How to Sign A in British Sign Language (BSL)

Sign

Quick answer: To fingerspell A in British Sign Language (BSL), present your non-dominant hand and touch its thumb with the index finger of your dominant hand. Angle your hands so the person watching can see the contact point.

This position represents the written letter A in the two-handed BSL fingerspelling alphabet shown by UCL’s BSL SignBank. To learn all 26 letters, see our British Sign Language alphabet guide.

Watch an External Demonstration of A in BSL

This page does not contain an embedded video. You can watch the letter A being formed on UCL BSL SignBank’s interactive two-handed fingerspelling chart. Select A beneath the signer to play or replay the animation.

Open UCL’s animated BSL letter-A demonstration

Movement description: the dominant index finger touches the thumb of the presented non-dominant hand. No additional movement is required.

How to Fingerspell A in BSL

Identify your dominant hand. This is the hand you naturally prefer for precise actions, often the hand you write with.
Present your non-dominant hand. Hold it comfortably in front of your upper body, with the thumb and fingers visible.
Extend your dominant index finger. Keep both hands relaxed rather than rigid.
Touch the thumb. Place the tip of your dominant index finger against the thumb of your non-dominant hand.
Show the contact point. Angle your hands so the viewer can see where they meet. The isolated letter does not need extra movement.

The featured image illustrates the basic contact point. Use it alongside UCL’s animation, which shows the position from a signer’s perspective.

What the BSL Letter A Means

This position fingerspells the letter A. It is not a general sign for every English use of the word “a”. BSL is a language with its own vocabulary and grammar, rather than English converted word for word into hand movements.

Fingerspelling represents written letters through handshapes. It is often used for names, places and unfamiliar or specific terms. Signature’s fingerspelling resources include separate charts for right- and left-handed signers.

How Left-Handed Signers Form A

Left-handed signers can mirror the arrangement: use the left index finger as the active pointer and present the right thumb as the contact point.

Whichever arrangement you use, keep it consistent while spelling a word. This makes a sequence easier to follow and avoids unnecessary changes in hand position.

A Five-Point Memory Map for BSL Vowels

The vowels provide a useful memory pattern. In the standard two-handed fingerspelling chart, the dominant index finger indicates five successive parts of the non-dominant hand:

Vowel	Contact point on the non-dominant hand
A	Thumb
E	Index finger
I	Middle finger
O	Ring finger
U	Little finger

Think of this as a five-stop route from the thumb to the little finger: A is the first stop. Practising A–E–I–O–U can help you distinguish each contact point instead of memorising A in isolation.

Common Mistakes When Fingerspelling A

Using the ASL handshape: American Sign Language uses a one-handed manual alphabet, whereas the BSL letter described here is part of a two-handed alphabet. Learn more about the difference between ASL and BSL.
Pointing to the wrong digit: For A, the dominant index finger meets the non-dominant thumb.
Hiding the contact point: Avoid placing one hand directly behind the other from the viewer’s perspective.
Holding unnecessary tension: Keep the position relaxed and controlled rather than forcing your fingers straight.
Adding movement: The isolated A handshape does not require circling, repeated tapping or tracing.
Prioritising speed: Form recognisable letters at an even pace before trying to fingerspell more quickly.

When Is Fingerspelling Used in BSL?

Fingerspelling represents written letters and words. Uses can include:

introducing a person’s name;
spelling a place or organisation;
clarifying a written word;
introducing an unfamiliar term; and
using forms that have become established from fingerspelling.

Language insight: fingerspelling can become part of BSL

In a BSL Corpus study published through UCL Discovery, Matt Brown and Kearsy Cormier examined how fingerspelled forms can be adapted to the linguistic patterns of BSL. This helps explain why fingerspelling is not simply “English on the hands”: it functions within a living visual language.

How to Practise A Clearly

Form A slowly and check that your dominant index finger meets the thumb.
Use a mirror or camera preview to check the position from a viewer’s likely angle.
Practise the five-vowel route from the thumb to the little finger.
Mix A with other letters rather than repeating it only in isolation.
Practise reading fingerspelling as well as producing it.

For further practice, try UCL BSL SignBank’s random-word fingerspelling tool. Formal feedback from a suitably qualified BSL teacher can help you develop clarity and fluency beyond this introductory guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is A the same in BSL and ASL?

No. BSL and ASL are distinct languages with different manual alphabets. BSL uses a two-handed fingerspelling alphabet, while the ASL alphabet is one-handed.

Which hand touches the thumb?

The index finger of your dominant hand touches the thumb of your non-dominant hand. A left-handed signer can mirror the position.

Does the BSL letter A have any movement?

No additional movement is required when showing the letter by itself. Make the contact point clear and hold it briefly enough to be recognised.

Does fingerspelling A mean the English word “a”?

Not automatically. It represents the written letter A. BSL has its own grammar, so English words should not be assumed to have direct, word-for-word BSL equivalents.

Is fingerspelling the same as learning BSL?

No. Fingerspelling is one part of BSL communication. BSL also has its own vocabulary and grammatical structures, including the use of signing space and non-manual features such as facial expression and body movement.

Summary

To fingerspell A in BSL, touch the thumb of your presented non-dominant hand with the index finger of your dominant hand. Keep your hands relaxed, make the contact point visible and use a consistent dominant-hand arrangement while spelling. To remember the position, think of A as the first point in the thumb-to-little-finger vowel sequence.