Signing Savvy, Your Sign Language Resource

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings.

The ASL signs shown below look similar, but are not the same. There are many ASL signs that when produced look similar, but in fact have a completely different meaning. Below you will find examples of such signs. Watch closely to see if you can see the differences. In addition, watch my eyebrows, look to see when I tilt my head or lean my body in a certain way, even what my mouth is doing. These nuances are called inflections and trust me, inflections matter.

These examples are all signs related to Thanksgiving.

1. Thanksgiving vs. Thank You vs. Very Thankful

THANKSGIVING, THANK YOU, and VERY THANKFUL all use the same open B handshape, however, the movements are different, and THANKSGIVING and VERY THANKFUL use two hands, where THANK YOU uses only the dominant hand. 

• THANKSGIVING: The fingers of the dominant hand touch the mouth and the non-dominant hand is behind, further from the body. Both hands move forward in two circular movements. Think of extra thanks for the people in front of you.
• THANK YOU: The dominant hand begins at the chin, moving forward in a downward motion. Think of bowing in respect.
• VERY THANKFUL: The dominant hand begins at the chin and the non-dominant hand is behind, similar to THANKSGIVING. Instead of moving in circular motions, the hands move up and down at the same time twice. You may think of blowing kisses to show appreciation.

2. Native American vs. Deaf vs. Dorm vs. Home

The signs for NATIVE AMERICAN, DEAF, DORM and HOME all use the dominant hand in a motion beginning near the corner of the mouth and moving up toward the ear. The handshapes are different, distinguishing each sign.

• NATIVE AMERICAN: Use the F handshape starting next to the mouth and bouncing up to the upper cheek.
• DEAF: Use the 1 handshape touching the corner of the mouth, and moving back to touch just in front of the ear.
• DORM: Use the D handshape with palm toward the face. Fingetips tap the corner of the mouth, then move up to tap in front of the ear.
• HOME: Use the flat O handshape, palm toward the face. Fingertips tap the corner of the mouth, then move up to tap in front of the ear.

3. Family vs. Team vs. Group vs. Class

FAMILY, TEAM, GROUP and CLASS all use two hands making the same movement, but the handshapes are different and coincide with the beginning letter of each word. For each sign, the hands begin together facing outward or toward each other, then move out into a half circle, ending with pinkies touching and facing the body.

• FAMILY: Both hands are in the F handshape with thumbs and index fingers all touching. 
• TEAM: Both hands are in the T handshape with thumbs touching. 
• GROUP: Both hands are in the G handshape with palms facing each other and fingers touching.
• CLASS: Both hands are in the C handshape starting together with palms facing forward.

4. Turkey vs. Pig vs. Dirty vs. Grass

TURKEY, PIG, DIRTY and GRASS are all signed with the dominant hand just under the chin. The movements and handshapes are different for each sign.

• TURKEY: Use the downward G handshape with the back of the hand touching under the chin. Fingers point downward and make a back-and-forth wiggling movement like a turkey's wattle. Remember to use the G handshape by thinking of a turkey going "Gobble, gobble."
• PIG: Use the bent B handshape with the palm down under the chin. With fingers together, bend and flap down and then up 2 times.
• DIRTY: Use the 5 handshape, palm face down under the chin and wiggle the fingers. Think of wiggling dirty fingers so the dirt will fall off.
• GRASS: Use the bent 5 handshape with palm up and fingers facing forward. Tap the chin 2 times with the palm. 

5. Potatoes vs. Irish vs. Duty vs. Pumpkin

POTATOES, IRISH, DUTY and PUMPKIN all use the fingers of the dominant hand to tap on the top of the non-dominant hand. In each case, the non-dominant hand is in the S handshape with palm down and arm held horizontally. Each sign is unique based on the dominant hand's shape, movement, or number of times it taps the other hand.

• POTATOES: The dominant hand is in the bent V handshape and the fingers tap the top of the non-dominant hand twice. Think of putting a fork into a potato.. is it done yet?
• IRISH: With the dominant hand in the bent V handshape, circle it once above the non-dominant hand, and then land the fingers to a stop. This sign is very similar to POTATOES since they are a major agricultural crop of Ireland.
• DUTY: The dominant hand is in the D handshape with palm down, and taps the top of the non-dominant hand twice.
• PUMPKIN: With the dominant hand in the 8 handshape, palm down, flick the middle finger onto the non-dominant hand twice. Think of thumping a pumpkin to check its ripeness.

6. Green Beans vs. Last vs. Last (another variation)

With GREEN BEANS, LAST (as in "final") and LAST (as in "final" --another variation) the dominant hand is swiping down at the horizontally extended pinky finger of the non-dominant hand. The signs differ in the hand shape and palm orientation used by the dominant hand.

• GREEN BEANS: This version of GREEN BEANS uses the dominant hand in the G handshape, with index finger pointing toward the non-dominant pinky and shaking through it 2 times. Think of the sign for GREEN and the pinky represents the bean.
• LAST (as in "final"): This version of LAST uses the dominant hand in the I handshape with palm facing sideways. The domant pinky strikes down on the non-dominant pinky one forceful time.
• LAST (as in "final"): Another version of LAST uses the dominant hand in the 1 handshape with palm facing down. The handshape here is the difference, with the dominant index finger striking down on the non-dominant pinky one forceful time. This sign is older, and while you may see people use it, it has become outdated. 

7. Corn on the Cob vs. Sandwich vs. Eat A Lot vs. Picnic

CORN ON THE COB, SANDWICH, EAT A LOT and PICNIC all use both hands near each other in front of the mouth and chin. Different handshapes and motions distinguish each sign. Knowing the differences will help you sign that you are planning to EAT A LOT on Thanksgiving, and you are looking forward to making a good turkey SANDWICH with leftovers! (See below if you'd rather eat SALAD!)

• CORN ON THE COB: Both hands are in the bent 3 handshape and move right and left, back and forth as if you are eating an ear of corn.
• SANDWICH: Both hands are in the bent C handshape facing each other, as they come toward the mouth 2 times.
• EAT A LOT: This version of EAT A LOT uses both hands in the flat O handshape, with palms facing inward and hands alternately moving toward the mouth as if you are stuffing food into your mouth.
• PICNIC: Both hands are in the bent B handshape with the non-dominant hand crossing on top of the dominant hand. Both hands move to the mouth 2 times.

8. Salad vs. Here vs. What

SALAD, HERE and WHAT all use two hands with palms face up at the sides of the body near the waist. Different motions and handshapes, as well as facial expressions differentiate the signs.

• SALAD: Hands are in the bent 5 handshape, moving up and outward simultaneously as if you are tossing a salad.
• HERE: With hands in the 5 handshape (not bent), make small outward circles close to the body.
• WHAT: Hands are in the slightly bent 5 handshape, and wiggle side to side simultaneously. Tilt your head expressively and open your eyes wide while asking, WHAT?

9. Pie vs. Cookie vs. Split vs. Split (another variation)

PIE, COOKIE, SPLIT and SPLIT (another variation) all use both hands near each other at the front of the body. The handshapes and motions of each sign are different.

• PIE: The dominant hand is in the open B handshape, palm sideways, and slices in one direction and then the other while on top of the non-dominant hand, which is palm up in the open B handshape.
• COOKIE: Similar to PIE, the non-dominant hand is palm up in the open B handshape, but the dominant hand is in the bent 5 handshape, palm down. Fingertips of the dominant hand touch the up-turned palm, then twist and touch again as if using a cookie cutter.
• SPLIT: Both hands are in the open B handshape with the dominant hand angled on top of the non-dominant hand. Both hands move down and outward as if something is splitting.
• SPLIT (another variation): In this variation, both hands are in the 1 handshape with the dominant index finger slicing the non-dominant, down-turned index finger, as if you are cutting it in half.

10. Hungry vs. Thirsty vs. Full

HUNGRY, THIRSTY and FULL all use the dominant hand in a traveling motion up or down the center of the torso. The handshapes and motions distinguish the signs. You'll want to be sure to learn the difference so you won't be mistaken for FULL if you are HUNGRY or THIRSTY!

• HUNGRY: Use the C handshape with the dominant palm facing the body. The hand touches the chest and slides straight down to the stomach, just like the path your food will take.
• THIRSTY: Using the 1 handshape with palm facing your body, touch the throat and slide downward to your upper chest. Think of a parched throat.
• FULL (as in "physically full"): Beginning at the chest, use the bent B handshape with palm down, and move the hand up forcefully until it lands under the chin, closing your mouth tight. Think of closing your mouth so you can't eat any more.

How can I figure out the difference between signs on my own?

If you see two signs that look close, but not the same, and you’re not sure, you may use Signing Savvy features to help you figure out the difference. All of our signs have sign descriptions and memory aids that members may access. Reading the sign description and memory aids for the signs will help you figure out the small differences between them that your eyes don’t catch at first. We also recommend using the pause and slow motion feature to slow down the video, so you may take a closer look. These features are available to Signing Savvy members.