How to spell DECEMBER in sign language
December fingerspelled in ASL is 8 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.
D
E
CE
M
BE
RLetter by letter
- D Index finger extended upward; middle, ring, and pinky curled to meet the thumb, forming a small circle.
- E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.
- C Fingers and thumb curved into an open C shape, palm facing sideways.
- E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.
- M A fist with the thumb tucked under three fingers (index, middle, ring), peeking out between the ring and pinky fingers.
- B Four fingers straight up and together, thumb folded flat across the palm.
- E All four fingers curled tightly down into the palm with the thumb tucked horizontally underneath the fingertips.
- R Index and middle fingers extended upward and crossed (middle finger over index); thumb holds the ring and pinky down.
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.