How to practise your fingerspelling

To use the tool, click the link below and wait for all the images to load. You will know when the tool has finished loading because you will see the 'OK ready to use' graphic.

Once the graphic appears, either click on each individual letter to see an animation of that letter being spelt or type in a word or phrase and click the 'Go' button.

You should pay special attention to the movement and handshapes shown in the animation as they are very important parts of fingerspelling.

Practise your fingerspelling

What is fingerspelling?

All the letters of the English alphabet can be spelled on your hands. This alphabet, often known as fingerspelling or the manual alphabet, is used to spell out the names of people or places.

Changing the speed of the animation

You can change the speed of the animation by selecting one of the checkboxes - fast, medium or slow. If the animation seems jerky and not very smooth, try selecting a slower speed.

Can't see the tool?

Our fingerspelling animation tool uses technology called JavaScript. To view the animation you need to use a website browser that supports JavaScript and have JavaScript enabled/switched on.

Want to learn more?

Have a look at our Start to Sign package - a useful resource to back up learning BSL.

The full colour book explains the basics of sign language with helpful examples of how to use the signs. Inside each book is a unique code that will give you access to more than 1000 video clips and you can test your knowledge with online quizzes.