16 Free Sign Language Learning Resources

These free sign language classes use a variety of techniques to teach you sign language so you can communicate with a loved one or simply have fun learning to sign.

Included in these free sign language resources are videos, quizzes, puzzles, games, diagrams, and printables that will really help you learn how to sign or how to build on the sign language that you already know.

Free Online Sign Language Classes

Some of these are huge courses with many units to teach you the complete sign language, and others are smaller that will just teach you the basics. Whatever class you choose, you'll have a great time building up your skills.

American Sign Language University's Free Sign Language Classes

There are plenty of great resources available from American Sign Language University (ASLU). On top of the 60 lessons, dictionary search, and numbers guide, you can find a fingerspelling practice tool, quizzes, and several word search puzzles, among other things.

You'll find many videos on sign language here, and the lessons are in order of difficulty, so you can progressively learn to sign like you would with any other language.

Be sure to check out the First 100 Signs videos for a great introduction to common signs used between parents and younger children. There are also some sentences you can practice using the signs you learned from the videos.

Sign Language 101's Free Sign Language Classes

There are 12 free sign language units, and several additional free videos, available from Dr. Byron W Bridges. You’ll start off learning basic vocabulary, like greetings, food, and school-related signs. The final lessons teach you emotions and full conversations.

There are quizzes throughout the lessons, and be sure to take them seriously, because you only get five attempts for each quiz. The free lessons don’t include completion certificates, support, or midterms or final exams.

After completing these videos, you should have a better grasp on the basics of sign language.

You can also watch these sign language videos and others on their YouTube channel.

Start ASL's Free Sign Language Classes

There are plenty of free resources available that you can learn at Start ASL.

There are around 40 units spread across three classes, with lots of videos for easy learning and printable workbooks for answering questions. Units are set up in such a way that you start off easy with the basics and then move toward the harder signs, such as conversation practice and storytelling. 

ASL Connect From Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University, a private school for the deaf and hard of hearing, has this ASL Connect program to help you learn sign language from home. There are over 20 videos to help you learn everything from colors, letters, and numbers to themes regarding sports, family, weather, basic needs, places, and more.

Free Sign Language Classes at ASLPro.cc

This website has a large dictionary of signs, a set of conversational phrases, and a number of religious signs. They each have a video to explain how the sign is to be performed.

After you've manually gone through the lessons, you can take lots of quizzes and play a handful of games.

SignSchool

SignSchool is a free online sign language class that steps you through the basics (starting with how to spell your name) and then moves you through lessons that progress in difficulty.

However, you can select any difficulty you want if you're already knowledgeable; pick between Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Besides the lessons, there's also a fingerspelling game and the sign of the day. You'll need to make a user account to get started.

Free Sign Language Learning Apps

Apps are available for mobile devices that let you learn sign language anywhere, a benefit if you don't use a computer often or if you like to squeeze in some courses on the go.

The ASL App

Learn sign language on the go with the free ASL App that makes it easy to understand new signs and practice ones you already know. You get to set the pace, and you can jump in and out of learning sign language whenever you want.

This app will help you learn the alphabet, numbers, universal gestures, colors, and tons of other basic signs. There are also hand shape exercises to get your hands used to the physical act of signing.

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ASL Fingerspelling Game for Android

Flip through this game to see how to sign every letter of the alphabet using pictures. You can start from A and move through to Z, or you can get random letters to mix it up a little. There are over 140 flashcards to review in this app, plus dozens of other activities.

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Marlee Signs for iOS

This video-based app shows you how to sign any word, letter-by-letter. There's also a library of conversation starters, numbers, letters, and other common words.

The great thing about this sign app is that you can learn at your own pace. Instead of being pushed through a course from start to finish, you learn what you want when you want.

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Printable Sign Language Charts

Printable sign language charts are good for instant reference. Put a few in your pocket, place them around the house, or spend some time memorizing them to learn offline.

• Start ASL's free sign language chart of common words provides images of words like "what," "how," "hungry," "bathroom," "woman," and "food" being signed. Instructions for how to sign are below most of them.
• Alphabet fingerspelling provides two sets of pictures you can print for learning the alphabet. Both sets have the letters on the hands, but they also have a version without the letters for practice.
• These numbers/common words/letters are similar to the other printables here with four images you can print for keywords, such as "how," "which," "where," "yes," "please," "thanks," "goodbye," etc. There are also printables for the alphabet and numbers 1 through 10.
• Print individual letters in sign language for large letters of the alphabet represented in sign language. One way to use these is to print them off and place them next to objects that start with that letter for passive learning.

Online Sign Language Games

Online games can make learning sign language fun. If you've completed a few courses or spent some time with a sign language app or worksheet, play a game to test what you've learned.

• Sporcle's Sign Language Live: Colors tests whether you can name all 18 colors before the 15-minute timer is up.
• Choose the Sign gives you random signs, and you must select the right answer from the ones given. There are also four tests with similar questions available through that link.
• What's the Number? signs a number to you and you must provide the correct answer. You can adjust the amount of time the sign remains on the screen, and you can play with numbers from zero through nearly a billion!