Writer Synonyms for the Word Said

Write Better with Lots of Ways to Say Said in Fiction & Dialog

Sep 24, 2007

When writing speech in stories & fictional work, capture emotions in the words chosen to convey how a character is speaking by writing "said" in unique and various ways.

Have we said enough? Saying "said" over and over in writing can get very boring, uninteresting, blah, and yes, redundant. Here is help and a look at more ways to get the point across.

Is the character feeling shy? Boisterous? Cheerful? Grumpy? Here are many ways to write "said" without actually putting that word down on paper. At the same time, the variety in the dialog descriptions conveys emotions in character speech more clearly.

According to My English Teacher, "You see that by just changing the word "said" into something more expressive and descriptive, the reader understands exactly how the speakers (or characters in a story) feel."

Showing Calm, Quiet, or Shy Emotions in Dialog

For a character speaking in a gentle or shy manner, some of these synonyms for the word "said" might be appropriate:

Breathed, mumbled, murmured, persuaded, purred, sighed, slurred, stammered, squeaked, whispered

Showing Loud, Brash or Angry Feelings in Writing

For an individual speaking in an obnoxious, authoritative, or forceful manner, some of these synonyms for the word "said" might work:

Admonished, argued, asserted, barked, bellowed, chastised, commanded, complained, confessed, countered, crabbed, cried, demanded, disagreed, exclaimed, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed, howled, huffed, mocked, nagged, oozed, ordered, ranted, raved, retorted, roared, screamed, scolded, screeched, shrieked, snapped, snipped, snarled, sneered, spat, spouted, squawked, trumpeted, yelled.

Showing Fear, Grief, or Hopelessness in a Character

Bawled, begged, bleated, called, cried, exclaimed, fretted, fussed, gasped, groveled, gurgled, hollered, muttered, peeped, pleaded, pouted, prayed, shrieked, sobbed, sputtered, squeaked, wailed, whispered, whimpered, whined, yowled.

Questions and Answers in Dialog

When using a question mark or responding, "said" doesn't work well at all. Try these other words to convey inquiries and answers:

Asked, answered, agreed, disagreed, explained, implored, inquired, interrogated, posed, pressed, pried, proposed, queried, questioned, replied, requested, responded, retorted, suggested.

Showing Humor and Happiness in Writing

Bringing in comic or cheerful scenes means giving the reader cues in how the characters speak. Using the word "said" won't give the reader the same connection to humor or happy feelings as some of these types of words:

Blabbed, blurted, chirped, cheered, chuckled, croaked, crooned, crowed, gabbed, giggled, gossiped, grinned, gushed, jabbered, jested, joked, laughed, marveled, prattled on, quipped, rambled, recited, sang, smiled, squawked, teased, winked, whooped.

Still More Ways To Say "Said"

Added, admitted, advised, affirmed, agreed, announced, asserted, assumed, avowed, bragged, beckoned, called, caterwauled, claimed, clarified, clucked, coaxed, commented, continued, declared, drawled, droned, explained, expounded, expressed, groaned, insisted, interrupted, lied, mentioned, moaned, mouthed, mused, objected, pestered, preached, predicted, proclaimed, pronounced, protested, reasoned, related, remarked, repeated, reported, stated, suggested, taunted, thought aloud, told, urged, uttered, vocalized, voiced, vowed, warned.

For More Writing Tips:

In Conclusion

When writing dialog, try using a variety of words to describe what and how a character is speaking. It's all right to use "said" sometimes too... just not to the point of annoyance or boredom.

The copyright of the article Writer Synonyms for the Word Said in Writing Fiction is owned by Janienne Jennrich. Permission to republish Writer Synonyms for the Word Said in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Aug 22, 2008 8:56 AM

Guest :

This really helped me think of more ways to express what my characters feel and how they say it. This really helps, thank you!

Sep 17, 2008 9:13 AM

Guest :

I am a 6th grade writing teacher. I banned the word "said" from my classroom writing. We even went as far as to have a funeral for the word. The kids wore black, I read a eulogy, including information about why "said" was sick (because it was boring), and how we will need to help and support eachother in using other words now in our writing. We all paraded past a box that contained the word "said" in it. We then had a snack and I presented lots of other choices for the word "Said", including handouts for kids. We then buried the word under a fake gravestone (all in fun, of course!). I will use this article as further reference!!

Dec 2, 2008 6:12 PM

Guest :

This has really help use the word said in more creative ways. I was stumped while working on my most recent book that im writing, but this site was a life saver. Thanks for all the help! :)

Dec 2, 2008 6:12 PM

Guest :

This has really help use the word said in more creative ways. I was stumped while working on my most recent book that im writing, but this site was a life saver. Thanks for all the help! :)

Jan 13, 2009 3:14 PM

Guest :

I had to come up with 400 words in englsh to relace said. This was a big help. THANKS

Mar 11, 2009 8:03 PM

Guest :

I'm writing a story for a bunch of my friends and this helped me sooo much! It makes me writing sound alot less boiring than it already is!

Mar 31, 2009 12:05 PM

Guest :

I'm working on a soon-to-be notebook long story, and all of my sentences look like this for example: "What did you do?" said blah."Nothing." blah said. "Huh?" blah said with confusion." Now that i read this, i now have A LOT of new words to jot down and write. SO THANKS.=)