Cross Stitch Alphabet

Chart any name, date or saying in cross stitch. Type your words and pick one of our 4 pixel alphabets: Small capitals 5 stitches tall, Medium with lower case, Bold with two-stitch strokes, or Slanted for a script-like lean. Each line can have its own thread colour, and you can add a border. The page draws the chart with a symbol and a colour in each square, a bold line every 10 stitches, numbers and centre arrows, and lists the stitch count for each colour. It also works out the finished size on 11 to 20-count Aida and on evenweave or linen stitched over two, and the fabric to cut. Want the letters on their own? Press Chart the whole alphabet. Download a PDF, 300 DPI PNGs or an SVG. Nothing is uploaded.

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How to chart a name in cross stitch

1. Type a name or words: each line of the box is a row of letters.
2. Choose an alphabet, the letter size and the spacing.
3. Pick a thread colour for each line and a border.
4. Check the finished size for your fabric in the table under the preview.
5. Download the PDF, print at 100% and stitch from the centre arrows outwards.

What you can use it for

• A baby’s name and birth date for a sampler
• Initials or a name on a bookmark, towel or bag
• A house name, a wedding date or a short saying
• Letters to add to another pattern (chart the whole alphabet)
• Teaching children letters with big doubled stitches
• Labels for a quilt or a gift

The 4 alphabets

Alphabet	Capital height	Lower case	Characters
Small (3 × 5 capitals)	5 stitches	Capitals only	46
Medium (5 × 7, with lower case)	7 stitches	Yes, with descenders	72
Bold (6 × 7, two-stitch strokes)	7 stitches	Yes, with descenders	72
Slanted (script-like lean)	7 stitches	Yes, with descenders	72

All are our own pixel letters, drawn square by square. Bold and Slanted are made from Medium by a rule (each stitch doubled to the right; every third row nudged one stitch for the lean), so the three read as a set.

Example names on 14 and 18-count Aida

Words	Stitches (w × h)	Stitches in all	14-count	18-count
Emma	31 × 15	150	2.21 × 1.07 in	1.72 × 0.83 in
Oliver	39 × 15	171	2.79 × 1.07 in	2.17 × 0.83 in
Grandma	49 × 15	222	3.5 × 1.07 in	2.72 × 0.83 in
Home Sweet Home	93 × 15	395	6.64 × 1.07 in	5.17 × 0.83 in
Est. 2026	55 × 15	242	3.93 × 1.07 in	3.06 × 0.83 in

Medium alphabet with a solid border and 3 squares of space inside. Sizes are the stitched area; add the spare fabric for framing.

Finished size of a 70 × 28 stitch name

Fabric	Stitches per inch	Size	Size (cm)
11-count Aida	11	6.36 × 2.55 in	16.2 × 6.5 cm
14-count Aida	14	5 × 2 in	12.7 × 5.1 cm
16-count Aida	16	4.38 × 1.75 in	11.1 × 4.4 cm
18-count Aida	18	3.89 × 1.56 in	9.9 × 4 cm
20-count Aida	20	3.5 × 1.4 in	8.9 × 3.6 cm
25-count evenweave over two	12.5	5.6 × 2.24 in	14.2 × 5.7 cm
28-count evenweave over two	14	5 × 2 in	12.7 × 5.1 cm
32-count linen over two	16	4.38 × 1.75 in	11.1 × 4.4 cm

Our tests check this table against stitches ÷ stitches per inch. To chart a photo or drawing rather than letters, use the Cross Stitch Pattern Maker; to draw your own design square by square, the Pixel Art Maker.

What prints

Page	What is on it
Cover	Your words in colour, the size in stitches, the colour key with symbols and stitch counts, and the finished size on 8 fabrics with the fabric to cut
Chart	One square per stitch with its symbol (and colour if you like), a bold line every 10 stitches, numbers every 10, red centre arrows
More chart pages	Long words are split across pages with the column and row numbers of each part in the heading

Which tool to use

You want	Use
A name, date or saying in cross stitch	Cross Stitch Alphabet (this page)
A photo or drawing as a cross stitch chart	Cross Stitch Pattern Maker
A knitting colourwork chart	Knitting Chart Maker
Plain squared paper to chart by hand	Graph Paper

Also handy: the Knitting Chart Maker, Graph Paper and the Monogram Maker.

Frequently asked questions

How do I cross stitch letters?

Chart the word first so you know how wide it is, find the centre of the chart (the arrows) and the centre of your fabric, and stitch from there. Work one colour at a time; on each square make one full cross with all the top stitches facing the same way.

Which alphabet should I choose?

Small (5 stitches tall) for long words or small items like bookmarks. Medium (7 stitches tall, with lower case) for names. Bold for words that need to read from a distance. Slanted for a handwritten feel. Doubled letters make every stitch a 2 × 2 block, for children or big pieces.

How big will my name be?

Finished size = stitches ÷ stitches per inch. A 70 × 28-stitch name is 5 × 2 in on 14-count Aida and about 3.9 × 1.6 in on 18-count. The table under the preview gives every fabric for your words.

How much fabric do I need?

The stitched size plus 3 inches on every side for framing or hemming. The table shows the piece to cut.

What is the difference between 14-count and 28-count?

Count is the number of fabric squares per inch. Aida is stitched over one square, so 14-count gives 14 stitches per inch. Evenweave and linen are usually stitched over two threads, so 28-count gives 14 stitches per inch too, with finer-looking fabric.

Can I mix alphabets?

Each chart uses one alphabet. Make a chart for each part (for example a Bold name and a Small date) and stitch them one under the other, leaving a few rows between.

Which characters can I use?

Capital letters, digits, space and . , ! ? – ’ : & and a heart (♥). Medium, Bold and Slanted also have lower case; Small charts lower case as capitals.

What do the symbols mean?

Each thread colour has its own symbol (a cross, a dot, a square, a triangle and so on). The colour key on the first page lists them with the number of stitches in each colour. Untick Coloured squares to print the symbols in black only.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. The chart is drawn by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.