Spell a word · 7 letters

How to spell BENTLEY in sign language

Bentley fingerspelled in ASL is 7 handshapes, signed one after another with the palm facing out. Hold each for a beat and keep the hand in one place; the letters carry the word, not the movement.

ASL handshape for the letter BB
ASL handshape for the letter EE
ASL handshape for the letter NN
ASL handshape for the letter TT
ASL handshape for the letter LL
ASL handshape for the letter EE
ASL handshape for the letter YY

Letter by letter

  1. B Four fingers straight up and together, thumb folded flat across the palm.
  2. E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.
  3. N A fist with the thumb tucked under two fingers (index and middle), peeking out between the middle and ring fingers.
  4. T A fist with the thumb tucked under the index finger, peeking out between the index and middle fingers.
  5. L Index finger pointing straight up and thumb extended outward to form an L; other three fingers curled into the palm.
  6. E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.
  7. Y Thumb and pinky extended outward to opposite sides; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into the palm.

Fingerspelling is how ASL handles names, places, brands and words without a sign of their own. Many everyday words do have a sign, so if you are learning ASL as a language, learn that sign too; this page shows how the word is spelled with the manual alphabet.