A lefty is someone who uses their left hand more naturally than their right hand for writing, throwing, and other tasks.

Most people in the world are right-handed, which means lefties are in the minority: only about one in ten people naturally favors their left hand. Throughout history, left-handed people sometimes faced unfair pressure to switch hands, but today we understand that handedness is just a natural variation, like having brown eyes or blue eyes.

Being a lefty can create small daily frustrations that right-handed people never notice. Scissors, can openers, and even school desks are usually designed for right-handed people. When a lefty writes with a pen or pencil, their hand might smudge the ink as it moves across the page. Despite these challenges, plenty of lefties have achieved remarkable things: Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford were all left-handed, as are athletes like tennis champion Rafael Nadal and basketball star LeBron James.

The word also describes a left-handed baseball pitcher, an especially valuable position since batters face lefties less often and find them harder to hit. In politics, lefty can informally refer to someone with liberal views, though this usage is less common among kids.