Our own drawing, from the Alphabet Atlas letter set.
Bubble letter O (and o)
A bubble letter O is the plain letter O puffed up into a rounded tube with a dark outline, and the quickest way to draw one is to sketch the thin letter first, outline it one finger-width outside, round every corner and erase the first line.
O and o in 6 colours
About the bubble letter O
Bubble O and o sit at position 15 of 26 in the alphabet. In English text o is the 4th most common letter, making up about 7.5% of the letters, so you will draw it often.
The lowercase o has a closed hole (a counter). In a bubble version the tube grows into that hole, so keep the hole at least a thumb-width across or it fills in and o starts to look like a blob. It sits between the baseline and the midline like most lowercase letters.
The capital O has an enclosed shape too, so the same rule applies: draw the outline around the outside, then a second smaller outline inside the hole.
How to draw it, step by step
- Sketch a thin, light O in pencil. Start on the top line at the middle. Go all the way round in a closed oval and meet your starting point, ending on the top line at the middle.
- Draw a second line about a finger-width outside the first, all the way round. If the letter has holes, draw a smaller line inside each one.
- Round every corner and merge the outlines wherever two strokes meet or cross.
- Erase the first sketch, add a short curved highlight near the top left of each stroke, then colour it in and darken the outline.
The thin letter underneath
Every display letter starts as a plain letter. These are the strokes of the thin version:
- Start on the top line at the middle. Go all the way round in a closed oval and meet your starting point, ending on the top line at the middle.
Tips for bubble letters
- Fat letters need space: leave about a quarter of a letter-width between neighbours.
- Keep the outline the same width all the way round; it is the detail that makes the letter look professional.
- A highlight on the same side of every letter makes a row of bubble letters look lit from one direction.
Words that start with O
More about this letter
See the same letter in other styles: cursive o, cursive capital O, print o. Or use the bubble letters generator for a whole word.
Questions about the bubble letter O
How do you draw a bubble letter O?
A bubble letter O is the plain letter O puffed up into a rounded tube with a dark outline, and the quickest way to draw one is to sketch the thin letter first, outline it one finger-width outside, round every corner and erase the first line.
Is the bubble letter O free to use?
Yes. The o on this page was drawn for Alphabet Atlas, so you can print it and use it for school projects, posters, cards and notes. Please do not resell the artwork as a font.
How do I make a whole word in bubble letters?
Open the bubble letters generator, type your text, choose colours and download a PNG with a transparent background.