American Sign Language: "but"

---

The signs "but" and "different" are basically the same sign. The sign "but" generally uses a "smaller" movement, however, it may be done quite large depending on how excited the signer is.  It is also very common to fingerspell B-U-T when you mean "however."

---

BUT:

---

BUT or DIFFERENT:

 

---

The sign for "but" is (in general) the same as the sign for "different."  However, I suggest that the sign for "different" uses a larger motion (in general) than the sign for "but."

Memory aid: "A small but(t) makes a big difference."  (Forgive me. Couldn't resist.)

The sign below could mean either "but" or "different" depending on the rest of the signs in your sentence:

---

You can do the sign larger to incorporate the concept of "very."  When doing the sign this large it is obvious that what you mean is "very different" or a "large difference."

very-DIFFERENT:

---

Animations:
but

different

very different

different: other version

---

Also see: The "DIFFERENT" page

---

 

---