How to spell SMILE in sign language
Smile fingerspelled in ASL is 5 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.
S
M
I
L
ELetter by letter
- S A closed fist with the thumb wrapped across the front of all curled fingers.
- M A fist with the thumb tucked under three fingers (index, middle, ring), peeking out between the ring and pinky fingers.
- I Pinky extended upward; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into a fist with the thumb resting across them.
- L Index finger pointing straight up and thumb extended outward to form an L; other three fingers curled into the palm.
- 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.