How to Sign "Everything" in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the language most widely used by Deaf communities in the US, "everything" is commonly expressed by combining two signs: ALL followed by THING. Some signers use ALL alone when context makes the meaning clear, and other regional or personal variants exist. Because no verified reference material was supplied for this guide, treat the descriptions below as a starting point and confirm them against a reputable video dictionary or a fluent Deaf signer before relying on them.

Your search could also mean something broader: is there one sign language that works for everything, or a way to sign every English word? The answer to both is no. Those points are covered after the steps.

How to sign ALL + THING

• 1. Hold your non-dominant hand flat in front of your chest, palm facing toward you.
• 2. For ALL, hold your dominant hand flat, palm facing outward or down. Sweep it in an outward circle around the front of your non-dominant hand.
• 3. Finish ALL by bringing your dominant hand to rest with its back in the palm of your non-dominant hand.
• 4. For THING, hold your dominant hand flat with the palm up, in front of your body.
• 5. Move that hand toward your dominant side with a few small downward bounces.
• 6. Sign the two parts as one smooth phrase, with no pause between them.

Your dominant hand is the one you write with. Left-handed signers mirror these movements, and both versions are correct.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

Written descriptions cannot fully capture handshape, movement, speed and facial expression, so compare yourself against a video source.

• 1. Find the sign in an established ASL video dictionary, or ask a Deaf instructor or fluent signer.
• 2. Watch the full movement several times, noting where the hands start, the path they take and where they finish.
• 3. Sign along with the video, or watch yourself in a mirror.
• 4. Confirm that your handshapes, the direction your palms face and your ending position all match the reference.
• 5. If possible, ask a fluent signer whether it reads naturally. This is the most reliable check, because a sign can match a video and still look stiff or unclear in conversation.

Matching a dictionary video shows that you have learned one accepted form. It does not show that every signer in your area uses that form, and it does not check whether you are using the sign naturally within a sentence.

There is no single sign language for everything

Sign languages are not universal. ASL is distinct from British Sign Language and from many other national sign languages, and the sign for "everything" differs between them. If you are communicating with someone outside the US, find out which sign language they use.

Why you cannot sign English word for word

ASL is a complete language with its own grammar. It is not English expressed with the hands. Many English words have no one-to-one sign, and meaning is often carried by facial expression, use of space and sentence structure rather than by separate signs for each word.

When you need a name or a word you don't know the sign for, you can fingerspell it, spelling it letter by letter with the manual alphabet. Learning the alphabet early covers many gaps, though fluent signers generally use established signs when they exist.

What this guide could not confirm

No verified source material, dictionary entries or regional usage data were available for this article. Handshape details, common variants and regional preferences for "everything" should be confirmed with a Deaf instructor, a local Deaf community resource or a reputable ASL dictionary.