500 examples of dialogue tags that use different words for "said" - WriterWiki (2023)

This article provides a definitive list of dialog tag examples that you can use in yourWrite. "Disse" is the most frequently used word as a dialogue mark. However, there are many other words you can use to add flavor and variety to your writing.

What is a dialogue tag?

A dialogue tag is a word or phrase that indicates the intonation of the speaker. It is usually placed at the end of a line of dialogue and is followed by a punctuation mark, e.g. an exclamation mark, comma, colon, semicolon, or period. Some authors use an ellipsis for their dialogue characters, while others use a hyphen. In an e-mail, a dialog tag can be used in the subject line for markup purposes.

Examples:

• "I can't believe it," he said.
• She spoke in a surprised tone.
• She exclaimed, "I can't believe it."
• She gasped, "I can't believe it!"

How to use dialog tags?

You should always remember that the dialog tag is a support for the dialog that needs to be mixed with it. It is not a "standalone" item, but an addition to the main line.

A dialogue tag should be placed where it will not confuse readers as to who is speaking. It's important to note that you should never start a line of dialogue with "he said" or "she said." The only exception to this is when you use "said" sentences as dialogues. So when you describe what your character does, you should rephrase or change it.

• "I'm coming, I'm coming," he said as he headed for the door.
• He shouted, "I'm coming, I'm coming." walking to the door.

Note that in this example it is clear who is speaking because of the narrative tag.

You should also make sure you use the correct tone of voice for your dialogue etiquette. There are some words that may not immediately indicate whether the dialogue is being said in an angry, irritated, or excited tone, so consider adding more cues to guide readers.

You should also remember to never use adverbial phrases at the beginning of a dialogue tag, as this can make your writing look clunky. The same applies to all other unnecessary words. In the example below, the dialog tag is separate from your dialog, making it difficult to follow:

• "Nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand.
• She held out her hand and said, "Nice to meet you."
• She smiled. "I am glad to meet you."

The word "said" is the most common dialogue tag, but there are other words that can be used. You can use any of the following synonyms in place of "said" if it fits your character's tone of voice or the person's mood.Story.

• smiled
• snorted
• scream
• whispered softly/softly/softly
• Scream
• answered calmly

Note that there are some forms of dialogue, such as B. Plays, TV shows, and movies, never use dialogue tags because it's already clear who is talking just by looking at the character's face, movements, and actions.

• "I love you," she said quietly as she met his eyes.
• "I love you." She looked into his eyes and smiled.

Whilewrite the dialogueor prose, it is important to create a balanced rhythm between dialogue and narration. Readers want dialogue to be short, snappy, and engaging so theyavoid too many descriptions at the beginningthan one line as this makes it harder for readers to understand who is speaking. Using action beats or action tags between lines of dialogue can help with this.

Complete list of examples of dialog tags with other words for "said"

This detailed list is divided into three sections. In the first part you will find words that are commonly used in fiction writing, especially for novels. The second section introduces dialog tags specific to different types of media, while the third section provides more examples of non-dialogue tags that can be used in place of "said".

100 dialogue tags commonly used in writing fiction, with examples

• Streit

Example: "I disagree," he argued.

• let through

Example: "I'm sorry," he snapped.

• boasted

Example: "Let me tell you the story of how I caught this fish," he boasted.

• boasted

Example: "I used to be a great athlete in high school," he boasted.

• Called

Example: "I'm not leaving until you let me see her," he yelled.

• sung

Example: "One, two, three, four," he sang.

• I laughed / happily laughed / happily / happily

Example: He chuckled. - She laughed happily. – he laughed happily.

• dearest

Example: She cooed softly. She whispered to the baby in her arms.

• cried

Example: He yelled, "Stop!"

• asked/asked angrily

Examples: "What were you thinking of?" he prompted. - "Where is she?" he asked angrily.

• ejaculated

Example: She ejaculated the words. The words came out like an accusation.

• panting / (sigh)

Example: She gasped in surprise.

• laugh laugh

Examples:

1. They laughed softly.
2. She giggled nervously.
3. groaned

Examples:

1. He groaned in frustration.
2. He moaned, "Oh god."
3. growled / (growled)

Example: He growled, "You're a stupid idiot."

• growled/mumbled in anger/grumpy/irritated

Examples:

1. He took a deep breath.
2. He growled impatiently.
3. He mumbled to himself.
4. Reflected / (Muse)

Example: She thought, "I wonder what happened."

• mumble / mumble

Examples:

1. she murmured.
2. he murmured politely.
3. She murmured something softly in his ear.
4. Said angry / (angry)

Example: He said fiercely. - He said angrily.

• seufz/seufz

Examples:

1. He sighed, "It's over."
2. She sighed dreamily.
3. adapted/adapted

Examples:

1. She snapped at him.
2. He growled in response.
3. Mocked / (mocked)

Examples:

1. Is mockingly disapproving.
2. She scoffed, "You look ridiculous."
3. Chisporroteo / (Chisporroteo)

Example: You stammered, "I didn't want that."

• yelled / yelled / (sigh) / (yelled) / howled / howled / (cried) / (cried)

Examples:

1. His voice rose to a scream.
2. She squealed with delight. - cry of pain.
3. Competition

Example:

1. She stammered nervously.
2. He stuttered the words.
3. Whispered/whispered/(whispered)/(whispered)

Examples:

1. He whispered in her ear.
2. He mumbled to himself.
3. yelled / (yelled)

Examples:

1. he shouted angrily.
2. He screamed at the top of his lungs.

100 specific dialogue tags for different media forms, with examples

Aged / Aged Dramatically / Aged in 10 seconds

Example: "I can't believe you're here," he gasped, aging years in 10 seconds.

Announced/dramatically announced/dramatic pause/(pause)

Example: He paused and announced dramatically, "I have something to tell you."

below / (below)

Examples:

1. The lion bared his teeth and howled wildly.
2. The coach yelled, "You're out of the game!"

He boasts (He boasts)

Example: He flaunted his wealth and influence.

giggled / (laughter)

Examples:

1. The witch laughed wildly.
2. She laughed when she saw his expression.

cried / (cried)

Examples:

1. The woman screamed in pain.
2. The king shouted, "Enough!"

echoed/echoed/echoed

Examples:

1. He whispered her name and it echoed in her soul.
2. She repeated her words slowly, "Don't you love me anymore?"

Explained/explained/(explanation)

Examples:

1. He sighed and began to explain.
2. They exchanged dark looks, each silently explaining the inexplicable.

groaned / groaned / (groaned)

Examples:

1. He groaned in frustration.
2. She groaned loudly when she felt his hands on her body.
3. The wounded man groaned but didn't open his eyes.

Mumbled/mumbled/(mumbled)/(mumbled)

Examples:

1. He muttered to himself about the long drive.
2. They murmured softly to each other.

Gorgolejar / gorgolejar / (rir)

Examples:

1. The baby laughed and babbled happily.
2. He laughed and gargled at the same time, making his wife laugh out loud.
3. He laughed softly. He smiled and gurgled with pleasure.

howl/(howl)

Examples:

1. The dog howled at the moon in the night sky.
2. The crowd howled outside the House of the Innocent.

Hum/hum/(instrumental music)

Examples:

1. She hummed a familiar tune to herself.
2. He played the whole song and hummed.

smiled

Examples:

1. She laughed and replied, "I can't deny that."
2. They both laughed until their sides ached.
3. The prince laughed at his foolish brother.

high flow

Examples:

1. He laughed out loud when he saw the joke in the magazine.
2. He shook with laughter until his face turned red.

mumbled/mumbled/(whispered)/(whispered)

Examples:

1. He mumbled something into the air.
2. She whispered softly to herself.
3. They murmured prayers for their lives.

Meditates / Muse / (think) / (think)

Examples:

1. He paused and began to think about a happy memory from his childhood.
2. He thought quietly for a moment before speaking again.

mumble / mumble

Examples:

1. He muttered a curse under his breath as she snapped at him.
2. He mumbled his reply angrily without looking at her.

gasp / (breathe)

Examples:

1. She gasped in her sleep.
2. He took a deep breath and kept running toward the horizon.

Prag

Example:

The house was infested with mice on the walls.

Played/Played/(instrumental music)

Examples:

1. She played a sad tune on her violin.
2. He played the whole song and hit the right notes perfectly.

asked/asked/(asked)

Examples:

1. He asked her what she had seen in the forest.
2. What was she trying to do by questioning him like that?

hush / hush / (calm down)

Examples:

1. Her singing soothed the baby.
2. He soothed her frayed nerves with a soft voice and a loving touch.

wandering / wandering / (talking or talking fast without a break) / (talking or talking fast without a break)

Examples:

1. He kept rambling on about the people in her life until she stopped him.
2. She rambled on about her day before bed.

answered / (answers)

Examples:

1. He replied with a shrug, "I don't know."
2. She answered his unspoken question.

yelled/yelled/(yelled)/(yelled)

Examples:

1. The man shouted over the loud music.
2. The baby screamed and cried when he saw a strange dog in front of his house.
3. She yelled at him to get out of her way.

sigh/sigh/(exhale)/(exhale)

Examples:

1. She sighed and nodded, making her husband smile.
2. She sighed heavily and lay back on the bed, exhausted from the day's work.

speak/speak/(says)/(says)

Examples:

1. He spoke calmly and confidently about what to do next.
2. He said something softly.
3. She spoke up and said she was the only one who could help him.

He stuttered/stammered/(not sure what to say next)/(not sure what to say next)

Examples:

1. He stuttered an answer.
2. She stammered in shock and disbelief.

provoked/provoked

Examples:

1. The man provoked his opponent to get a reaction from him.
2. He made fun of the other man for not being successful with women.

Whispered/(speak or speak softly)/(speak or speak softly)

Examples:

1. She whispered to herself and began to cry softly.
2. They spoke quietly about the events that had transpired.

Lamented / (cried or screamed loudly)

Examples:

1. She moaned at her feet and begged him to come back to her.
2. He howled in agony after learning what happened to his best friend.

yelled/yelled/(yelled)/(yelled)

Examples:

1. He called for his mother after seeing the man approaching with a gun.
2. He yells at his daughter as she breaks another vase.
3. He screamed in his sleep and woke up the whole family.

List of non-dialog tags that can be used in place of "said".

1. General: mumbled, shouted, stammered, screamed, protested.

2. Feelings: screamed, moaned.

3. Sound: hissing, sobbing.

4. Physical actions: missed him/her/it/her/one; collapsed on ...; mumbled to ...; I am looking...; smiled…; Turned to…; pressed against ...; shouted...; turned to...; indicated…; up/down/up/down etc.

5. Emotions: sighed with relief, snorted, smiled, cried bitterly.

6. Place or thing: whispered behind her hand, muttered something bitter under her breath, murmured a curse under her breath,

7. Time: growled, grunted, scratched, stirred.

8. Thoughts/Images: He thought about the day he met her and smiled to himself.

9. Physical sensations: The pain pounded in her stomach like a heartbeat.

10. Actions or Movements: Nodded; Pink; He shook his head; He leaned forward...

11. Relationships/Character Traits: She glared at him with hatred in her eyes.

12. Other phrases (again, the list is too long): "He lowered his voice to a whisper"/"He lowered his voice to a whisper"/"He raised his voice to a scream"/"She threw it, he threw his head back and laughed with delight"/"Her eyes blazed with anger"/"Her face was filled with pain as she staggered toward the house."

Adverbs used as dialogue tags without the word "said"

1. He Whispered: He whispered softly, "What do you think of the new girl?"

2. He mumbled: He was mumbling something to himself.

3. He yelled: He yelled at me and I didn't know what to say.

4. He screamed: He screamed over the loud noises we made.

5. Sniff: Nathan sniffed and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

6. He yelled, "No!" She yelled, "Please don't do that."

7. He stammered: He stammered incoherently.

8. Laughed: She laughed nervously.

9. Sighed: He sighed at the mention of his name.

10. Roared: He laughed when he saw me jump in shock.

11. Sobbing: She sobbed into her handkerchief and couldn't talk about it any longer.

12. Shouted: She yelled, "Get out!"

13. Drowned: He gasped and his eyes widened with fear.

14. Laughter: The witch laughed in her misery and pain and said that she deserved everything because she was such a miserable girl.

15. Started: She started crying when I told her my father had died.

16. Squeak: She squeaked, "I hope you like it!" and handed me a small box tied with a red bow.

17. Laughed: She giggled and looked away from him, focusing her eyes on the carpet instead of his handsome face.

18. Hissed: Hissed, "That's not what I meant!"

19. She cried: She desperately screamed, "Why?"

20. They screamed: They screamed and ran as far away from her as possible.

21. Scratching: He gasped and tried to sit up, but was only able to brace himself on his elbows.

22. Complained: She complained so he would stay with her forever.

23. Angry: He snorted at my suggestion to stay home tonight instead of going out with friends.

24. Whispered: Whispered: "Don't tell anyone, but I think you're awesome."

25. Suffocation: Choking and frantically waving his hands trying to find the source of the water leak.

15 tips for the correct use of "said" and its synonyms

1. Use the "said" tag whenever possible to maintain credibility and clarity, especially in emotional scenes.

2. Words substituting for saying must be carefully chosen so as not to break the flow of the narrative or make the dialogue seem melodramatic or awkward.

3. Use dialogue tags to determine who is speaking and what it sounds like (angry, hoarse, nervous).

4. The use of dialogue tags should create a distinction between two speaking characters.

5. Avoid (if possible) overusing proverbs and their synonyms. Using the same word over and over again becomes irritating and distracting for your readers. While some say that "said" is invisible and trite, others argue that it should be used whenever possible for clarity; avoid interrupting the flow of the story; and because it contributes to good writing.

6. Use "said" in combination with adverbs like "whispered," "screamed," or "snapped" (more on that below) when you want to emphasize how something is being said.

7. Use "answered" when you want to indicate that a dialog is quoted.

8. Use "exclaimed," "screamed," and "screamed" if you really want the reader to notice that the dialogue was overdone or emphatic, but try not to overdo these tags or they will lose their power .

9. Use "whispered" and "mumbled" when someone is speaking in a voice that is too soft, but use these tags sparingly as they really only work when there aren't many characters around or when there is a secret. is shared

10. Use the "question" tag when asking a direct question to someone who is not speaking in the dialogue.

11. There is no need to tell readers that a character "sighed," "complained," or "answered" because these actions are implicit in the words used and can therefore be omitted from the dialogue characters, unless: They want to emphasize how something is. said or shared.

12. Use "giggles" and "giggles" when you want the dialogue to sound funny.

13. Use "began" and "continued" when a character begins to speak, but remember that these verbs don't always work as they are easily confused with dialogue characters indicating who is speaking. For example, if one character says "Okay..." and another character follows that thought "I don't know," the reader can assume that it was the first character who said "Okay."

14. Use "question" when asking a direct question to someone who is not speaking in the dialogue.

15. When there are many people involved in the dialogue, avoid using "answers" unless you are clarifying whose turn it is to speak, or use "said" with the name of the person speaking .

references

https://www.york.ac.uk/english/writing-at-york/writing-resources/

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writingcenter/resourcesforwriters

https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writingcenter/resourcesforwriters