HesapHanem

Fingerspelling Reference

Type a word to see its ASL fingerspelling handshapes.

How it is calculated

This is a lookup, not a calculation. The text is lower-cased and read one character at a time. Each of the 26 letters A to Z is replaced by a one-line description of its American Sign Language manual-alphabet handshape, shown as the letter, a dash and the description. A space becomes the marker ( space ) so you can see where one word ends. Every other character, including digits, hyphens, punctuation and letters with accents such as ç or ö, is skipped without a message. The second output counts only the letters that received a handshape. If the text contains no A–Z letters at all, no result is shown. The descriptions are in English whichever page language you use, and J and Z are described as short traced motions.

Worked example

Type Hi Al-9!. It is lower-cased to hi al-9! and read in order. H and I each get a handshape line, then the space becomes ( space ), then A and L get their lines. The hyphen, the digit 9 and the exclamation mark are skipped. The list therefore has H, I, a space marker, A and L, and the letter counter shows 4, because the space is not counted as a letter. H reads "Index and middle fingers extended sideways together" and I reads "Pinky finger raised, rest in a fist".

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Common mistakes

  • Typing a number, expecting number signs. Digits are skipped, so "123" returns nothing; write numbers out as words.
  • Expecting accented letters such as ç, ğ or ö to appear. Only the 26 basic letters are handled, so "çay" returns just A and Y.
  • Treating the text description as a substitute for seeing the sign. Several letters (M, N, S, T and A) look alike, so check against a picture chart or a teacher.
  • Reading the letter count as the number of characters typed. It excludes spaces, digits and punctuation.
  • Fingerspelling every word in a conversation. It is normally used for names and terms without a sign, not as a replacement for signing.

About this calculator

The American Sign Language (ASL) manual alphabet assigns a distinct handshape to each of the 26 English letters, used to spell out words — proper names, place names, technical terms, or any word without an established sign — letter by letter rather than with a single sign. Most handshapes are static, though a few (like J and Z) involve a small traced motion.

This reference types out a word and shows the handshape description for each letter in sequence. ASL students, sign language interpreters, and hearing family members or coworkers of Deaf individuals use fingerspelling references like this to learn or double-check the correct handshape for a name or unfamiliar word before spelling it out in conversation.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    This reference covers the American Sign Language alphabet only, with the 26 basic letters, so it should not be used for Turkish Sign Language or British Sign Language, which have their own manual alphabets. Letters such as ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş and ü are skipped without a message. Read each description as a prompt and check the real handshape on a picture chart. Which sign language alphabet would you most like to see covered here?

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