handwritten

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "handwritten" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe anything that was written by hand, such as a letter, a note, or a signature. Example sentence: I received a handwritten letter from my grandmother yesterday.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Back came a letter, handwritten by the chief education officer, Mr Taylor, agreeing to the application on the grounds that he was confident I would continue to bring distinction upon Leeds in the years ahead.

The Guardian - Opinion

Mathieu's unpublished handwritten letters meant that Harris had to recruit French researchers.

The Guardian

An extraordinary collection, it brings together photographs, song sheets, handwritten notes, posters and film clips – many of which have not been seen before in public.

The Guardian

Among the tranche of documents in this year's National Archives release are handwritten notes Thatcher took during a meeting she held with the wives of strike-breaking Welsh miners.

The Guardian - Opinion

The knowledge thus amassed is then stored on millions of yellowing pieces of paper, typed or handwritten; from an old-time dictator's viewpoint, exclusive access to these files is at least as powerful an instrument of fear as any torture chamber.

The Economist

If history is any guide, printed and digital books will long co-exist: codices, collections of bound sheets, did not supplant scrolls overnight and printed books took decades to push aside handwritten ones.

The Economist

There, in 1978, handwritten posters called for political change and attacked Mao's rule as much if not more forthrightly than Mr Yang had that afternoon.

The Economist

If you use durable acid-free paper, this will reach at least the level of accessibility of medieval manuscripts, handwritten on vellum.

The Economist

So much the better, probably.Her memoirs, handwritten in a scrawl that only one friend could decipher and transcribe, are heavily packed with italics and exclamation marks and parentheses.

The Economist

It was handwritten by her".The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is a collection of five wizarding fairy tales, four of them so far unpublished.

The Economist

Unlike the ready-made banners at Sunday's pro-Putin rally, most of the ones at the Pushkin square were handwritten.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "handwritten" when you want to emphasize the personal or unique quality of something, contrasting it with machine-generated text.

Common error

Avoid hyphenating "handwritten" unless it's part of a compound adjective before a noun (e.g., a handwritten note). Otherwise, use the single-word form.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "handwritten" is as an adjective, modifying nouns to indicate that something has been written by hand. Ludwig provides numerous examples where "handwritten" describes documents, notes, and letters, emphasizing their manual creation.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

7%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

1%

Social Media

7%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "handwritten" is a grammatically sound and frequently used adjective, primarily appearing in news and formal contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, it describes something created by hand, often emphasizing a personal or authentic quality. When writing, remember to use the single-word form unless it's part of a compound adjective. Consider alternatives like "written by hand" or "manuscript" for variety.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

written by hand

Focuses directly on the action of writing by hand, without specifying the result.

in longhand

Specifically refers to writing in a cursive style, rather than printing.

manuscript

Implies a more formal or historical document written by hand.

personally written

Highlights the personal nature of the writing.

hand-penned

Emphasizes the use of a pen for handwriting.

scripted

Can refer to handwriting, but also to a prepared text for performance.

hand-printed

Refers to writing in individual block letters rather than cursive.

calligraphic

Implies a decorative or artistic style of handwriting.

autographed

Specifically refers to a signature, often by a celebrity or notable person.

scribed

A more archaic term for writing by hand, often associated with historical contexts.

FAQs

How can I use "handwritten" in a sentence?

You can use "handwritten" to describe something that's written by hand, for example: "The museum displayed the author's handwritten manuscript."

What's the difference between "handwritten" and "typed"?

"Handwritten" refers to text created by hand using a pen or pencil, while "typed" refers to text created using a keyboard or typewriter.

What can I say instead of "handwritten"?

You can use alternatives like "written by hand", "manuscript", or "in longhand" depending on the context.

Is "hand-written" ever correct instead of "handwritten"?

"Hand-written" is generally used as a compound adjective before a noun (e.g., "a hand-written letter"), while "handwritten" is used in all other cases. However, "handwritten" as one word is increasingly preferred in all situations.