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Hi! Welcome to American Sign Language, where your hands talk and spell out words.
Fingerspelling means using hand shapes to spell out words letter by letter. You use your main writing hand to make each sign near your chest.
To sign the letter A, make a fist with your thumb resting on the side. To sign B, raise four fingers straight up and tuck your thumb across your palm.
When you fingerspell a whole word, keep your hand steady in one spot. Bouncing your hand makes letters hard to read for the viewer.
Compare fingerspelling to writing on paper. Keeping your hand steady is like leaving neat spaces between your written words.
✏️ Worked example
How do you fingerspell the word 'CAB' smoothly step by step?
- Form the letter C by curving your fingers and thumb like a cup shape.
- Hold the C shape steady in front of your chest for a short beat.
- Change your hand shape to A by closing your fist with your thumb on the side.
- Change your hand shape to B by opening your fingers tall and tucking your thumb.
- Keep your hand resting in the same spot while moving smoothly between C, A, and B.
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