Daily focus
Archive Replay
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Sign of the Day
width
The BSL sign for 'width' uses two flat hands (B-handshape) positioned facing each other at chest height, which then move horizontally apart to indicate the extent of something from side to side
A1 Common Noun British Sign Language (BSL) Neutral
Today’s Snapshot
The meta fields are doing real work here
This page turns your sign metadata into a fast, readable fingerprint of how the sign looks, feels, and fits into real conversation.
Both hands flat, fingers together, thumb tucked in (B-hand)
Hands move apart horizontally from the body's centerline
Describing physical dimensions, measurements, or the breadth of objects
Break It Down
Watch, build, and feel the movement
Use the numbered steps first, then check the sign anatomy cards to clean up the small details that make the sign look fluent instead of approximate.
How to form the sign
- Form B-hands, palms facing each other
- Place hands near the center of your chest
- Move both hands horizontally outwards
- Stop at the desired width indication
Coach prompt
Practice signing "width" with varying distances
Signature details
Handshape
Both hands flat, fingers together, thumb tucked in (B-hand) · Code BSL B-hand
Dominant hand
Either
Symmetry
Symmetric
Contact
Air
Palm orientation
Palms initially face each other, ending slightly outward
Eyebrows
Neutral
Eye gaze
Forward
Head movement
None
Mouth morpheme
Often none; 'pah' can add emphasis
Body shift
None
Use It Today
Move from recognition to real-life use
Everything below is designed to make the sign sticky: where it feels natural, what learners miss, and how to use it without sounding robotic.
The table's width is one meter
The extent of the horizontal movement indicates the perceived or actual width
Best fit: Describing physical dimensions, measurements, or the breadth of objects
Mirror focus
Practice signing "width" with varying distances
Catch the slip
Ensure hands are flat and move horizontally for "width"
Use it today
The table's width is one meter
Common mistakes: Confusing with 'long' or 'thick' due to similar movement principles
When not to use it: Not used for abstract 'broadness' of ideas or concepts
Regional note: Generally consistent across the UK
Cultural note: Commonly used in everyday conversation, construction, and design contexts
1.[en] What is the width? / BSL:[QUESTION WIDTH]
2.[en] The road is wide. / BSL:[ROAD WIDE]
3.[en] Measure the width. / BSL:[MEASURE WIDTH]
Connect the Dots
Turn one sign into a small learning cluster
These links use your relationship fields, related vocabulary, and category context so the daily page becomes a launchpad instead of a dead end.
Word web
Breadth
span
broadness
Length
height
narrowness
Dimension
size
measure
area
Length
Height
Deep
Size
Broad
Measure
The sign for WIDTH uses two B-hands moving horizontally apart from the body's centerline. This differs from LENGTH, which uses two G-hands (index fingers) moving horizontally apart from each other. HEIGHT uses two G-hands moving upwards. THICK often uses two F-hands or 5-hands moving apart, sometimes vertically. The key distinctions lie in the specific handshape and the axis of movement
Measurement
dimension
size
geometry
space
BSL width
sign for width
how to sign width
broad
measure
Geometry
Come Back Tomorrow
Build a rhythm around one sign a day
The archive rail lets people revisit recent daily picks, while the teaser card gives a reason to return instead of drifting away after one lesson.
Video credit: The demonstration video on this page is credited to SpreadTheSign. The video remains the property of the original rightholder.
All written explanations, learning notes, examples, comparisons, and page design on this page are SignDeaf educational material.