How to Sign Internet in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), INTERNET is usually signed with both hands. Each hand is open with the fingers spread and the middle finger bent forward. Touch the two middle fingertips together in front of your chest, then twist your wrists back and forth a few times while the fingertips stay in contact. The twisting movement suggests connections passing between points in a network.

Which sign language you mean changes the answer. This guide covers ASL, the language most widely used by Deaf communities in the United States. British Sign Language, Auslan, Langue des Signes Française and other sign languages have their own signs for internet, and those signs may look nothing like the ASL one. If you are signing with someone outside the US, ask which sign they use.

Step by step

• 1. Handshape: Open both hands and spread your fingers. Bend each middle finger forward from the knuckle, keeping the other fingers fairly straight. This is often called the bent-middle-finger or "open 8" handshape.
• 2. Position: Hold both hands in front of your chest at a comfortable height, with your palms angled toward your body.
• 3. Contact: Bring your hands together until the tips of your two middle fingers touch.
• 4. Movement: Rotate your wrists back and forth in small, repeated twists while keeping the middle fingertips touching. Two or three twists is typical. A slow, exaggerated motion is unnecessary.
• 5. Finish: Lower your hands or move on to the next sign. Holding the end position for a long time can make the sign harder to read.

How to check that you are forming it correctly

• Handshape check: From your own point of view, the middle fingers should point toward each other and the other fingers should stay spread. If your fingers curl into a fist or the middle finger stays straight, reshape the hand.
• Contact check: Your middle fingertips should stay touching through the whole twisting motion. If they slide apart, make the rotation smaller.
• Movement check: The motion should come from your wrists, not your elbows or shoulders. Your forearms should stay mostly still.
• View check: Watch yourself in a mirror, or record a short clip with your phone or webcam, and compare it with an ASL video dictionary entry for INTERNET. This lets you see the sign the way another person would.

A mirror or recording shows whether your sign looks like a reference video. It cannot show whether a particular community or conversation partner uses that version, and it cannot judge the subtler parts of signing, such as timing and how a sign fits into a sentence. Feedback from a fluent Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor is the best way to confirm you are understood.

Variations you may see

Sign vocabulary changes between regions, age groups and communities, and technology terms change faster than most. You may see INTERNET signed with a different palm orientation, with one hand rotating more than the other, or fingerspelled as I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T. Some signers use a related sign for a web or network depending on context. If the person you are talking with uses a different form, follow their usage.

Limits of this guide

No source material on this sign was supplied for this article. The description above reflects how the ASL sign is commonly taught and is not checked against a specific dictionary or regional standard. Written instructions also cannot fully capture movement, so check the sign against a reputable ASL video dictionary or ask a Deaf signer before relying on it in important communication.