A text entry process for an Augmented Reality (AR) system. The AR system detects, using one or more cameras of the AR system, a start text entry gesture made by a user of the AR system. During text entry, the AR system detects, using the one or more cameras, a symbol corresponding to a fingerspelling sign made by the user. The AR system generates entered text data based on the symbol and provides text in a text scene component of an AR overlay provided by the AR system to the user based on the entered text data.