Dialogue Tags: 100 Ways to Say “Said”
Be sure to read my post from yesterday, where I suggested that good writers use few dialogue tags to indicate who is speaking, and when they do, they rely on trusty old said and occasionally asked.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with mixing it up on occasion — especially when how something is said is particularly important and not sufficiently clear through the dialogue itself. Writers young and old need help sometimes with alternatives to said, so I created an official WriteAtHome List of Dialogue Tags.
Plus, it was kind of fun to come up with them. If you enjoy it, please feel free to share. I’ve put it on our Pinterest page too, of course.
If you like this, you’ll also like:
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I love this list, it is so helpful. I found another that is equally helpful if anyone wants another. http://ayrbray.com/2014/09/words-to-use-instead-of-said/
Wow, I am just loving it!!!
Could you do the same for the following words please:
– Look,
– Take,
– Move,
And for some more verbs if it’s possible.
So I was recently told by a writing coach that using any word other than said is wrong and looked down upon in the writing world anyone know whether this is true?
Well thats not true….Dunno why your coach said that
There is a laundry list of things that are “wrong” when it comes to writing but that doesn’t mean you have to adhere to it. Write how you want and don’t let someone crush your spirit. From what I’ve been reading about dialogue tags (which led me to this post) is that it’s not necessarily a taboo but there are better ways to convey your scene without the back and forth he said/she said aspects.
There is a great article by Kaye Dacus that goes it to detail abut this topic so I encourage you to have a peak if you’re curious: http://kayedacus.com/2011/03/15/debunking-writing-myths-alwaysnever-use-said-dialogue-tags/
Its always great to find good honest practical content. Thank you so much.
It’s a very useful post. thanks for the efforts
My child almost failed her dialogue extra credit but thanks to ur awesome website she got an amazing grade
That’s great news! Thanks for sharing.
I have to be honest, I think this is pretty misleading. Your characters should really not be informing, chortling, orating, raging, sobbing, threatening, blustering, bragging or laughing their words. There’s a good reason the books you see in the bookstore aren’t filled with these, and it’s this:
Using all of these words, using even one of them, more than a handful of times in your book is the best possible way you have of communicating to your reader that yes, you are in fact reading a book. This isn’t real. It breaks immersion.
It’s easy to type dialogue and then tell the reader “THIS CHARACTER IS ANGRY.” The skill is in inferring it. Letting mood shine through in the word choice, sentence construction, and in the beats surrounding the dialogue.
“You forgot it? I told you to do it, five times,” Mary raged.
“You forgot?” Mary set her mug down with an audible clunk, narrowing her eyes. “I told you to do it, five times.”
The first is, well, sexless. It’s very flat writing. The second shows you the character being angry. It puts more of an image into your head, which is what you want. It’s very easy to get into territory where you’re essentially just describing two floating heads in an empty white space saying words. Said bookisms are the easy way out, and they often lead to talking heads.
Do me a favor, Maria, and read the post I link to in the beginning of this blog post. You’ll find we agree.
>:)
This is such a useful tool for writing. It helps me with my story writing! 🙂
THIS HAS HELPED ME A LOT ON MY HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to hear it, Nicky.
It has helped me SO much as well!
So glad to hear it!
u2 lly prud of u 2
good job nicky pproud of u
How about informed? Like:
“She is coming tomorrow,” he informed.
If you are going to use that word, I suggest you use it as a transitive verb, which means it requires an object (normally we inform someone or something; we don’t just inform). But it might work. Personally, I think “said ” is usually the best option.
Is it possible to put rasped on here? You can use it in sentences. Like:
Katrina rasped, “Go. Before it’s too late.”
But thanks for the list! I love it. 😀
Sure, Brittany. This list isn’t intended to be comprehensive. There are other ways to say “said” — like “rasped.”
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Brian! I love your posters! Can I purchase them for my classroom? I am a speech and language therapist in middle school high school and think the kids would really benefit from such an awesome visual.
Please let me know!
Thanks!
Love it! I love your website for all the help I can provide for the young writers in my home 🙂
Thank you!!
You are welcome. Thanks for taking the time to leave such an encouraging note.
I love that you have a previous link telling folks why you SHOULD usually use said, but this is all over Pinterest and I’m one of the many who just repinned it as good advice before really thinking about it before today. I read this article today: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/said-not-dead# and went to my Pinterest boards and deleted all of the well-meaning pins about “said is dead” and “what to write instead of said.”
I’m afraid homeschool parents and teachers have been scurrying around like mad, printing this and teaching our kids that they should be using all of these words instead of that “boring” said. I should know better than to pin things without going to the link first, but how many folks really do?
Anyway, I’m glad to see that in your post you sort of take it back. 😉
I know, M&M. I am somewhat guilt-ridden over this. The truth is, I have always thought and taught that writers should generally stick with “said” if they absolutely must use a dialogue tag at all. I created the graphic because in coming up with examples of how NOT to do it, I realized how many options there were. I wondered if I could come up with 100, and when I did, I wanted to show it off.
Now it’s running amok on Pinterest and I feel responsible for promoting the silly notion that “said is dead.” I am a hypocrite.
Then again, people will do what they like and if they prefer to belabor their dialogue with distracting tags, that’s their right.
Goodness—now I know why all my students are twisting themselves into pretzels to avoid “said.” Sorry, but this is really bad advice to give to young writers. The word “said” is one of the most useful words in the language. It is the silent butler of dialogue—discreetly serving us the voices of our characters. To say that “laughed” is an appropriate synonym is simply false. One does not “laugh” dialogue. “Yelped,” “sobbed,” and “ruminated” are equally bad. If you want an example of a writer who successfully shuns “said,” I suggest Nelson Algren who, in the entirety of his National Award Winner THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARMS avoids the word. On the other hand Robert Stone, no less great a writer, used no other “tag” (“attributive”).
Folks—don’t avoid “said.” Or anyway don’t avoid it because someone told you to. That repeating words on a page is death to good prose—that good writers spend their days with their noses buried in thesauri searching for synonyms—is a notion embraced only by amateurs. Use the RIGHT word—even if it means using it again and again. That’s my advice. And good luck to you.
Hi Peter, I don’t know how I missed your comment until now. See my note to Magic and Mayhem and please click through to my original article. We are actually in agreement. I prefer dialogue without any tags a la Faulkner and McCarthy, but if one is needed, “said” is almost always the best, most discreet option.
On the other hand, most folks who resort to graphics like this I’ve hypocritically created are using them with very young writers who are just spreading their literary wings. Those with an ear will eventually learn to reign in their exuberance in such matters.
You are right about tags like “laugh” and “sobbed” in the literal sense, but why must we be limited to the literal in crafting fiction?
Thanks so much for sharing these lists! I found them on pinterest and was able to print it on 8×11 by cropping each page by using Print Screen. Not as pretty but good for a homework folder!! What fun for a child to add these to their stories!!
Thanks for the encouragement and the printing tip, Jess.
This is awesome! Thank you so much! I would love this as a printable for my daughter’s writing notebook!
Thanks, Noel. If I made it printable, it wouldn’t be as pretty. Is that okay?
THAAAANK YOUU 🙂
lav dis list s0 much thanx 4 it !!!!11♥
🙂
I love this visual! Wish it were for sale. I especially like that it’s long and narrow. Thank you for posting.
You’re welcome, Georgia. Stay tuned. I may make print versions available yet. 🙂
How did I miss this post?!? Thank you so much for putting this tool at my fingertips. I find “he said” and “she said” so boring. He grumbled/howled/laughed/muttered paints such a vivid picture. As a visual person and writer, I need to see and feel the words. Now, I’m off to “pin” this post (can you see me skipping?).
I can, Debbie, and thanks for the encouraging note. Before you get too excited, however, please read my thoughts on dialogue tags here: http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2012/09/how-to-use-dialogue-tags/
I have a question for you. I remember being taught that you can’t laugh words or giggle words, so you shouldn’t write something like the following:
“I tricked you,” Joan laughed.
Instead you’d do this:
“I tricked you,” Joan said with a laugh.
What’s your opinion?
Hadn’t thought of that before, Mary. The rule you cite makes sense, but it seems a bit too literal to me — certainly you can say words in a laughing way and it would be okay to say “he laughed.”
But as I’ve written. I like “said.” I recommend sticking with bland dialogue tags as much as possible; so, I’d prefer “said with a laugh” or “said, laughing” to “laughed” in most cases.
Good question.
I know this question was asked a while ago…
But what about not making Joan laugh her words but make her say them (without using a dialogue tag) and then start a new sentence in which she laughs.
Like this:
“I tricked you.” Joan laughed.
Wow! Thanks so much for your work. It’s a pleasue to simply look at your word bank for all these word choices. This will inspire so many writers, young and old and those who strive to be great teachers.
You are most welcome. It was actually kind of fun to make. I’m thrilled to see how much it’s getting passed around. 🙂
Love the list! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you like it!