Long s

This article is about ſ, the archaic variant of the letter s. For the letter ʃ as used in Latin script, see Esh (letter). For the mathematical symbol ∫, see Integral symbol. For the phonetic sound ʃ, see Voiceless postalveolar fricative.

Long s
ſ
Usage
Writing system	Latin
History
Development	Σ σ ς 𐌔 S s ſ
Time period	700s to 1900s
Descendants	∫, Ʃ ʃ, ẞ ß, Ꟗ ꟗ
Other
Associated graphs	s, sh
Writing direction	Left-to-right

An italicized long s used in the word "Congress" (as "Congreſs") in the United States Bill of Rights

The long s, ⟨ſ⟩, also known as the medial s or initial s, is an archaic form of the lowercase letter ⟨s⟩, found mostly in works from the late 8th to early 19th centuries. It could replace one or both of the letter s in a double-s sequence, unless at the end of a word (e.g., "ſinfulneſs" for "sinfulness" and "poſſeſs" or "poſseſs" for "possess", but never "poſſeſſ"). The modern ⟨s⟩ letterform is known as the "short", "terminal", or "round" s.

In typography, the long s is known as a type of swash letter, commonly referred to as a "swash s". As with other letters, the long s may have a variant appearance depending on typeface: ſ, ſ, ſ, ſ. In some typefaces, this letter has a very similar appearance to the letter ⟨f⟩ (lowercase F), distinguished only by the width of the crossbar.

The long s is the basis of the first half of the German ligature ⟨ß⟩ (Eszett or scharfes s, 'sharp s') and of the Middle Scots ⟨Ꟗ ꟗ⟩.