporter and post a PNG instead.
  3. For Word/Docs print jobs, prefer image/PDF export over Unicode paste.

FAQ

Why does cursive text show as boxes on Android?

Older Android system fonts omit some Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols. Prefer Bold Cursive or Standard Cursive, or export a PNG from the handwriting tool instead.

Which cursive style is safest for Instagram bios?

Bold Cursive has the widest support across Instagram on iOS and Android. Avoid Fraktur and Double-Struck if your audience includes older Android devices.

Can I paste Unicode cursive into Microsoft Word?

Sometimes — support varies by font and Word version. For print documents, use CursiveGen image/PDF export with real handwriting fonts instead of Unicode paste.

What does Partial mean in this matrix?

At least one common device class showed tofu (□□□), missing glyphs, or stripped characters during our July 2026 pass — often Samsung Internet or older Android Discord clients.

Do you retest every style on every OS update?

We run a full matrix pass when major iOS/Android or in-app browsers ship. Last full test run: July 28, 2026. Spot-checks land between full passes when users report new tofu.

Ready to generate compatible cursive?

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