Spell a word · 4 letters

How to spell BIKE in sign language

Bike fingerspelled in ASL is 4 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 II
ASL handshape for the letter KK
ASL handshape for the letter EE

Letter by letter

  1. B Four fingers straight up and together, thumb folded flat across the palm.
  2. I Pinky extended upward; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into a fist with the thumb resting across them.
  3. K Index and middle fingers extended upward in a V, with the thumb placed between them resting on the middle finger knuckle; ring and pinky curled.
  4. E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.

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.