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 Christmas.

1. Christmas vs. Forest

CHRISTMAS and FOREST have the non-dominant arm held horizontally with the palm down, while the dominant hand has the elbow resting on top of the non-dominant hand. The movement and handshape of the dominant hand differs between the signs, and the non-dominant arm also moves slightly toward the dominant side of the body to sign FOREST, but is stationary when signing CHRISTMAS.

• CHRISTMAS: The dominant hand is in the C handshape and starts down by the elbow of the non-dominant arm and rises up to the dominant side of the torso making an arch. Think of the top half of a wreath.
• FOREST: The dominant hand is in the 5 handshape with the arm held straight upward. With the dominant elbow on top of the non-dominant hand, it rides the non-dominant hand toward the dominant side of the body, fingers wiggling. Think of many trees.

2. Tradition vs. Work

TRADITION and WORK (as in “job”) both use hands in the S handshape with the dominant hand tapping down on the top of the non-dominant hand. The movement is not the same.

• TRADITION: The dominant hand moves down onto the non-dominant wrist, then both hands move downward together.
• WORK (as in “job”): The dominant hand taps down on top of the non-dominant wrist two times, with both palms facing downward.

3. Decoration vs. Community

DECORATION and COMMUNITY use both hands with fingers touching in front of the body, and the hands travel from the non-dominant to the dominant side of the body while tapping in a twisting motion. If you look closely, you will see the handshape is different for each sign.

• DECORATION: Both hands are in the flat O handshape while twisting in alternate directions with fingertips tapping as they move sideways. Think of putting things together, or stringing garland along the mantel.
• COMMUNITY: Both hands are in the open B handshape with palms facing each other as fingers touch then twist slightly and repeat as they move sideways. Thumbs do not touch each other, since the palm is more open. Think of many rooftops.

4. Gift vs. Give

GIFT and GIVE (as in “giving something to somebody”) both start with the dominant hand close to the body, and then moving away. The handshapes are different, and GIFT uses both hands, where GIVE uses only the dominant hand.

• GIFT: Both hands are in the X handshape, with the dominant hand closest to the body. Both hands move forward in front of the body as if giving something away.
• GIVE (as in “giving something to somebody”): The dominant hand is in the flat O handshape, palm up and close to the center of the torso. The hand then moves forward as if holding something and passing it to someone in front of you.

5. Lights vs. Real

LIGHTS and REAL both use the dominant hand in the 1 handshape, but the movement is different.

• LIGHTS: The dominant hand is in the 1 handshape with the palm facing the non-dominant side of the body. The index finger taps the chin in an upward movement.
• REAL: The dominant hand is in the 1 handshape with the palm facing the non-dominant side of the body, however, the index finger starts at the mouth, and then moves out and away from the body, ending with pointing straight ahead. Think of only the truth coming out of your mouth.

6. Santa vs. Thanksgiving vs. Thank You vs. Full

SANTA (as in “Santa Claus”), THANKSGIVING, THANK YOU, and FULL (as in “physically full”) all use hands beginning near the chin, however the handshapes and motions are different.

• SANTA (as in “Santa Claus”): The dominant hand is in the slightly open C handshape starting at the chin and moving down to the chest. Think of Santa’s beard.
• THANKSGIVING: In this version, the dominant hand is in the T handshape starting near the nose and changes to a K handshape at the chest. T is the first letter of Thanksgiving and K is in the middle of the word.
• THANK YOU: The dominant hand is in the open B handshape starting with fingertips at the chin, and moving forward in a downward motion. Think of bowing in respect.
• FULL (as in “physically full”): The dominant hand is in the bent B handshape, and moves up forcefully, landing under the chin. Think of closing your mouth so you can’t eat another bite.

7. Holiday vs. Animal vs. Have

HOLIDAY, ANIMAL and HAVE (as in “to possess”) all use both hands touching the body just under each shoulder. The handshape and movements are different.

• HOLIDAY: Both hands are in the 5 handshape, palms down, and each thumb taps just above your armpits two times.
• ANIMAL: Both hands are in the bent open B handshape with palms facing the body. The fingertips touch just under the shoulders and push inward two times.
• HAVE (as in “to possess”): Both hands are in the open B handshape with palms facing inward, shoulder width apart. The fingertips move inward and touch the torso just above the chest.

8. Reindeer vs. Moose vs. Cow vs. Buffalo vs. President

REINDEER, MOOSE, COW, BUFFALO (as in “an American Buffalo or Bison”) and PRESIDENT all use hands up at the sides of the head, however the hand movement is different for each sign.

• REINDEER: This version of REINDEER has both hands in the 5 handshape, palms facing each other with the thumbs touching the sides of the forehead. The hands move away from the head with palms facing forward, like the antlers on a deer.
• MOOSE: Both hands are in the 5 handshape with the thumbs touching the sides of the forehead. Hands then move slightly forward and both hands curve inward, like the shape of a moose’s antlers.
• COW: This version of COW uses both hands in the Y handshape with the thumbs on the sides of the forehead. The hands move down and inward twice, pinky extended. Think of the pointy horns on a COW.
• BUFFALO (as in “an American Buffalo or Bison”): Both hands begin in the C handshape at the sides of the head with palms forward. Each hand then curves around to have the palms face toward the head while closing to the S handshape with knuckles facing forward. Think of the two curving horns of the buffalo.
• PRESIDENT: Both hands begin in the C handshape, palms forward and arms up on either side of your head. Both hands move out and upward and end in the S handshape. Think of George Washington’s tri-corner hat.

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.