Why Other Words for Said?

Of course, using "he said" and "she said" is the easiest way to explain who is talking or who you are quoting. However, when you use "said" over and over it makes your writing boring and repetitive. Using other words for said not only makes you sound more professional, but it can also help you add commentary by letting you put in negatives (yelled, derided, sarcastically implied), positives (complemented, effectively explains, carefully details), or details about the meaning of what was said (repetitively emphasizes, completely refutes, absolutely rebuts). In the examples, you might notice that I'm also using adverbs (ly words) for emphasis. I give a list of those below too!

How to Write Dialogue

Using other words for said is important when writing dialogue or conversation, whether it is an essay, a novel, a play, or a short story. Alternative verbs for said can help you:

Convey emotion
Present character more clearly
Explain the relationship between the people speaking

Using the list below can help you actually think through the emotions that your character is feeling. I've grouped them according to types of emotions.

Dialogue Words

angry words	question words	said (neutral)	sad or upset	happy
argued	asked	commented	quavered	giggled
bellowed	questioned	added	stammered	greated
jeered	answered	pointed out	sniffled	smiled
accused	proposed	spoke	wailed	trilled
hissed	queried	observed	wept	marveled
threatened	responded	noted	whimpered	joked
scolded	retorted	went on	whined	laughed
yelled	objected	told	worried	congratulated
screamed	disagreed	mentioned	shrieked	bubbled
stormed	hypothesized	put in	sobbed	chatted

Friends reply, empathize, agree

Conflict Words for Said

mean	frightened	sympathized	guilty/sorry
demanded	impored	comforted	admitted
mimicked	trembled	consoled	apologized
ordered	quivered	empathized	pledged
dictated	pleaded	affirmed	promised
sneered	quaked	soothed	swore
mocked	begged	cheered	revealed
screamed	shuttered	purred	sighed
taunted	whispered	urged	confessed
threatened	wailed	related	confided
criticized	cried	offered	explained
swore	prayed	cajoled	lamented

Adverbs to Use with "Said" Words

neutral adverbs	negative adverbs	positive adverbs
absentmindedly	shyly	knowingly
nervously	fervently	proudly
shyly	nervously	fervently
Urgently	rudely	carefully
sheepishly	defiantly	sympathetically
mysteriously	wrongly	cheerfully
cautiously	judgementally	enthusiastically
decidedly	jealously	cleverly
frankly	overconfidently	generously
honestly	sharply	deliberately
powerfully	sternly	helpfully
utterly	suspiciously	truthfully
repeatedly	uselessly	wisely
partially	poorly	thoroughly

Adverbs describe or explain the type of action of verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Additionally, you can use more than one adverb for emphasis: "Mrs. Ramsey calmly and patiently explained, "Remember adverbs usually, but not always, end in 'ly'."

Research and Author Tags

When citing research, you need to include the name of the author and the title of the article or book you are using.

Example: According to Robert Klass in "Wonderful Lives of Ants," the ant world is much more like a human society than most of us realize (Klass 45).

Long Paraphrases or Summaries. Many times, you might be paraphrasing or summarizing a source for more than just one sentence. To show the reader that you are continuing to give ideas from that source, you need to use author tags, which means you use the last name of the author and then a verb like "said."

example: Klass says that fire ants have a particularly interesting way of working together to survive a flood. The author describes the situation of an individual fire ant drowning when swept into the water. However, he notes, when the ants link together in a large mass, they can float for days without drowning.

Author Tags and Nouns: For the most professional sounding citations, you need to use alternative words for the name of the author as well as for said as the above example shows. See my chart for a list of good author last name substitutes.

Verb tense: Usually, you will use the present tense of the word for talking about a summary, quotation or paraphrase.

Author Tags List of "Said" Words

adding to	disagreeing with	positive	negative	neutral
agrees	disagrees	says	complains	says
concurs	refutes	affirms	conceeds	comments
supports	objects	acknowleges	confesses	hints
adds	retorts	pleads	insists	mentions
repeats	taunts	suggests	objects	notes
explains	replies	orders	cautions	offers
maintains	questions	teases	claims	observes

Many of the words used for dialogue can also be used for author tags. The important thing to remember is that you can let your reader know how you feel about this evidence, or how this evidence relates to other quotes you are using by the word you u

Alternatives for "Author"

the author	he/she/they	the article
the writer	the reporter	the research
the researcher	the essayist	the book
the scientist	the journalist	the evidence
the doctor	the narrator	the source
the columnist	the contributer	the piece

How this Makes Writing More Effective

Choosing the right "Said" word can help you put your evaluation of the source into your paper more easily, and show how this source helps present your own ideas. For example, if the source supports you, you can say:

John Rayburn concurs with...
Silvia Rath agrees....
Joshua Reynolds supports the idea that

If the author presents an opposing view, you can make this clear by using:

John Rayburn disagrees...
On the other hand, Silvia Rath argues...
Joshua Reynolds refutes the idea that...

If you want to show that a source is authoritative you can use a reference to their expertise after you have introduced them by name:

Neil Armstrong disagreed with their findings. After examining the data, this scientist concluded...
Bernie Sanders has charted his own way in devising public policy. In spite of what others say, this politician disagrees...
Stephan Hawking decided to examine the theory. Knowing the subject thoroughly, this expert draws the conclusion...

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550 Alternative Words for "Said"

What Is a Dialogue Tag?

In writing, a dialogue tag is a group of words that follow a line of speech. They provide information about the words between the beginning and end quotation marks such as

Who is speaking (i.e. he, she, they, Danny, Lucy)
Volume (i.e. shouted, yelled, whispered)
Tone (i.e. moaned, babbled, howled)

By using dialogue tags, writers are able to explain to readers the way in which their characters are speaking and the emotions that should be inferred from the inflection of their words.

Other Words for "Said" by Emotion

Repeating "he said, she said," can get annoying, but is it smart to use a different verb? There are abundant words to use instead, yet purists believe you're probably best not using them, since readers pay such little attention to "said" it effectively becomes invisible.

A good practice to follow is that when it’s understandable who is speaking the line of dialogue, you can remove the verb completely. It's surprising how much more professional your work will look if you do. In fact, let's make a rule: if it's obvious who's speaking, don't use anything.

You should only substitute "said" if the line of dialogue needs accentuation or verbalization to convey the way the words are expressed. Gorging your story with alternative words for "said" makes your work look amateurish, so be sure to se alternatives with moderation.

But sometimes you need to indicate who's speaking, and sometimes the word "said" doesn't quite do the job. That being said, if you’re struggling to find that elusive and perfect substitute, here’s a list of words (categorized by emotion) that might help.

Acceptance

Accepted, acknowledged, admitted, affirmed, agreed, assumed, conferred, confessed, confirmed, justified, settled, understood, undertook, verified.

Anger

Accused, barked, bellowed, bossed, carped, censured, condemned, criticized, demanded, fumed, gawped, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed ordered, raged, remonstrated, reprimanded, retorted, scoffed, scolded, seethed, snapped, snarled, ticked off, told off, upbraided.

Contemplation

Contemplated, mused, pondered.

Conviction

Addressed, advertised, articulated, bragged, commanded, confided, decided, dictated, ended, exacted, finished, informed, made known, maintained, necessitated, pointed out, promised, reassured, remarked, repeated, reported, specified, stated, told.

Desire

Attracted, requested, wanted.

Excitement

Babbled, beamed, blurted, broadcasted, burst, cheered, chortled, chuckled, cried out, crooned, crowed, declared, emitted, exclaimed, giggled, hollered, howled, interjected, jabbered, laughed, praised, preached, presented, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, quaked, ranted, rejoiced, roared, screamed, shouted, shrieked, swore, thundered, trilled, trumpeted, vociferated, wailed, yawped, yelled, yelped, yowled.

Fear

Cautioned, shuddered, trembled, warned.

Generosity

Comforted, consoled, empathized, invited, offered, proffered, released, volunteered.

Persuasion

Advised, alleged, appealed, asserted, assured, avered, avowed, beckoned, begged, beseeched, cajoled, claimed, conceded, concluded, concurred, contended, defended, disposed, encouraged, entreated, held, hinted, implied, implored, importuned, inclined, indicated, insisted, pleaded, postulated, premised, presupposed, protested, stressed, suggested, touted, urged, vouched for, wheedled.

Pride

Chimed in, circulated, disseminated, distributed, expressed, grinned, made public, passed on, publicized, published, put forth, put out, quipped, quizzed, quoted, reckoned that, required, requisitioned, taunted, teased.

Provocation

Exposed, imitated, joked, leered, lied, mimicked, mocked, provoked.

Sadness

Agonized, bawled, blubbered, grieved, groaned, lamented, mewled, mourned, puled, sobbed, wept.

Storytelling

Announced, answered, began, called, commented, continued, denoted, disclosed, divulged, explained, imparted, noted, observed, proposed, rejoined, replied, revealed, shared, solicited, sought, testified, transferred, transmitted, went on.

Uncertainty

Asked, doubted, faltered, fretted, guessed, hesitated, hypothesized, inquired, lilted, quavered, queried, questioned, shrugged, speculated, stammered, stuttered, supposed, trailed off, wondered.

Words That Indicate Sound

Breathed, choked, croaked, drawled, echoed, grunted, keened, moaned, mumbled, murmured, panted, sang, sniffled, sniveled, snorted, spluttered, squeaked, uttered, voiced, whimpered, whined, whispered.

Other Words for "Asked"

When writing an inquisitive character, sometimes the standard "asked" can become a bit stale. Try using these alternatives when you want to add some variety to your dialogue.

Appealed	Begged	Beseeched
Contended	Entreated	Inclined
Insisted	Pleaded	Probed
Prodded	Protested	Cajoled
Stressed	Doubted	Faltered
Guessed	Hesitated	Hypothesized
Inquired	Lilted	Quavered
Queried	Questioned	Wondered

Other Words for "Stated"

Instead of repeatedly using stated to express the way in which a character delivers their words, try using one of these more descriptive alternatives.

Asserted	Concluded	Explained	Noted
Remarked	Reported	Specified	Told

Adverbs and Phrases to Explain How Something Was Said

Okay, so despite the warning, you’ve decided you really need to use one of the words above for "said." In order to make your writing absolutely zing, you might want to go whole hog and add an adverb or a phrase to convey or emphasize exactly how the line of dialogue was said.

An adverb is a word ending in -ly and modifies a verb.

The way it works is you choose whichever word for "said" you fancy from the list above, then add a adverb or phrase after it from the list below. For example, "She promised, with a controlled smile," or "He remarked, with a gloomy sigh." But do not overdo it. Be very careful not to end up sounding amateurish.

List of Adverbs for Dialogue

Abruptly, Absently, Acidly, Angrily, Apologetically, Approvingly, Artfully
Bemusedly
Calmly, Caustically, Cheerfully, Complacently, Crossly
Depressingly, Dryly
Earnestly, Enthusiastically
Gently, Gruffly
Happily, Hotly
Impatiently, Indulgently, Informed sassily, Innocently, Inquired doubtfully, Irritably
Loftily, Loudly
Mentally shrugged
Naturally, Nodded agreeably, Not wanting to sound pushy, Noncommittally
Offhandedly, Optimistically
Pleasantly, Politely, Politely smooth, Promised in a motherly/fatherly way, Prompted gently Promptly,
Quietly
Reflectively, Roughly
Sadly, Sympathetically, Sarcastically, Sincerely, Smiled faintly, Smugly, Soberly, Softly, Sparingly, Sternly,
Tartly, Tautly, Teased softly, Tightly, Truthfully, Thoughtfully,
Uncertainly, Unexpectedly, Urgently
Vaguely
Went on loyally, Wilfully misunderstood, Without sounding unduly curious, Wryly
Xenophobically
Yearningly
Zealously

List of Phrases for Dialogue

"She said in a..."

Casual tone, chiding tone, courteous manner, curious tone, dry tone, flirtatious way, level tone, level way, perpetually tired voice, rasping tone, small panicky voice, soothing tone, voice soft with affection.

"She said with a..."

Controlled smile, fond look, gloomy sigh, note of relief, sad grimace, sad smile, sense of guilt, sigh of irritation, burgeoning excitement.

"She said with..."

Conviction, determination, fire, firm persistence, gentle remonstrance, graceful simplicity, mock astonishment, pleasure, quiet empathy, simple directness.

Other Phrases to Modify "Said"

After a moment's reflection
False cheerfulness
Friendly fashion
In quiet amazement
Made the effort to sound reassuring
Meaning the words more seriously than they sounded
Sounded slightly brittle

Stephen King on Adverbs for Dialogue Attribution

Below is Stephen King's take on the use of adverbs. His advice is to use adverbs very conservatively in order to keep the integrity of your writing intact.

"Someone out there is now accusing me of being tiresome and anal-retentive. I deny it. I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day . . . fifty the day after that . . . and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.

I can be a good sport about adverbs, though. Yes I can. With one exception: dialogue attribution. I insist that you use the adverb in dialogue attribution only in the rarest and most special of occasions ... and not even then, if you can avoid it. Just to make sure we all know what we’re talking about, examine these three sentences:

‘Put it down!’ she shouted.
‘Give it back,’ he pleaded, ‘it’s mine.’
‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said.

In these sentences, shouted, pleaded, and said are verbs of dialogue attribution. Now look at these dubious revisions:

‘Put it down! she shouted menacingly.
‘Give it back,’ he pleaded abjectly, ‘it’s mine.’
‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said contemptuously.

The three latter sentences are all weaker than the three former ones, and most readers will see why immediately."

— Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft

How to Show Emotion Through Actions Instead of Adverbs

Since the use of adverbs can often make a writer look amateurish, many choose to use actions instead of adverbs to express emotion. Take, for example, the scenario below, in which a man is feeling frustrated and angry upon learning that his girlfriend has been unfaithful. In the first example, adverbs are used. In the second, actions.

"Where were you all night?" he asked.

"I was with someone else," she mumbled nervously.

"Someone else?" he boomed violently. "Someone else?"

"Where were you all night?" he asked.

"I was with someone else," she replied with her eyes downcast. She was fiddling with her fingernails.

"Someone else?" he said, slamming the table with his fist. "Someone else?"

It's easy to see that in most exchanges of dialogue, less is more. Let your reader imagine the actions the characters are making and infer the emotions those actions suggest, rather than telling them the emotion outright.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020