550 Alternative words for said
91Kindle edition - Secrets of Creative Writing
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.
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 it fill you with despair?
There are abundant words to use instead, yet to be truthful, you're probably best not using them.
Readers pay such little attention to 'said’, it effectively becomes invisible. If you use an alternative, it can become conspicuous; it can make a declaration and say – hey guys, look at me, I’m important - and at worst, can downgrade your book.
If it’s understandable who is speaking, then remove it completely. It's surprising how much more professional your work will look - in fact, let's make a rule - if it's obvious who's speaking, don't use anything.
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Words for said
"Manuscript - something submitted in haste and returned at liesure."
- Oliver Herford
The amateur wanted other words for said!!!
You should certainly only substitute other words for said if the story needs you to accentuate the way of speaking. Please 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 other words for said. Wherever you can, don't use anything.
For all that, if you need other words for said and you’re struggling to catch that elusive substitute, here’s a list of words you might be interested in trying.
Other words for said in alphabetic order
- Accepted, Accused, Acknowledged, Admitted, Advertised, Affirm, Agonized, Agreed, Alleged, Announced, Answered, Appealed, Apply for, Arranged, Articulated, Asked, Asserted, Asseverate, Assumed, Assured, Attract, Aver, Avow,
- Barked, Bawl, Bawled, Beamed, Beckoned, Begged, Bellowed, Beseeched, Blubbered, Blurted, Bossed, Breathed, Broadcast,
- Cajole, Called, Carped, Cautioned, Censured, Chimed in, Choked, Chortled, Chuckled, Circulate, Claim, Comforted, Conceded, Concurred, Condemned, Confer, Confessed, Confided, Confirm, Consoled, Contend, Continued, Crave, Cried out, Criticized, Croaked, Crooned, Crowed,
- Declared, Defend, Demanded, Denote, Dictated, Disclosed, Disposed, Disseminate, Distribute, Divulged, Drawled,
- Emitted, Empathized, Encourage, Encouraged, Entreated, Exact, Exclaimed, Explained, Exposed,
- Faltered, Finished, Fumed,
- Gawped, Get out, Giggled, Given, Glowered, Grieved, Grinned, Groan, Groaned, Growled, Grumbled,
- Handed on, Held, Hesitated, Hinted, Hissed, Hollered, Howled,
- Impart, Implied, Implored, Importune, Inclined, Indicate, Informed, Inquired, Insisted, Interjected, Invited,
- Jabbered, Joked, Justified,
- Keened,
- Lamented, Laughed, Leered, Lilted,
- Maintained, Make known, Make public, Marked, Mewled, Mimicked, Moaned, Mocked, Mourned, Murmured, Mused
- Necessitated, Needed, Noted,
- Observed, Offered, Ordered,
- Passed on, Pleaded, Postulated, Preached, Premised, Presented, Presupposed, Proclaimed, Prodded, Professed, Proffered, Promised, Promulgated, Proposed, Protested, Provoked, Publicized, Published, Puled, Put forth, Put out,
- Quaked, Queried, Quipped, Quivered, Quizzed,
- Raged, Ranted, Reckoned that, Rejoiced, Rejoined, Released, Remarked, Remonstrated, Repeated, Replied, Reprimanded, Requested, Required, Requisition, Retorted, Revealed, Roared,
- Said, Sang, Scoffed, Scolded, Seethed, Sent on, Settled, Shared, Shed tears, Shouted, Shrieked, Shrugged, Shuddered, Snarled, Snivelled, Sobbed, Solicited, Sought, Specified, Spluttered, Spread, Stammered, Stated, Stuttered, Stressed, Suggested, Supposed, Swore,
- Taunted, Teased, Testified, Thundered, Ticked off, Told, Told off, Tore a strip off, Touted, Transferred, Transmitted, Trembled, Trumpeted,
- Understood, Undertook, Upbraided, Uttered,
- Verified, Vociferated, Voiced, Vouched for, Vouchsafe,
- Wailed, Wanted, Warned, Weep, Went on. Wept, Wheedle, Whimpered, Whined, Whispered,
- Yawped, Yelled, Yelped,Yowled
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Short stories by AJ Barnett have been published since 1994 in magazines, summer specials and international competitions, been broadcast on radio and recorded for audio books.
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Ways of modifying other words for said
Okay, so you’ve decided you really do need to use other words 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.
The way it works is, you choose whichever other word for said you fancy, from the list above, then add a word 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 with it's use.
Adverbs or phrases to use with the other words for said
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, Unexpectedly, 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
Be careful when using other words for said
I hope this has been of some help. The list of other words for said is by no means comprehensive, and I’m sure everyone will want to add a few favourites – if you think of some, put them in the comments box, and if they're sensible I'll add them to the list - - But please, please, use other words for said and their modifying phrases and adverbs, with care.
If you feel you must use alternatives, use them judiciously
Be sensible, sprinkle other words for said occasionally, and your work might just sparkle - pour with gay abandon, and your work will sink.
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Other Words For Said - End of - Other Words For Said
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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.
im 10 now! we havet to do it in our class and i am making a story which is my own myth and i want to wow my mum and dad and family
I'm writing a story about people in the woods.
Fantastically helpful as I am writing my second book as my first is in the hands of an agent. I am hopeful.
Hi Rylee. Let's keep fingers crossed you get placed soon.
Thank you.
Very helpful.
I'm glad you think so, Mpurcell10. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
This is wonderfull!
I am only 13 and writing a story. This really helped me, said can get so dull if used too much so thank you.
may i suggest words like 'hissed' or 'growled' too, these are the words that I use alot in my "novel".
Thanks alot!
Hi Tessa. It's good to hear that you're writing - I think it's great - but please be aware that the theme of this article is that 'said' is actually GOOD to use.
You might feel it's boring, but it really is an invisible word. Readers don't see it. Any alternative WILL be seen and might make your story worse. Please be careful how many times you use them.
this is awesome, i am a writer and i definitely struggle with "said". its crazy how such a little word can impact a sentence so intensely
Thanks deepherlioness, to be judged kindly by your peers is the highest compliment
Thanks that helped alot the word said is very dull when said ti much
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
wow this has been a huge help with creative writing class. this has been a good help.
Thanks for the comments guys. Glad you found the article of some help
nice hub ;)
Thanks for that, Regality. Good of you to comment.
I have always squirmed a little when writers use words like "quipped" or "chuckled" instead of the straight-forward and simple word "said". It has always seemed to me a little forced and pretentious. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
Love and peace
Tony
Thanks for that, Tonymac04. Kind of you to stop by.
Can you please do a hub on using better vocabulary for common words? For example, ask would be inquire? And how to phrase sentences better? Like, "She saw a a weird looking tree thing!" would be, "The girl saw a plantlike figure hovering above." Sorry my examples are kind of bad. XD
I'm not surprised so many people love this hub. People are always asking me, 'what's another word for ...' and 'said' is right at the top of the list.
Thanks for that, Audrevea. I'm glad it's hit the mark.
Just stumbled upon this hub and had quite an enjoyable read. Thank you so much for posting this. I'll be sure to bookmark and reference it often! I do a lot of editing on early 20th century fiction/out of print books and am often in a quandary about such things. Thanks for making life easier.
Cheers!
Thank you, Laura. Glad to be of service. Glad you stumbled this way.
This is great! Thanks a lot. I have a difficult time trying to think of alternatives for said.
hey im only 13 and im writing a book and i just wanted to say tahnk you this website has helped me out .. :D X
Hi Julie. Glad you found it useful.... and good luck with your book.
Check my other Hubs on writing for a few more hints and tips. You might glean a little something from them as well.
This is perfect! xxxx
WOW, thank you..this is great
Thanks for publishing this! It was nothing new to me but I still loved reading it, your wit makes it very enjoyable where coverage from others has often been very dry indeed.
Of course, not everyone just "says" things (it would be nice if they did) sometimes they actually do shout or whisper or question or croon in baby gibberish, and that's where you have to get creative in telling the reader how it was done without going crazy.
Nicely done. I will be referring back to this hub frequently.
Beebeebook, RS Wight and Christopher Floyd, thank you for reading and commenting on my Hubpage. So good to get such a large amount of feedback.
RS Wight - of course you're quite correct, I just wanted to draw attention to its abuse.
it has helped me with my homework! thank you
And that's where your list is just lovely!
Thank you very much for this post, it made me really question whether I need to use the 'said' word so much. I've been searching for an alternative, and you listed the probably appropriate 'asked', but I think on reflection I will leave it blank as it is obvious who is doing the asking in my story.
Good thinking, Iswontel. If it's obvious, don't use anything.
Wow, my class did a list of anywords we could think of and we only got about 100, I didnt even know there were this many! Pretty interesting!
Great list, I'll definitely be keeping this in my favorites folder!
Thank you Tika and Sarah. It's kind of you to stop by and comment.
Thanks for the help. I'm 13 and writing a story. There's plenty of dialog in my story and I was a little shocked with the amount of times I had used said.
So I googled alternates to said and your blog was the first page. Its been a great amount of help.
BTW I didn't eliminate around 40% of the saids, is that ok?
Nice to hear from you Samuel and I'm glad the Hubpage helped you a little.
You can't simply stop using 'said', your work has to make sense. However, the fact that you are now aware of it will make you a better writer - good luck with it.
Thanks for the help ajbarnett!
It was really helpfull. I'm fourteen years old and hoping to become an author when I am older. I am currently writing a novel and I am sick to death of the word said, I have tried not to use it. But it always seems to pop up somewhere!
Your hub helped alot!!! Thanks :)
You know where the apprehension of "said" stars don't you? It begins in high school when an English teacher preaches against the word said.
Then what you get is a slue of Tom Swiftys "saying", "hissing", "spitting" "ejaculating loudly" (No one in high school used that last one and I've only read it being used in British literature but I digress) and so forth.
Definitely not an easy thing to grow out of.
great job! You "SAID" it all!
Thanks ajbarnett you have really helped i shall advise this to my school.
hey this is a really helpful list for young writers!!! thanks!+)
Your hub was exactly what I needed! I actually laughed out loud:) The word said (and smiled) has been driving me mad! While your list is awesome it also is a relief to know that said is perfectly acceptable as is nothing at all and I will start practicing this in my book! Thank you!
How I wish I'd had access to this Hub earlier on! What a fantastic topic. I can't recall how many times I've been writing and been at a loss for one or more of these substitutes. Said, said, said. I agree, it starts to drive my crazy.
Thanks you guys, I'm so glad you've found the hub helpful
Hey there. Just decided to try my hand at writing a story/book and these are so helpful! So thank you!
Yah, thats four hundred words, but I was looking for words like angrily or babbled
can you suggest me another word for USED IN
Actually, I _do_ notice the constant usage of the word "said", and it almost immediately makes me want to put the book down.
It feels like I am being repeatedly hit on the head with a dull, lifeless brick. I think it's rather presumptuous to assume that everyone can ignore a word that seems to pop up ever five seconds or so, adds absolutely nothing to the story, and doesn't at all set the tone for anything.
I would rather have a picture painted for me than being pelted by the sharp little paintball that is the word "said", rapidly and repeatedly.
I feel less like dying when I don't see it at all in a work, and often times I think that those who feel like they 'squirm' when they see other things have been conditioned to do so by extremely antiquated thinking.
Creative writing, much like art, should always be evolving, in my opinion.
dang there are so may words that can help me with my story writing man am i going th mention you when i win a CALLTOCOT
thanks
yay! thats 400 words in my specil book now well for said lmffao
heyyy you sound nice dude. soo heyy (:(:(:(:
I really didn't think it could be improved anymore but 550!
this helped me
OMG i have to write a story with at least 15 dialogues but i can't use said!!! THANKS SO MUCH
hey guys thanx for helping me with homework for said words. it's helped me heaps. bye
Wow it is cool thanks Aj barnet!! How did you find all those words for said?
yelled
thank you very much for this! it is very handy for my english assignments!
Thank you, TigerCrona, glad you thought it useful.
Much appreciated. Thanks for the help. I was stuck, and then I read this. My first novel will be that much better for your help.
Thanks for the kind comment, Drew. Good luck with your novel.
um the word stuttered is not used in the s's
what about croaked?
Thanks, Rashell and Cory. Have added them now.
you could also use warn. "Not just yet" mom warned.
Very true, Pickles. I'll put it in - however, I must point out to everyone - the article is to explain that you should NOT to use alternative words for said unless absolutely necessary.
The whole crux of the article is that 'said' is an invisible word that readers ignore. ANY other word draws attention to itself and detracts from the story.
If it is clear in the passage who is speaking, add nothing at all, do not even use 'said'.
Well, I really appreciate this. I never realized how much I skimmed over the word said, so when writing my own work, I tried to put in lots of other fancy words. Once I read the intro, though, I went back to look at writing and realized that it was fine to use the word said. It opened my eyes a bit, thanks! Thank you, google.
lol!
these help me alot with a book im doing on notepad
"To modify verbs or write adverbs is human, to write only 'he said' or 'she said' is divine." - Stephen King
Thanks so much it helps me alot to know that there are others words then said out there. I really dont like the word "said" it drives me crazy because authors in books sometimes use the word to much, but I just wanted to say thanks it really helped me
Thanks so much it helps me alot to know that there are others words then said out there. I really dont like the word "said" it drives me crazy because authors in books sometimes use the word to much, but I just wanted to say thanks it really helped me
Thank you for this. I have always struggled with dialoge and always get hung up on "said", I intend to use this idea in the future when writing. Thanks!
So glad it has been useful to you, Muffin and Alicia
quite helpfull hor my homework
Thank you so much! This is more than what I'm looking for. :)
Thank you so much! This is more than what I'm looking for. :)
Tis helped me so much.
it was so much more than I needed
My last comment the word tis was ment to be this
This helped me so much!!
thanks i was writing something and i needed other words apart from said :)))
thank you , but can you help me by saying the alternatives for sain in the letter Z,X
Thanks! This has helped me a lot!
Wow! this is very helpful. thank you so much!
Thanks so much for this. I had to write a one and a half page writing that all had to be conversation and I had said said heaps. this helped me so much so thank you. I love you for this
Thank you very nice comments do not need more words http://kitapmektebi.com
thank you so much this is going to help me so much writing my book
Thanks for putting this out there! I write a lot of short stories and this really helps add something meaningful to what my characters are talking about. These definitely shake up the drab use of "said". Thanks a bundle!
Denny Lyon 3 years 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!