How to spell BOSTON in sign language
Boston fingerspelled in ASL is 6 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.
B
O
S
TO
NLetter by letter
- B Four fingers straight up and together, thumb folded flat across the palm.
- O All fingertips curved forward to touch the tip of the thumb, forming a closed O circle.
- S A closed fist with the thumb wrapped across the front of all curled fingers.
- T A fist with the thumb tucked under the index finger, peeking out between the index and middle fingers.
- O All fingertips curved forward to touch the tip of the thumb, forming a closed O circle.
- N A fist with the thumb tucked under two fingers (index and middle), peeking out between the middle and ring fingers.
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.