Exceptional handshapes can be found in the manual alphabet, number signs, and borrowed signs. For example, P-handshape in lexical forms such as fraud and empty is different from the fingerspelled letter. While index finger is flexed in the lexical form, middle finger is flexed in the fingerspelled form.
P-handshape in lexical forms
P-handshape in fingerspelling
(adapted and r.f. from Kubus 2008: 50)
A handshape where index, middle, and ring fingers are open occurs only in fingerspelled letter E, W (as lexicalized in whatsapp), and also for the numeral three. The handshape is exemplified below with the fingerspelled letters E and W:
The letter E
The letter W
Numeral signs can contain handshapes that have certain selected fingers that do not occur in lexical signs. Such an example is twenty_fıve where the ring finger and thumb are selected. This is a selected finger combination that only occurs in number signs.
twenty_fıve
Apart from the manual alphabet and number signs, exceptional handshapes can also occur in name signs and loan words [Lexicon - 2]