400 Alternative words for said
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Abundant words, but far too much said
Said, said, said! Does the word 'said', drive you mad?
Is it your dream, your fantasy to write a story? Do you have a book in your head, but 'said' gets in the way? Books are what drive most authors forward, words are what drive them mad.
Do you despair of said.
We might write short stories, fantasy, science fiction, lengthy novels, romance, but if we write fiction, then somewhere along the line we'll come up against the word, 'said'. Does using 'said', fill you with despair?
There are abundant words to use instead of 'said', yet to be truthful, you're probably best not using them.
'Said' is an insignificant word; 'said' is a word that hides behind others. Readers pay little attention to 'said’, it is effectively invisible. If you use an alternative, it can become conspicuous; it can make a declaration and say – hey, look at me, I’m important - and at worst, can downgrade your book.
If it’s understandable who is speaking, then remove 'said' completely. It's surprising how much more professional your work will look.
My blog posts on writing
The amateur said!!!
You should only use a substitute word for 'said' if the story definitely needs you to accentuate the way of speaking. But remember, gorging your story with alternatives makes your work amateurish - be meagre with its use.
Look at published books and you'll find most authors steer clear of them. My suggestion is - stop thinking about alternatives for 'said'. Wherever you can, don't even use it.
Alternative words for ‘Said’ in alphabetic order
For all that, if you need another word for 'said' and you’re struggling to catch that elusive substitute, here’s a list of words you might be interested in trying.
- Accepted, Acknowledged, Admitted, Agonized, Agreed, Announced, Answered, Appealed, Articulated, Asked
- Barked, Bawled, Beamed, Begged, Beckoned, Bellowed, Beseeched Blubbered, Blurted, Bossed, Breathed
- Called, Cautioned, Chimed in, Chortled, Chuckled, Comforted, Concurred, Confessed, Confided, Consoled, Continued, Countered, Cried, Cried out, Crooned, Crowed
- Declared, Demanded, Dictated, Drawled
- Emitted, Empathized, Encouraged, Entreated, Exclaimed, Explained
- Faltered, Finished, Fumed
- Gawped, Giggled, Glowered, Grieved, Grinned, Groaned, Growled, Grumbled
- Hesitated, Hollered, Howled Implored, Informed, Inquired, Insisted, Interjected, Invited, Implied
- Jabbered, Joked
- Lamented, Laughed, Lilted, Leered Mimicked, Mocked, Mourned, Murmured
- Observed, Offered, Ordered
- Pleaded, Preached, Prodded, Professed, Proposed, Protested
- Quaked, Queried, Quipped, Quivered, Quizzed
- Raged, Ranted, Rejoiced, Rejoined, Remarked, Remonstrated, Repeated, Replied, Requested, Responded, Retorted, Roared Sang out, Scoffed, Screamed, Seethed, Shrieked, Shrugged Shuddered, Sighed, Smiled, Smirked, Snapped, Sneered, Snivelled, Sobbed, Speculated, Spoke lightly, Spoke tightly, Stammered, Struggled, Suggested, Swore, Swooned, Sympathized
- Taunted, Teased, Thundered, Touted, Trembled
- Uttered
- Voiced,
- Wailed, Wept, Whispered
- Yawped, Yelled, Yelped
Modifying words or statements for the alternative to said
Okay, so you’ve decided you really do need to use an alternative word for said. You’ve found one you like and are determined to insert it in your text.
In order to make your book absolutely zing, you might want to go the whole hog and add a few other words to modify just how ‘said’ is meant to be perceived.
How things are said, in alphabetical order
- Abruptly, Absently, Acidly, After a moments reflection, Agreed, Angrily, Announced, Apologetically, Approvingly, Artfully
- Broke in
- Calmly, Caustically, Cheerfully, Commented lightly, Complacently, Concurred thoughtfully, Crossly
- Didn’t question his judgement, Dryly
- Encouraged, Expression denoting disapproval
- False cheerfulness, Finished, Friendly fashion
- Gently, Grated, Grinned, Groaned, Gruffly
- Happily, Hotly
- Impatiently, In a casual tone, In a chiding tone, In a courteous manner In a curious tone, In a dry tone, In a flirtatious way, In a level tone In a level way, In a non committal way, In a perpetually tired voice In a quiet way, In a rasping tone, In a small panicky voice In a soothing tone, In an attempt to…, In quiet amazement, Indulgently, Informed in an easy tone, Innocently, Inquired doubtfully, Invited, Irritably
- Loftily, Loudly
- Made the effort to sound reassuring, Meaning the words more seriously than they sounded, Mentally shrugged
- Naturally, Nodded agreeably, Not wanting to sound pushy
- Offered, Offhandedly, Optimistically
- Pleasantly, Politely, Politely smooth, Probed Promised in a motherly/fatherly way, Prompted gently Promptly, Protested
- Quietly
- Reflectively, Roughly
- Sadly, Said sympathetically, She went on, Sincerely, Smiled faintly, Smugly, Soberly, Softly, Sounded slightly brittle, Sparingly, Speculated, Sternly, Suggested
- Tartly, Tautly, Teased softly, Tightly, Truthfully
- Uncertainly, Urgently
- Vaguely, Voice soft with affection
- Went on loyally, Wilfully misunderstood, With a controlled smile, With a fond smile, With a gloomy sigh, With a note of relief, With a sad grimace, With a sad smile, With a sense of guilt, With a sigh of irritation, With burgeoning excitement, With conviction, With determination, With fire, With firm persistence, With gentle remonstrance, With gentle teasing, With graceful simplicity, With mock astonishment, With pleasure, With quiet empathy With simple directness, Without sounding unduly curious, Wryly
About the author
- Anthony's short stories have been published since 1994 in magazines, summer specials and international competitions. His work has been broadcast on radio and recorded for audio books.
- Anthony's latest novel can be ordered online from Amazon, WHSmith and all good bookshops.
- Read Chapter One of 'WITHOUT REPROACH' free.
Be careful when using alternatives
I hope this has been of some help. The list is by no means comprehensive, and I’m sure everyone will want to add a few favourites – but PLEASE, PLEASE use alternatives and modifiers for 'said', with care.
If you feel you must use an alternative to 'said', use it judiciously
Be sensible, sprinkle alternatives in occasionally, and your work might just sparkle - pour with gay abandon, and your work will sink.
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Comments
Thanks for the comment, Denny. You're very kind.
I orignially put it as a short post on my blog, but it was so popular I decided to expand it and make a full article about it.
Great idea! Thought more folks could benefit from it so blogged your blog to my blog. :) nothing like repetition to confuse people!
Hi ajbarnett! This article is wonderful! I had never stopped to think about the word "said", everything you write makes so much sense! Thanks!
Very nice of you to say so, Elena. Glad I hit the right spot. I get on a soapbox sometimes, and this is one of those subjects.
Some people think the opposite of course ....
very nice, this helped me alot with my english short-story assignment :)
Thanks for that, Stealth, and thanks for stopping by. Good luck with your other assignments.
Great list! These words give the definition of said, plus how they're said. Very helpful.
Thanks for that Lena. Good of you to say so.
That being said, a lot of advise out there claims that adverbs are O-U-T and that the word 'said' is better than using a lot of other words...though I do like some of them, but 'said' is really just to identify the speaker.
Thanks for the visit and comments, Dolores.
What you say, of course endorses what my hub is all about. You SHOULDN'T use adverbs. The word said IS the best word to use - but some people still insist....
Great hub! I think I have a diction/word choice problem because I hate using the same words all the time in my writing haha. The thesaurus is my friend, and this hub is now my friend as well. I'm glad I found it :)
Thanks for stopping by, Lacey. Glad you found it useful
This is an amazing article! I find dialogue to be one of the most difficult aspects of writing for me, especially said!
Thank you so much for writing this, it really is great!
It's kind of you to say so, luv.poem. I'm glad you found it of use.
This is a great article; I sent it to a friend whose story I am currently editing... Her writing's improved a bit, thanks to you! And I personally found this very entertaining. Good work! ^.^
Great article. I found it very useful and bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, TinaKat and Write Away. It's good when people find your work useful.
Was so usful for my homework I think I will hav the most words from every1 thanks !!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for putting this list together, it's been a great help to me. :) I wonder, though, why include "Leered" in there since, when I look it up, this seems to mean something about the way you look at someone, not speak to them... I'm a bit confused.
This is going to be one of my favorite reference tools. Thank you so much for gathering this together into one blog.
Hi, 'I am Saying', 'Batgirl', and 'Dink96'. Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you found the stuff useful.
Batgirl, I was using artistic license to combine facial expression with speech in the same way we might use 'grinned'. You can't grin a sentence, you speak a sentence, but we all know what is meant, the speaker grins at the same time as speaking.
However, the MAIN THRUST of the hub is to emphasize that it is BEST NOT to use alternatives. I just threw a few in if you really can't control the urge to use them.
PLEASE try to avoid using alternatives.
Ooooh! Great hub! I might want to link here from my descriptive writing hub on my next go-around with the editing and cultivating, if you wouldn't mind! VERY well thought-out and defined! Thank you!
Hmmmmm...I don't know....Does copying the Thesaurus Count as a HUB?
Some of the best advice out there for beginning writers--eliminating the word said as much as possible. Thanks for reminding me of this critical fact.
Thanks guys.
Privateye2500 - not sure if you're meaning me, but the info comes from years of jotting words down in my scrapbook, not from a purchased thesaurus. It's all original stuff.
Thanks for the clarification. :) It makes plenty of sense! And oh yeah, totally avoiding alternatives - it's the "how things are said" list that's really a life saver for me. I'm not a native English speaker and these things don't always readily pop into my head, so it's awesome to have a list handy to be able to better describe scenes and sentiments. :) (and no, I don't use too many of those either. *lol*)
My English teacher always told us,' When you write anything with a conversation in it, go back and take out all the 'said's'.' the explanation was that it will read fine without them.
Just did this lesson with my class 2 weeks ago!
Wow, this is great. All these words waiting to be used to substitute the dull, ambiguous 'said'! Great hub!
Thanks for stopping by and the comments, Hawkesdream, Cindyvine, and ZSY264.
I'm glad your teacher advised that way, Hawkesdream. Shows he/she knows their stuff. You can't remove EVERY occasion, but providing it makes sense, then you should.
ZSY264, the whole idea is NOT to use an alternative. The idea is to even leave OUT the word 'said' if possible. I gave the alternatives for those VERY FEW times when a descriptive word is essential.
This is so wonderful! I, too, hate the word "said". Thanks so much for compiling this!
hi thanks helped alot butgot more word at a differnt web site
I gotta say, so many people miss the point here. But for those of us who do get it, I may have a little extra help:
In conversations with one speaker, instead of using "said" words, I like to describe the way their voice changes throughout the monologue, and only use one said word, usually "began" or something of that nature, at the beginning (obviously) of the passage.
For two speakers: only the first line needs a "said" word. The rest are implied.
for three + speakers:umm, that's tricky. said words are unavoidable. try using said (itself) plus adverbs in about 2/5 and other said words in another 2/5, and just said for the other 1/5.
As a young writer I am very glad to say that I greatly appreciate this hub. Now my writing wont be half as boring. I'm putting this page in my favorites. Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by, Lexy. I'm glad you've found it a help.
Great hub! Very useful for people like me who sometimes can't find variations to "said".
Just remember not to use the alternatives too often, Jill. Try to avoid using ANYTHING to denote 'said', and your work will improve.
Thanks
Well said!
This is one of my favorite hubs. I printed your list and taped it to the wall over my monitor. This will always be a powerful reference tool for me. As a new student in a creative writing class it will help make writing easier. A new Fan.
Thanks for the visit, Barb. It's very kind of you to say so. Be aware of not using the words too often - use sparingly..... and good luck.
Many authors use said a lot and do not substitute it as you said. My teacher aslo said the same think. Cindyvine also said she tells her class not to substitute said. That said, I think you said the truth. Great hub!
Hey, Béla Mongyi, good of you to take a look. Thanks for the fun comments, glad to be a help.
yes!I've needed this type of article way back when I was writing my latest book! Where were you then? (smile) I've put it on my favorites now....
THANKS!
That a real compliment, AsherKade. Many thanks.
"Awesome Hub" he acknowledged
Hey Jack, clever response!!!!!
Thanks for the informative Hub.
You're very welcome, Satomko.
WOW! i didnt know there wass that many other words for said!! thanx man, this can definatly help me wiv my story writing. :D
all the best
world war ii rationing. x
I think I'll bookmark this one.
Hi, Raiderfan and WorldwarII. Glad you both found it useful.
This is insightful and helpful, clear and to the point. Nicely done!
Thanks, Nutuba. Good of you to say so.
I liked this piece very much and used all sorts of alternatives when I wrote my first book. Unfortunately most editors will crucify a person for using alternatives, likewise adverbs will be slashed without mercy. It makes for a very boring story, but if you want to get published you've got to cater to the editors first. The trick is to get anyone else interested in it after all those loving pages have been gutted of anything remotely close to meaning or decent literature. Sigh
It really helped my adventure story for school!
thnx
Hey, Number 1. Glad to be of help.
What a wonderful idea for an article, I'm bookmarking this!
Thanks for stopping by, Adelebo. Hope it helps.
Dear AJ,
I liked what you said.
Clever....
finally i find key for good writing thanks ajbarnett
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Forlan. Glad it hit the right chord.
Extremely useful. Loved the alphabetical list. I'm going to pass the link on to all my fellow teachers as I think it will be extremely useful for them. I'm also going to link it on my education blog, My Tutor. Thanks for taking the time to put this all together.
Very kind of you to say so, Tigermadstanley. I'm glad to have provoked so much interest.
Thanks ever so much for this Hub! I am working on a book myself and "said" has always been an issue. This is very helpful. :)
Thanks for stopping by, Illuminatii. I'm glad you've found it of use. Good luck with your book
"As a young writer I will be favouriting this page straight away. Not only does it provide a myriad of alternatives to the word said but it also gives advice on their appropriate use," he said.
But it's so haaaarrrrdddd....
Good article. I'm a little afraid of not using "said" in my novel, since every now and then in other books I've been left confused as to who was talking when the "said" was left out, but there are certainly places where it is obvious so I'll be sure to follow your advice. Thanks!
You're quite right, Mark. The reader should never be in any doubt about who's speaking. Just don't over do things....
If you pay attention, you can find that many authors use said constantly in their books- and it makes no difference or makes the story worse! I try not to OVERuse it, but I don't think that people should be trying to find alternatives so hard- people don't care! Said may be something people like to avoid overusing, but if you read a lot of best-selling authors' books, you'll see that they use it quite a lot! :p I'm actually writing a book, and I'm writing in in 1 person so I say "say" instead, but it's the same thing. And, if you're writing a teen/children's book, I'm 12, so don't worry- we don't care if the story's good!
Glad you've already noticed, Bianca. For some reason new writers think it's good to use alternatives - IT ISN'T.
is "said" pattern related to old world mind. a fashion i call it "narration mind".
I'm glad that you wrote this because "said" gets redundant in writing. I was reading a book on how to make writing clearer your hub is a big help.
Wow! This one is definitely bookmarked, even though I am sure to go with your advice to stick to "said." Thank you
Thanks for stopping by, Salahussein, Mystixsprings and Juhi basoya. I'm glad you found it helpful.
Hi ajbarnett
I can not understand clearly your saying "stopping". Do you mean "dictum speech" or "cutting dialog"
Pleas, explain
My regards
I'm sorry, Salahussein, in using 'stopping by' I was using vernacular. I was trying to thank you for reading my Hub and taking the time to leave a comment.
Thanks so much for writing this. I'm constantly trying to find words to use to describe someone's tone and here you've come up with four hundred! lol :]
Glad to be of help, Shakola. Please use them sparingly though. Don't kill your work with adjectives and adverbs.
THANKS SO MUCH! This is awesome!
Many thanks, Misaki.
Very informative hub!
Thanks Vijay, it's good of you to comment.
I'll never think about the word 'said' the same way again after reading the wonderful article.
K x
Hi Kelly. Thanks for that, it's good to feel useful. Glad it helped.
This is an excellent and much needed tool! I ma bookmarking this hub right now :)
Hey, Janetta. That's very kind. Thank you.
Wow, what a great help. Yes the word 'said' drives me crazy!!!
Hi Revelationangel, good of you to stop by. Thanks for the comment. Glad to be of help.
they were very good words thank u
You're welcome, Bubblez. Good of you to stop by and leave a comment.
The beauty of the word said is that it is invisible. I don't want to hear "the coach barked". I want to be able to focus on the dialogue and imagine how the coach talked. "Said" is good because the reader can focus on what is being said.
...Just read the last bit. Thanks to the author for noting that authors sometimes go overboard!
Good of you to stop by, Gabe. Thanks for the observations.
The closing comment is the most relevant here. Many writers and creative writing teachers would tell you not to use anything other than 'said' too often and probably wouldn't enourage the liberal use of adverbs. For me, writing peppered with people whining impatiently, crying painfully, interjecting forcefully, and proposing willfully is a little lazy and can sometimes be laughable - and no writer wants that. The character's actions and the dialogue itself should give us a clear indication of how that person is feeling and speaking. Just a thought.
Well done! I will be referring back to this one often!
Thanks for that, Domhain_12. Glad it helps
Great hub, this has been very helpful, thank-you!
Thanks, Wrenfrost. Glad to be of help.
A fun, interesting and informative read. Thank you.
Glad you stopped by, Peter. Thanks for the comment.
'said' has always bothered me, it's never occurred to me that it just blends into the background of the story, but now you've mentioned it I realise that's exactly what it does. It's like a mini revelation!! Thanx!
Hi Jen, sometimes it just needs a gentle nudge from a third party to make us realise we already know stuff. Now yo can get out there and 'kill-em'.
WOW!! This is extremely Helpful. Almost like heaven in text!
Hey Legit, thanks. That's very kind of you.
Amazing insight, I'd often thought about this particular topic at hand during countless occasions. I, also experimented a bit without actually adding the extra, "said" or "replied", "told", "informed", etc; as a result I realized it gave the reader a better connection with the dialogue. Although it seemed fine in my very own opinion, I did wish more than anything to have an outside opinion on the matter; you fit the bill. I appreciate your literary influence, please continue your work. I suspect there will be more of such fantastic works well along the future.
That's very kind of you to say so, Arthur. Thank you. I'm glad it hit the mark
Great teaching, this one gets a bookmark.
Thank you for that, Mit Kroy. Glad you found it interesting
nice article. Great collection.
Good of you to say so, Catwoman.
Very interesting
hello I am nine and a half years old I didden't really understand what the words men't so maybe I would have put what the words ment at the top of each line of alternitives.
But still they are fantastic!!! I am a very bright and clever pupil and the teachers say i am a star! So the reason why I came on to this site is to WOW the teachers and knock em off there socks.
Thanks for reading the article Tamzin.
To be honest, it isn't really aimed at nine and a half year old pupils so I'm not surprised you might not understand some of it.... but I'm glad you're taking such an interest.
The MAIN aim of the article is to point out that you should really NOT try to keep using substitute words for 'said'.
I'm trying to say that 'said' is actually an okay word. You CAN use an alternative every now and then, but you really shouldn't overdo it.
How very thoughtful of you to have taken the trouble of putting together this article. Thank you in deed
Thank you for that, thirdmillenium. Kind of you to say so. Hope it helped out somewhere.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE???
I hate the word said, so I was delighted to find your hub. Very useful. You're awesome.
Very nice article. Interesting because as a writer, your compulsion is arguably to communicate something as effectively as possible by selecting the most appropriate words (each word being used with the utmost precision and pin-point accuracy), and so because in written speech one is at times forced for sake of clarity to employ the word 'said' one feels obliged to imbue the 'said' with greater meaning and issue the reader further guidance as to tone and manner of dialogue. But I agree, one must fight this urge because it is a bit of a false marker, ideally it shouldn't be there in the first place, therefore any alternatives tend to impede and hinder the immediacy of dialogue. All aspects concerning mood and tone are established outside of the speech. I've never thought about this till now, but i enjoyed the hub and also considering why we want to use 'said' and its alternatives.
Also, I must say, it's mightily impressive that you've responded to pretty much every comment! Cheers AJ, hope to read more of your stuff soon.
"This article made me smile," she said.
Well said kind squire! - I shall now review my hubs to see how I'm fairing.
Many thanks
Thank you guys for taking the time to read and comment on the hub. Sorry I didn't reply sooner and haven't responded individually, , but I've been on vacation for a few days and comments and mail sort of bulit up.
Glad it hit the right note for you all. It's good when other writers react positively to a piece of work.
Thanks Socit2009. Kind of you to say so.
Wow. This is great! I'll definitely be looking to use some of these in my own writing. Thanks!
Found your hub helpful. Thanks. I am finding all the advice "out there" a bit overwhelming. A useful article, like this one, feels like a bite sized piece that I can mull over and implement easily.
So glad to be of help, Elyse. Hope you got my main thrust - that you shouldn't really look for alternatives for 'said'.
You are so right: an over abundance of alternatives is what editors look for in a newbie writer's submission. They especially hate the ones starting with G.
Thanks for the vote of approval, J Rosewater. Glad you took the time to read and comment. Much appreciated.
Ralwus says, "Great hub." Now he bows removing his hat for this great author and teacher.
Hey Ralwus, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words.
Denny Lyon says:
11 months ago
Thanks for helping other writers, especially as a mentor to those just learning the craft! Blogging this to my poetry blog as this is straight to the point and talks about something rarely mentioned in articles on writing online:
http://TheSocialPoets.blogspot.com
Thanks again for some great info to send along to others, much appreciated!