71 Ways to Say 'Said'

Are you looking for more ways to say ‘said?’ Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll learn alternative verbs to use instead.

• There’s no reason for you to keep using the same word over and over since there are many other verbs at your disposal.

Read on to learn 71 more ways to say ‘said.’

Other Ways to Say ‘Said’

When you’re writing dialogue, you can find yourself using the verb ‘said’ repeatedly.

For example:

“I’m going to the store,” said Dylan.

As you can see, 'said' is used to report direct or indirect speech. And while this is perfectly fine, the word ‘said’ is a little bland, and there are much better words you could be using. Words that draw the reader in and convey the speaker’s emotions.

So without further ado, let’s learn 71 new ways to say ‘said.’ These are all in the past indefinite to keep the tense consistent with the verb ‘said.’

1. Stated
2. Declared
3. Announced
4. Affirmed
5. Avowed
6. Averred
7. Acknowledged
8. Conceded
9. Admitted
10. Professed
11. Maintained
12. Contended
13. Argued
14. Debated
15. Discussed
16. Conversed
17. Chatted
18. Talked
19. Spoke
20. Voiced
21. Expressed
22. Articulated
23. Enunciated
24. Pronounced
25. Uttered

Different Ways to Say 'Said' - Loudly

If your character is speaking with a raised voice or with increased emotions such as fear or anger, you can use one of the following expressions:

26. Exclaimed
27. Cried
28. Shouted
29. Yelled
30. Hollered
31. Bellowed
32. Roared
33. Growled

Other Ways to Say 'Said' - Quietly

When someone speaks very quietly, either because they are shy or perhaps because they want to say something spiteful, you can use one of the following words:

34. Murmured
35. Mumbled
36. Whispered
37. Hissed
38. Spat
39. Snarled

How to Say 'Said' - Smiling

All the words below imply the character is smiling while they speak. This could be because they’re telling a joke, making fun of someone, using sarcasm, or plotting an evil plan.

40. Scoffed
41. Sneered
42. Snickered
43. Giggled
44. Laughed
45. Chuckled
46. Guffawed
47. Cackled
48. Joked
49. Quipped
50. Wisecracked

Alternative Ways to Say ‘Said’ for a Mean Character

Use the following if the speaker is mean or, at the very least, is having a mean moment. For instance, they might be bullying another character or releasing anger.

51. Teased
52. Taunted
53. Mocked
54. Ridiculed
55. Scorned
56. Belittled
57. Disparaged
58. Denigrated
59. Insulted
60. Cursed
61. Swore
62. Blasphemed

How to Say ‘Said’ When Asking for Mercy

When characters are in a dubious position, they might need to ask for help or someone’s mercy. In situations like those, you can use the following.

63. Prayed
64. Pleaded
65. Begged
66. Implored
67. Beseeched
68. Entreated
69. Petitioned
70. Supplicated
71. Appealed

Examples of 'Said' in a Sentence

Now we have some new words to use instead of ‘said,’ let’s have a look at how some of these might look in a sentence.

We’ll look at an example of a word from each category.

Tim argued that the best place to have lunch was the Italian place due to their great coffee.

“Watch out, they have knives!” yelled Lucy.

“I’m trying to sell the house,” she whispered so that Greg didn’t hear.

“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” wisecracked Joe.

“I can’t believe you got an F in the biology exam; it was a piece of cake!” mocked Julian.

“Please can we sail your boat this weekend?” begged his daughter.

Concluding Thoughts

Well, that concludes this article on ways to say 'said.' Hopefully, you can now see that you'll, in fact, never run out of ways to say it. There are so many different verbs you can use.

Remember:

• These words are useful for reporting speech, whether direct or indirect.
• The word you use will depend on the mood of the situation and the character's mood.
• A good choice of replacement for the word 'said' can really draw the reader into your story.

If you found this article helpful, you might enjoy one of our other articles on our blog. Check it out!