Different ways of using the word said

Improve Your Vocabulary With 25 Different Ways to Say “Said”

Learning a language is not just learning grammar and making sure that you reproduce the words in the correct order. Vocabulary is important, too. Within vocabulary, having a large number of words available to express a thought is important both to be precise and to add variety to your communication.

In English, people often use the word “said” to report what someone has said. But English is a rich language with hundreds of other verbs to get this idea across. In this article, we will introduce you to 25 alternatives to use instead of “said”, complete with meaning and example sentences. Try to incorporate them into your own English and see how others will praise your efforts!

Direct and Reported Speech in English

In English, when someone says something, you have two options to share that information. You can do so using direct speech or reported speech. Since this article is about vocabulary, we do not need to go too deep into the grammar. You have probably already learned the grammar in your online English course or in-person course. Here is a quick review! 

Direct speech records exactly what was said, using quotation marks. For example:
“I need to go to the bathroom,” said the child. Reported speech gets rid of the quote marks and reports what was said. In reported speech, the previous sentence would be: The child said she needed to go to the bathroom. But how did the child feel as she spoke? Happy? Sad? Angry?

In any language, we often find ourselves saying what others have said. That is why we have gathered this collection of different ways to say “said” so that you can add some emotion to your language.

What They Said

This collection of words to say “said” are excellent ways to report what someone else has said while adding a bit of extra information about how they said it.

Affirmed

When we say that something is true but in a confident way, we affirm it.

“There will be no pay increases until next year,” affirmed our boss.

Alleged

This is when we say or accuse someone of doing something wrong, even though they have not yet been proven guilty.

The eyewitness alleged that the robber had a blue jumper on.

Announced

This is when something is made known in a public or formal way.

The government has just announced that it will increase public spending next month.

Commented

This can be a written or spoken statement that expresses an opinion about someone or something.

“I loved your speech!” Sarah commented to Dave.

Confessed

When we wish to openly and freely express who we are or something we have done, we can use this verb.

“I am a Spice Girls fan,” confessed Rebecca.

Divulged

If we wish to make certain information available to someone, we can use this verb.

“It’s going to be a difficult week,” divulged James to Bryan.

Elaborated

This verb is perfect for when we want to give more details about something or to be more specific about a certain part of something.

My boss elaborated that next month’s budget must be ready by Tuesday.

Guaranteed

By using this verb, the speaker is effectively promising that what they say is a fact or is being promised.

“It’s an offer you can’t turn down,” guaranteed my boss.

Hinted

If we want to say something to give a piece of information in a direct or indirect way, we can use this verb.

David hinted to his sister that she might receive a good present for her birthday.

Mentioned

If someone mentions something, they do it in a subtle way to suggest something to the person that they are speaking to.

Kyle mentioned that he would like to do something fun for his birthday

Said With Feeling

To say what emotion was used when speaking, there are a number of wonderful verbs to do so.

Gushed

This is a common way to say things when people are in love, as it means to say something in an enthusiastic, loving way.

“I love you,” gushed Stephanie to her boyfriend.

Implored

Generally, if we want someone to think hard about our advice, we could use this verb as it means to say something as a serious or emotional request.

“You have to do what is best for you,” implored Michael.

Insisted

When someone wishes to say something in a forceful way that does not allow for any disagreement, then this verb can be used.

“I didn’t do it!” insisted the suspect to the police.

Jeered

Jeered is often used in the context of sports because it means to shout insulting words at someone.

“Boo!” jeered the crowd when the player on the opposite team scored a goal.

Moaned

Using “moaned” in place of “said” implies that someone is trying to express unhappiness about a particular situation or occurrence

The children moaned that it wasn’t fair after all their toys were confiscated by the teacher.

Angry Said Words

Sadly, many things are said in anger. These verbs can help to mark what kind of anger was behind what was being said.

Exploded

This verb can be used in place of “said” if someone wishes to express emotion in a sudden and violent way.

“Don’t touch my stuff!” exploded Jenny to her brother.

Fumed

When someone is angry, this verb can be used to express that anger.

“Why can’t I go to the party?” fumed Jenny after being grounded.

Howled

People use this verb after hearing some bad news as it means that something is said in a loud and angry way.

Sarah howled that she could not go on after hearing the devastating news.

Lectured

This is when someone talks to somebody else in a serious or angry way, perhaps to criticise their behaviour.

“You should know better,” lectured John to his daughter after he caught her fighting with her younger brother.

Rebuffed

This means that someone refuses to accept what someone else is saying in a rather rude way.

“That was not what happened at all,” rebuffed the witness when questioned by police.

Say It Again

Not only do we repeat what others have said, but what we are saying is a repetition as well. These two verbs are a great way to say “repeat”, but with more style.

Recited

This verb means that something is read out loud, normally from memory, for a group of people or an audience.

Fred recited the poem to his friends in such a soothing manner they were practically falling asleep.

Reiterated

This verb is used instead of “say” because it is used to express a point that has already been mentioned previously, for emphasis.

“You’re not getting next week off,” reiterated my boss after I asked him about the holidays for a second time.

Speak Positively

After so many different feelings, it is important to note how to say things in a positive manner.

Recommended

This verb is used to make something seem good or attractive to convince someone else to do something, too.

Julia recommended watching the film at night to make it seem even scarier.

Praised

Using “praised” instead of “said” is done to express real approval of someone or something.

“The emergency services have done a fantastic job!” praised the mayor.

Preached

We use this verb to speak about something in an approving way or to confirm that something is good or necessary.

“You’ll have the best time in Spain,” preached Jane to her son before he left for his travels.

Now it’s your turn! Now that you know 25 other ways to express “said” in English, you should try to memorise them and their contexts. Then you can incorporate them and use them in your own English. In addition, have we said that you can also sign up to the ABA English course? There you will get access to 144 free video classes which will teach you grammar from beginner to advanced. What are you waiting for? Find out your English level and start learning with ABA English today!

Advanced Vocabulary & Collocations

Do you ever notice that we use the word “said” a lot? He said this, she said that, then I said something else. Now there’s nothing wrong with the word “said,” it’s perfectly fine – but the English language has TONS of other options.

Today we’re going to learn 40 alternatives to “said” – and as you will see, each one adds some extra meaning describing the way the person said something, or the reason they spoke.

If you want to expand your vocabulary beyond basic words, then you’ll love my Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations Course. The lessons inside teach you more than 1000 high-level words to help take your English vocabulary from “simple” to “sophisticated.” One student described it as “like a gold mine for my vocabulary.” Click below for more information and to join:

OK, now let’s look at some different words we can use to describe people talking or saying something. We’ll start with some simple ones, and then move on to verbs that have additional meaning.

mention / comment / remark / state

• He said that he used to be a piano teacher.
• He mentioned/commented/remarked/stated that he used to be a piano teacher.

All of these are basically alternatives to “He said.”

Mention is often used when someone just talks briefly about something, they don’t talk in detail about the topic. And state is often used for somewhat more official things, like when someone on trial states that they are innocent of a crime, or a politician states his/her position on an issue.

add / answer / reply / respond / reiterate

These verbs all provide some information about context of a conversation.

If we answer, reply, or respond, then we are saying something in reaction to another person’s question or statement:

• I asked her if she’d ever been to Mexico; she replied that she hadn’t.

To add means to provide additional information, either to your own previously-mentioned point or to someone else’s point:

• Brian described the environmental benefits of the new law, and Melissa added that it would also reduce costs.
• I told the interviewer about my experience as a writer, and then added that I’d also received several awards for my stories.

To reiterate is similar to the verb “to repeat” – it means to say something again; sometimes using the same words and sometimes using different phrasing.

• The supervisor of the factory reiterated that safety was the primary concern.

ramble / rant / go on and on

These verbs mean that someone is talking excessively about a topic:

• My son spent the whole car ride rambling about his favorite superheroes.
• Our boss went on and on about the importance of customer satisfaction.

recite / rattle off

These are used when someone says something (or a list of things) that they have memorized:

• The lawyer recited the text of the law without needing to check her notes.
• He’s a big fan of Star Wars and can rattle off the names of all the movies.

claim / swear / maintain / insist / stress / emphasize

To claim something means to say it is true (sometimes in situations where someone is doubting that) – and to swear that something is true is adding extra force to your claim.

If other people question you or doubt you, then you might maintain or insist that it’s true – keeping to your position over time, or repeatedly. You might stress / emphasize (give extra importance to) some of the best evidence.

insinuate / imply / hint

These words are used for saying things indirectly. For example, if someone is talking about how unhappy he is with his current girlfriend, he might insinuate / imply / hint that he’s planning to break up with her soon. He doesn’t say it specifically, but you can “read between the lines” and understand it.

blurt / reveal / confess / point out

These verbs all have to do with giving information. To blurt or blurt out means to say something spontaneously without really thinking about it beforehand.

To reveal means to say some information that was previously hidden/secret – for example, She revealed that the company knew about the defective products but didn’t do anything.

To confess means to reveal you did something wrong, or say something to which other people might react negatively:

• She confessed that she’d stolen the money.
• He confessed that he didn’t really like his mother’s cooking.

And to point out simply means to say an observation:

• I pointed out that the paint we bought was a slightly different color than the paint already on the walls.

Next we have some words that have to do with the tone or way of talking, as well as the emotion when speaking.

rant / gripe / hiss / snap / retort

To gripe means to complain, and to rant means to talk a lot in an angry way. These verbs are usually followed by “about”:

• She ranted about how unfair it was that she had to work overtime without extra pay.
• Stop griping about all the work you have to do, and just get started!

To hiss means to say something angrily in a soft voice, like an aggressive snake:

• The people sitting in front of us in the movie theater turned around and hissed, “Shut up!”

Snap and retort both mean to say something in a quick and angry way, usually when we’re in a bad mood or in response to someone else’s insult:

• I asked my wife what time dinner would be ready, and she snapped that she hadn’t had time to prepare anything.
• He was making fun of his sister’s job as a house cleaner, and she retorted that his job as an administrative assistant wasn’t exactly glamorous, either.

gush / joke / exclaim

To gush about something means to say lots of extremely good things about it, because you really love it or you think it’s great. When we joke about a topic, we say things about it that are supposed to be funny, not taking it too seriously.

To exclaim means to say something in surprise – this could be a good or bad surprise:

• My boss exclaimed that this was the best work he’d ever seen.
• “Ugh, this hotel room is filthy!” we exclaimed when we arrived.

advise / caution / warn / beg / implore / press / urge

These words are used for saying things to try to influence someone else’s behavior. Advise is used for giving general advice, and caution/warn are used for alerting someone to danger:

• I advised him to send a cover letter with his resume.
• They cautioned/warned me not to go into that bad neighborhood at night.

To beg/implore someone to do something means to ask persistently with a lot of emotion:

• He begged her to forgive him after he cheated on her.
• We implored the teacher to give us more time to finish the project.

To press/urge someone refers to applying strong pressure:

• We need to make a decision – the other company has been pressing us for a response all week.
• I urged her not to give up on her musical career, because she has real talent.

Now you know a great variety of words to describe different ways of talking and reasons for saying something. And if you’d really like to take your vocabulary up to the next level, I’d encourage you to join my Advanced Vocabulary and Collocations Course.

For now, why don’t you try using a few of the words from today’s lesson in your own sentences? That’s a great way to establish them better in your memory. Thanks for watching and I’ll talk to you next time!

When writing your essay, academic papers, you are overusing the word ‘said’ and looking for ‘other ways to say said‘? You can give more action, meaning and emotion to your dialogues with these synonyms for ‘said‘. There are many different ways to say ‘said‘ in a dialogue and academic writings. You can also download ‘other ways to say’ said pdf down below.

“I don’t want to go;’ she said. BORING!
“I don’t want to go!” she whimpered. INTERESTING!

Simply replacing the word “said” with one of the following synonyms could give your writing the “extra kick” you’re looking for.

100 ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO SAY “SAID”

OTHER WAYS TO SAY “SAID” FOR WRITERS

agreed
acknowledged, assented, conceded, concurred, consented, seconded

animal sounds
barked, chirped, croaked, crowed, growled, hissed, howled, panted, roared, snarled, squawked, squeaked, yapped, yelped

answered
reacted, remarked, replied, responded, retorted, returned

argued
bickered, contended, contested, contradicted, countered, debated, denied, disagreed, disputed, objected, opposed, protested, quarreled, quibbled, squabbbled

asked
challenged, grilled, inquired, interrogated, pried, probed, queried, questioned, quizzed, requested

begged
beseeched, entreated, implored, petitioned, pleaded, prayed, pressed, requested, urged

blamed
accused, alleged, attacked, charged, claimed, rebuked, reproved

chatted
babbled, blabbed, chit chatted, gabbed, gibbered, gossiped, jabbered, prattled

commented
mentioned, noted, opined, remarked, stated

complained
bemoaned, bewailed, fretted, fussed, griped, groaned, grumbled, moaned, pouted, sniveled, whimpered, whined, yammered

cried
bawled, bemoaned, bewailed,blubbered, grieved, groaned, howled, lamented, moaned, mourned, sighed, sniffled, sniveled, sobbed, wailed, wept, whimpered, yammered, yowled

criticized
blasted, chastised, chided, disapproved, lambasted, nitpicked, reprimanded, zinged

declared
announced, asserted, broadcasted, confirmed, informed, proclaimed, professed

exaggerated
boasted, bragged, distorted, elaborated, embellished, enhanced, expanded, expounded, fabricated, inflated, overstated

explained
clarified, described, detailed, illustrated, interpreted, paraphrased, summarized, translated

gasped
choked, gulped, heaved, panted, snorted, wheezed

imitated
aped, echoed, impersonated, mimicked, mocked, parodied, parroted

interrupted
blurted, inserted, interfered, interjected

intimidated
badgered, browbeat, bullied, coerced, harassed, hounded, taunted, threatened

joked
bantered, jested, jived, joshed, kidded

laughed
cackled, jested, jived, joshed, kidded

laughed
cackled, chortled, chuckled, giggled, howled, roared, snickered, sniggere

nagged
badgered, hounded, needled, pestered, prodded

observed
detected, discerned, discovered, noted, noticed, perceived

ordered
charged, commanded, decreed, demanded, directed, instructed

persuaded
cajoled, coaxed, convinced, exhorted, insisted, urged, wheedled, wooed

predicted
conjectured, forecasted, foretold, guessed, inferred, presumed, prognosticated, prophesied, speculated, supposed, surmised

promised
agreed, assured, ensured, guaranteed, pledged, swore, vowed

raged
boiled, bristled, foamed, fumed, ranted, raved, spit, stormed

rejoiced
celebrated, cheered, exulted, hooted, jubilated, reveled

remembered
brooded, recalled, recollected, reflected, reminisced

retold
narrated, quoted, recited, recounted, repeated

revealed
announced, confessed, confided, declared, disclosed, divulged, expressed, proclaimed, professed, uttered

sang
chanted, chirped, crooned, hummed, serenaded, trilled, twittered, warbled, yodeled

scolded
berated, chastened, chided, criticized, lectured, rebuked, reprimanded, reproached

screamed
bawled, bellowed, blared, blurted, cried, exclaimed, hollered, roared, shouted, shrieked, shrilled, squealed, wailed, yelled, yowled

stuttered
faltered, hesitated, sputtered, stammered, stumbled, trembled

suggested
advised, hinted, implied, inferred, insinuated, intimated, offered, proposed, recommended

tattled
blabbed, blurted, gossiped, leaked, rumored, snitched, spilled, squeaked

teased
bugged, harassed, mocked, needled, pestered, razzed, ribbed, roasted, taunted

warned
admonished, advised, alerted, cautioned, exhorted, forewarned

whispered
breathed, buzzed, hissed, mumbled, murmured, muttered

Other Ways to Say “Said” for Academic Writing

acknowledged, added, advocated, agreed, argued, asserted, attested, commented, contradicted, elaborated, emphasized, estimated, explained, held, implied, indicated, inferred, maintained, mentioned, noted, objected, observed, pointed out, predicted, reciprocated, related, responded, stated, stressed, suggested, thought