How to sign
Call 911 in ASL
Call 911 is a communication phrase in American Sign Language. Watch the clip, then sign it along with the video.
- Phrase
- Communication
How to sign call 911
- 1
Watch the clip once at full speed, then once at half speed. Notice the handshape, where the sign sits, and the direction the hand moves.
- 2
Sign call 911 along with the video. Keep your hand where the signer keeps it; moving a sign up, down, or off to the side can change its meaning.
- 3
Add the face. Even a plain vocabulary sign reads better with natural eye contact and an expression that matches the context.
Common mistakes
- Pausing between each sign. Treat the phrase as one unit with one rhythm.
- Mouthing the full English sentence while you sign. Mouth the ASL gloss or keep your lips relaxed; ASL is its own language, not English on the hands.
- Signing too low or too far from the body. Keep your signing space between your chest and your chin where it is easy to see.
Questions about “Call 911”
"Call 911" is signed as a single unit in ASL rather than word-for-word from English.
Guide
Basic Phrases
The first phrases you actually use in a signed conversation: introductions, asking for help, saying you are learning, and keeping things polite. Real video for each one.
From the blog
The First 50 ASL Signs to Learn (and Why These 50)
A teacher-picked starter vocabulary: greetings, replies, pronouns, question words, and feelings that let you hold a real first conversation. Every sign on video.