Fingerspelling is the process of spelling out words by using signs that correspond to the letters of the word. ASL users use American Fingerspelled Alphabets (also known as the American Manual Alphabet) for words without it's own signs (for instance: people's names, places, or brands). Fingerspelling can also be used for clarifying a sign. For example: there are many different kinds of flowers, and not all flowers have their own unique signs: if you wished to specify "daisy" you would need to spell it with the Manual Alphabet below. The American Fingerspelled Alphabet consists of 22 handshapes that--when held in certain positions and/or are produced with certain movements-- represent the 26 letters of the American alphabet.

You can use fingerspelling to communicate with fluent ASL users, however it can take a long time and can be very tiring spelling out whole sentences.