The most common word said

Are you talking to me? I said are you talking to me? There’s no one else here, you must be talking to me?

How many times have you misused these 4 words? I speak English, I talk to my friends, he told me a secret, you know what I’m saying?

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If you’re having difficulty with using these words, don’t worry, we’re going to resolve that for you guys right now. In this article we are going to show you common prepositions use with each of them, and even teach you some popular expressions typically used in spoken English.

SAY­

Say means to speak words. The most common use of the word say is in reported speech. Reported speech is when you are repeating what someone has said. When speaking in reported speech, we often make statements and it is not necessary to add the object. The object is what’s receiving the action in the phrase, for example:

• “He said he was going to be late.”
• “What did he say?”
• “When he said he was leaving, we all got really sad.”

In these examples you’ll notice that I haven’t used an object. When we use “say” generally the recipient of the action is not as important as what we have to say.

Prepositions for SAY

To/ That– If we are going to use an object, we always use the preposition “to,” for example:

• “He said to Steve that that he was going to be late.
• “I said to him that I couldn’t go.”

We use “to” to show who we are directing our words at and “that” to say the information.

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Tell

In comparison to “say,” when we use tell we need to use the object. This is because when using tell, who received the information is more important that the information itself. For example:

• “I told you about the party.”
• “Have you told him the news?”
• “She always tells me that.”

I often hear people saying, “She tell what to do.” This would be incorrect because we need to use the object. The correct form would be, “she tells me what to do.”

Do you have problems with prepositions? Take a look at this awesome guide!

Prepositions for Tell 

To-When we use to with tell we are giving someone an order or making a strong request.

•   “I told you to buy me a drink,”
•    “Didn’t I tell you to mind your own business?”

About– To tell someone about something is used to pass information about an event or a series of events which happened to a person.

• “let me tell you about a girl I know, she had a drink about an hour ago,”
• “Did I tell you about my party?”

That–  When we use  that we are expressing an action or a more permanent situation. To compare examples, I can’t say, “Did I tell you about she is pregnant,” I would have to say, “Did I tell you about her pregnancy.”

• “Did she tell you that she was pregnant?”
• “Did I tell you I changed cell number?”

Talk Vs Speak

Speak and talk are synonyms and in most cases interchangeable. The main difference between the 2 would be that “speak” is used in more formal situations and “talk” is for more informal conversations.

When used as a noun, “to give a speech,” it would be a formal presentation as appose to “give a talk” sounds more casual.

Talk

Did you all recognize the famous line from the movie Taxi Driver? “Are you talking to me?” Learn other famous movie quotes

Although this word is not so common in English, talk would be the same as saying converse. No I’m not talking about the sneaker, I mean to converse with another person.

In spoken English, we commonly use the word talk in the continuous form, for example:

• “I was talking to him about the Real Life English event.”
• “The movie was really good but people kept talking during the best parts.”
• “This guy talks forever.”

Prepositions with talk

To/ About– We use “to” to show who we are directing our words at and “about” to give the information.

• “I need to talk to you about last night.”
• “Did he talk to you about his trip?”

Speak

Speak is also used when we are referring to languages or when conversations are more of a monologue.

• “How many languages do you speak?”
• “Can you speak English fluently?”
• “He was speaking to his employees about the new services.”
• “I have to speak to you about the next Real Life event.”

As you can see, “speak” sounds more formal than talk. If someone said that they wanted to speak to me I would consider it more important than if they had said they wanted to talk to me.

Prepositions with speak

To… about…– Just like tell, we use “to” and “about” to direct our words and give information.

• “Did you speak to him about our new project?”

With– We use “with” to say who we are speaking to or how that person speaks, usually in reference to their accent.

• “Have you ever spoken English with an Australian?”
• “They speak with a really strange accent.”

Expressions with Say Tell Talk Speak

Say

Anything you say- I won’t argue with you
Easy for you to say- Fácil é falar
Needless to say- It’s obvious
Would you say that…- Você diria que…
She says hi- Ela mandou um oi

Tell

Something tells me that…- Alguma coisa me diz que
Tell me about it– Nem me fale
To tell you the truth– Para falar a verdade
You can tell- Percebe-se

Talk

Money talks– O dinheiro fala mais alto
Look who’s talking– You’re guitly of the same thing
Talk shop– to talk about professional things with colleages
He talked me into it– He persuaded me to do something

Speak

Actions speak louder than words– Doing means more than talking about it
Speak your mind– Say what you really think
So to speak- Por assim dizer
Can you speak up– Can you speak louder

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Check out some of our similar articles: 

• The difference between listen and hear
• How to use STILL, YET, and ALREADY
• How to Use MUCH. MANY, and LOTS OF

Return from How to Use: Say, Tell, Talk, Speak to Grammar

One of the words that comes up most commonly in various types of writing, from fiction to academic writing, is the word “said.” Any time a writer is referencing the words or thoughts expressed by another person, whether that be thoughts expressed verbally or in writing, an appropriate way to introduce—or attribute—that person’s thoughts is with the phrase “said.” 

But if you’re incorporating a lot of quotations in your writing, you might find yourself repeating  the word “said” a lot. Repeating the same phrase in a piece of writing can start to feel monotonous, which is why incorporating synonyms or an oft-used word or phrase can make your writing more interesting and accurate. But here’s some good news: there are tons of other words for “said” out there for you to use! 

To help you build a repertoire of words to replace “said,” we’re going to do the following in this article: 

• Explain the importance of using word variety and avoiding repetition of the same word in your writing
• Explain when to use “said” and when not to use “said” 
• Provide a comprehensive list of alternative words for “said,” organized into categories based on emotion and intention

Ready to check out some synonyms for “said”? Then let’s get going!

To give you the most comprehensive and easy-to-navigate list, we’ve organized our list into two main categories: first, we’re including several lists of other words for “said” by emotion, and second, we’re including several lists of different words for “said” by intention or action. You can decide what meaning you’re trying to express in your writing, and use our lists accordingly!

Happy Words to Use Instead of “Said”

We’re going to kick off our list by giving you a lot of other words for “said” by emotion, starting with synonyms for “said” that convey a happy, joyful, or positive tone. 

Sad Words to Use Instead of “Said” 

Sadness is a common emotion expressed in writing—let’s look at a few synonyms for “said” that convey sadness. 

Angry Words to Replace “Said”

There are a ton of synonyms for “said” that express anger, and we’ve included several of them for you here. 

Different Words for “Said” That Express Shock or Surprise

When you want to communicate a tone of shock or surprise in your writing, try using these synonyms for “said”! 

Other Words for “Said” That Express Fear

The last emotion it might be helpful to be able to express accurately and vividly in your writing is fear. Here’s a list of synonyms for “said” that you can use to demonstrate a feeling of fear. 

Words to Replace “Said” That Are Expository

If you’re working with a quote in which the speaker is clarifying information or explaining something, you can try out these words instead of “said”!

Other Words for “Said” That Are Argumentative

When you incorporate quotes or dialogue that make an argument, use these synonyms for “said” in your attributions.

Words to Use Instead of “Said” That Are Critical 

If a speaker in a quote or piece of dialogue is forming a critique, incorporate one of these different words for “said” in your attribution.

Words to Use Instead of “Said” That Are Implicative

Try using these alternative words for “said” that imply meaning. 

Words to Replace “Said” That Seek Information

Sometimes you need to include an attribution that shows a speaker is searching for information. These synonyms for “said” can help you establish a tone of inquisitiveness!

Words to Replace “Said” That Reveal Information

Finally, if you need a word other than “said” that reveals information, try out the options in the list below. 

When to Use Different Words for “Said” in Your Writing…And When Not To

In most cases, deciding when to use words other than “said” in your writing is up to your discretion. But there are actually some situations when it’s correct to use “said” exclusively to attribute a piece of dialogue or a quote in your writing. This depends on the type of writing, so we’re going to break down the situations when you should definitely use “said” here!

Journalism

The first situation where you can expect to see writers exclusively using “said” is in any type of writing that relies on AP Style. “AP” stands for “Associated Press,” and this set of style guidelines is the standard for journalistic writing. This includes writing for newspapers, magazines, and public relations in the United States. AP Style provides a lot of rules about grammar, spelling, punctuation, and language use, and using “said” for quote attribution is one of those rules.

Impartiality and objectivity are two values that are extremely important in journalistic writing. Unlike many synonyms for “said,” which reveal a speaker’s feelings, attitude, or intentions, “said” doesn’t try to interpret the feelings, attitude, or intentions of the speaker. “Said” just states factual information: the words in the quote were spoken by a person or group of people. Using “said” allows the journalist to remain impartial and objective about the information, and it also lets readers interpret the meaning of quoted material on their own. 

Technical Writing

While not exactly a rule, using “said” is an unspoken expectation for quote attribution in technical writing. Technical writing is a style of writing used in business environments and some scientific fields, like engineering. It’s important for this style of writing to be clear, specific, and, in most cases, concise. In fact, readers of technical writing appreciate a writer’s ability to communicate directly and plainly by using short, direct words. That’s why “said” is the best choice for introducing quotes or paraphrases in technical writing: it’s clear, specific, and concise. 

Creative Writing 

Creative writing is a third situation that might require you to think strategically about when to use “said.” In creative writing—like fiction, for instance—when and how often to use “said” is pretty much up for debate. There are a lot of synonyms for “said” that you can use to convey the emotions or intentions of a character in dialogue, but you don’t necessarily have to use some flowery synonym for “said” every time you include a piece of dialogue in creative writing. In fact, sometimes it’s okay to strategically omit attributions altogether. 

Here’s one example of a way to present dialogue in creative writing that doesn’t overuse attributions: 

Even without attributions for every piece of dialogue in the example above, you can still get an idea of how the characters feel and what their intentions are through the dialogue beats (“She crossed her arms angrily,” and, “Paige shook her head”). Alternatively, dialogue attributions in creative writing are another place where word variety is important. Your attributions are a great way for you to add emotion and imagery to your work. That means sometimes you might simply use “said,” sometimes you might use a more expressive synonym for “said,” and other times you might forego attributions altogether.

Academic Writing

One final writing situation where you’ll find yourself needing to make decisions about when to use “said” is academic, research-based writing. In academic writing, it’s important to be clear about who you are quoting and to provide adequate context for the quote you include. For example, if the scholar you’re quoting is making an argument in the quote you include, it would be more accurate to say, “Dr. Garcia argued” or “Dr. Garcia claimed,” instead of “Dr. Garcia said.” Using a quote attribution that gives your reader a clearer sense of the speaker or writer’s purpose and tone. 

3 Reasons Why Word Variety Is Important in Writing

Word variety is important to any type of writing for three main reasons: using a variety of words can make your writing more engaging, more accurate, and more expressive.

First, using a variety of words can make your writing more engaging and interesting for the people who are reading it. In some types of writing, like poetry, repetition is used as a strategic stylistic device. In lots of cases, though, writers repeat the same word because they don’t know its synonyms. After a while, readers might feel a bit exhausted by repetitiveness in a piece of writing. That’s one reason why knowing and using synonyms for commonly repeated words is so important!

Second, word variety can make your writing more accurate. For example, while “said” is always going to accurately describe a piece of dialogue or a quote from an outside source, there are words to use instead of “said” that can reveal the intention behind dialogue or the information conveyed in a quote. 

Let’s say you incorporate a quote where the author is disagreeing with a point made by a scholar. Sure, you could introduce that quote with, “Dr. Smith said.” But you could be more accurate by introducing the quote with a word that indicates that the quote is going to express disagreement, like, “Dr. Smith countered” or “Dr. Smith responded.” 

Finally, your writing is expressive and vivid when you avoid repetition. When your word choice reflects the emotions or tone expressed by a quote or piece of dialogue that you include in your writing, your readers can get a better sense of your intended meaning. Using synonyms for “said” to create tone and imagery in your writing can help readers better understand your position and make them more willing to buy into your ideas. 

What’s Next? 

If you’re studying for the verbal portion of your SAT or ACT, we’ve got you covered. Here are our expert guides to the verbal portions of the SAT and ACT, and we even have tips and tricks to help you tackle the essay sections! These are just a few of the tons (and tons!) of resources we have, so be sure to check out our blog for more information.

This cheat sheet for ways to say “said” can be really helpful if you’re starting to write your college admissions essays. Learn how to start your essay off perfectly, and make sure you know the biggest mistakes you should avoid, too.

If you’re using this guide to help you write creatively, you might be a great fit for a creative writing degree! Here’s a guide to the best creative writing colleges and programs in the United States. 

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