Letters and numbers
Cross stitch alphabets and fonts
Updated October 15, 2026
Names, dates and short words turn a small design into a personal gift. Here are five stitch fonts, each with capitals and numbers, three with lowercase too, drawn on the grid so every letter is made of whole cross stitches. Preview your own word, check how wide it will be, and print the full alphabet for free.
Preview a name or word
Type a name, pick a font and your fabric count. You get the exact width and height in stitches and the finished size, so you know if it fits your project before you start.
59 × 9 stitches
10.7 × 1.6 cm (4.2 × 0.6 in) on 14-count fabric
Five free cross stitch fonts
Each font is shown as a full chart. The PDF has the same chart with symbols, a 10-stitch grid and the DMC colour, ready to print.
Block
Clean, straight capitals and lowercase in a simple sans-serif shape. The easiest letters to read and to stitch, with no curves to fudge.
Best for: children's names, labels, modern samplers and first projects.
- Capital height: 7 stitches (about 1.3 cm on 14-count)
- Capitals, lowercase and numbers
- Thread: DMC 321 Red
Serif
A classic book-style letter with small feet on the strokes. It looks traditional and calm, and works well for longer words and quotes.
Best for: samplers, quotes, birth and wedding details.
- Capital height: 9 stitches (about 1.6 cm on 14-count)
- Capitals, lowercase and numbers
- Thread: DMC 310 Black
Script
A joined, handwritten feel with slanted capitals and rounded lowercase. Elegant at a slightly larger size.
Best for: wedding and anniversary pieces, cards and keepsakes.
- Capital height: 9 stitches (about 1.6 cm on 14-count)
- Capitals, lowercase and numbers
- Thread: DMC 3765 Peacock Blue Vy Dk
Fancy
Large two-colour capitals with a gold inline running through each stroke. One letter is enough to make a monogram.
Best for: monograms, initials on cushions and bags, drop caps.
- Capital height: 15 stitches (about 2.7 cm on 14-count)
- Capitals and numbers
- Thread: DMC 820 Royal Blue Vy Dk + DMC 3821 Straw
Tiny
Capitals only 5 stitches tall. It fits where nothing else will, and it is the font to use for dates and small captions.
Best for: dates, signatures, bookmarks and the small print on a sampler.
- Capital height: 5 stitches (about 0.9 cm on 14-count)
- Capitals and numbers
- Thread: DMC 3799 Pewter Gray Vy Dk
How to stitch letters that look right
Leave one stitch between letters
One empty column between letters is the standard for these fonts and is what the preview shows. Narrow letters such as I or l can look lonely; stitch them and judge by eye, then nudge by one stitch if needed.
Leave three stitches between words
Two stitches can make words run together, four can look like a gap. For two lines of text, leave three to four empty rows between them.
Centre the word, not the first letter
Count the total width from the preview, halve it, and mark that column on your fabric. Start the middle letter there and work outwards so the word sits in the centre of the design.
Chart it before you stitch it
Unpicking letters is slow. Draw the word on graph paper or in the editor first, and check the spacing and spelling, especially names and dates.
Choose a colour with contrast
Letters need to stand out from the fabric. Dark red, navy, black or deep green on white or cream Aida are the safest; pale pastels can disappear.
Outline small letters with backstitch
For text smaller than 5 stitches, many stitchers use backstitch with one or two strands instead of full crosses. It stays sharp and readable.
Which font for which project?
- Baby name and birth date
- Serif or Block for the name, Tiny for the date and weight. Allow about 9 rows for the name and 5 for the date.
- Wedding or anniversary
- Script for the names, Tiny or Serif for the date. Add a heart or flower motif in the gap between the names.
- Monogram cushion or bag
- One Fancy capital, centred, with a simple border. At 15 stitches tall it is about 2.7 cm on 14-count.
- Bookmark
- Tiny or Block running down the length. Bookmarks are usually 25 to 30 stitches wide on 14-count.
- Quote or sampler
- Serif for the quote, with three rows between lines. Keep quotes under five words per line for a balanced shape.
- Christmas ornament
- Block or Tiny for a name or year under a small motif. Ornaments are around 40 × 40 stitches.
Put your words on a pattern
In the PIXVIX editor you can add text in these fonts to any design, move and recolour it, and the thread list and PDF update automatically.
Questions
- Are these cross stitch alphabets free?
- Yes. The previews and all five alphabet PDFs are free to use for your own projects and gifts. No sign-up is needed.
- How tall should cross stitch letters be?
- Five stitches is the smallest readable capital, seven to nine stitches is comfortable for names, and fifteen or more works for a monogram. On 14-count, nine stitches is about 1.6 cm.
- How do I work out how wide a name will be?
- Type it in the preview above. It counts every letter plus one stitch between letters and shows the width in stitches and in centimetres and inches for your fabric.
- Which fonts have lowercase letters?
- Block, Serif and Script have capitals, lowercase and numbers. Fancy and Tiny are capitals and numbers only.
- Can I use letters with accents, like Ä or É?
- The editor supports common accented capitals. In the PDF charts, add the accent by hand: one or two stitches above the letter, centred.
- How many strands should I use for letters?
- Two strands on 14-count Aida, the same as the rest of the design. For backstitched text use one strand for fine lines or two for bolder lines.