Signing Savvy, Your Sign Language Resource

ASL has a number of approaches to identifying the 50 U.S. states. Some are a combination of signs from older post office designations (2-, 3-, and 4-letter postal abbreviations). Some require spelling the entire name. Some use established signs.

Emerging Regional and Generational Signs for U.S. States

Some state signs are still emerging, but not yet fully recognized and used in regular practice across North America. For example, signers in the West have developed an initialized sign for OREGON, using the O handshape coming from the shoulder, like the well-known sign for WASHINGTON.

However, Oregon signers, in the ongoing quest to be seen as an entity separate from Washington, prefer to sign an O handshape in the neutral sign space. You may also see this sign used to mean the Canadian provence ONTARIO.

Although there are different emerging signs for OREGON, we teach OREGON signed as the whole word fingerspelled because that remains the most commonly known version to Deaf people across North America.

Below, we introduce the most common signs for each state, although you may encounter regional and generational variations, and we often include those in the dictionary as sign variations.

The Most Common Signs for Each U.S. State

The map below identifies the most common approach for each state. You may also watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type

U.S. States - By Sign Type - 2 Letters

Sixteen of the fifty states in the USA use 2 letters to make up their sign. The 2 letters used for these states are the common postal abbreviations, which you would use in the address when mailing something to that state.

1. Georgia (G-A)
2. Kentucky (K-Y)
3. Louisiana (L-A)
4. Maryland (M-D)
5. Missouri (M-O)
   Note: The M handshape starts with the palm facing the body and then there is a little twisting movement to shift to the palm facing out.
6. New Hampshire (N-H)
7. New Jersey (N-J)
8. New Mexico (N-M)
9. North Carolina (N-C)
10. North Dakota (N-D)
11. Pennsylvania (P-A)
    Note: You may also see this signed as a 4-letter sign, P-E-N-N.
12. Rhode Island (R-I)
13. South Carolina (S-C)
14. South Dakota (S-D)
15. Vermont (V-T)
16. Virginia (V-A)

You can watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type - 2 Letters

U.S. States - By Sign Type - 3 Letters

Twelve of the fifty states in the USA use 3 letters to make up their sign. The 3 letters used for these states are the first three letters in the name of the state, except for Florida and West Virginia. The 3 letters used for Florida are F-L-A and the 3 letters used for West Virginia are W-V-A. Most of the 3-letter abbreviations come from the postal state abbreviations used before the present, 2-letter standard was adopted in October 1963.

1. Alabama (A-L-A)
2. Arkansas (A-R-K)
3. Delaware (D-E-L)
4. Florida (F-L-A)
5. Illinois (I-L-L)
6. Indiana (I-N-D)
7. Kansas (K-A-N)
8. Nebraska (N-E-B)
9. Nevada (N-E-V)
10. West Virginia (W-V-A)
    Note: The dominant hand in the W handshape makes a sliding motion outward and the letters V-A are fingerspelled. This represents West (W sliding) and Virginia (the first and last letters of the state of Virginia; the same way Virginia is signed).
11. Wisconsin (W-I-S)
    Note: You may also see this signed as a 4-letter sign, W-I-S-C.
12. Wyoming (W-Y-O)

You can watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word list: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type - 3 Letters

U.S. States - By Sign Type - 4 Letters

Seven of the fifty states in the USA use 4 letters to make up their sign. The 4 letters used for these states are the first four letters in the name of the state. 

They are also the same abbreviations used for these states by the post office from 1874 to 1963, before all postal abbreviations were updated to 2 letters per state in October 1963.

1. Connecticut (C-O-N-N)
2. Massachusetts (M-A-S-S)
3. Michigan (M-I-C-H)
4. Minnesota (M-I-N-N)
5. Mississippi (M-I-S-S)
6. Oklahoma (O-K-L-A)
7. Tennessee (T-E-N-N)

You can watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type - 4 Letters

U.S. States - By Sign Type - Fingerspell the Word

Seven of the fifty states in the USA fingerspell the entire state name.

Description: 

1. Idaho (I-D-A-H-O)
2. Iowa (I-O-W-A)
3. Maine (M-A-I-N-E)
4. Montana (M-O-N-T-A-N-A)
5. Ohio (O-H-I-O)
6. Oregon (O-R-E-G-O-N)
7. Utah (U-T-A-H)

You can watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type - Fingerspell the Word

U.S. States - By Sign Type - Sign

Eight of the fifty states in the USA have signs that are commonly used and recognized across North America. Each sign is unique to the state.

1. Alaska - Think of the fur on a hooded parka.
2. Arizona - Think of the sign for HOT.
3. California – Similar to the sign for GOLD, think of the California Gold Rush.
4. Colorado – The first 5 letters of the word spell COLOR, so sign COLOR and then fingerspell the remaining letters, A-D-O.
5. Hawaii - Think of the sign BEAUTIFUL made with the H handshape.
6. New York - Think of the sign for subway and turn it over.
7. Texas – Use the X handshape because X is the middle letter in the word Texas. The X handshape moves across the front of the body in the shape of the number 7, as several other geographic locations are also signed.
8. Washington – This is the same sign used for GEORGE WASHINGTON. Think of the epaulets on the shoulder of a uniform for a general, like George Washington's.

You can watch the videos for these signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - By Sign Type - Sign

U.S. States – Alphabetical

The reference below lists all the signs for U.S. states by sign type and also lists all the signs for U.S. States alphabetically.

After learning the U.S. States by sign type, you may want to review the states alphabetically. You can watch the videos for the U.S. state signs and practice them using the Signing Savvy Word List: GEOGRAPHY: U.S. States - Alphabetical