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Synonyms for "said" - Writing Struggles



As a young author, I have found myself stuck at some sentence because I feel like I've overused the word "said".

"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," he said.
"I can't help it," she said.

I guess you get the point. So I've decided to share some synonyms for the word. Each won't be possible to use in any context but is definitely applicable in certain cases. So here we go:

  • acknowledge - admit truth or verbally recognize
  • add - make further comment
  • affirm - declare the truth of something
  • agree - be in unison
  • announce - make a proclamation
  • answer - reply
  • argue - verbally fight
  • ask - question
  • assert - insist, declare
  • break silence - make declaration
  • claim - demand
  • come out with - disclose information
  • comment - make statement of opinion
  • confirm - prove, reinforce
  • convey - express message
  • declare - make known clearly or officially
  • defend - protect, show support for
  • deliver - announce, proclaim
  • deny - disagree, renounce, decline
  • disagree - argue, hold different opinion
  • disclose - reveal, make public
  • estimate - guess, try to value
  • explain - make clear
  • express - articulate; signify, mean
  • guarantee - pledge, promise
  • guess - try to figure out; imagine
  • insist - order and expect; claim
  • imply - indicate, mean
  • judge - make decision from evidence; deduce
  • maintain - care for, keep up, assert, claim; argue for
  • mention - refer to
  • mouth - backtalk
  • notice - observe, perceive
  • plead - present a defense
  • pledge - guarantee; give word of honor
  • promise - give word that something will be done, bring hope
  • put into words - express, articulate, mean etc.
  • question - ask, doubt
  • read - express, state
  • remark - notice and comment
  • repeat - duplicate, do again, echo
  • reply - answer
  • report - communicate information, present oneself
  • respond - act in answer to something
  • reveal - tell, show, uncover
  • speak - talk, address, give a lecture
  • state - declare, assert
  • stress - accentuate, emphasize
  • suggest - convey advice, imply, bring to mind
  • tell - communicate, narrate, describe etc.
  • utter - say, reveal
  • voice - express opinion; put into words
This post will be useful for me and I hope that some of you will also find it handy. And if you think I just googled "useful synonyms", you are completely right. 
In order to demonstrate the use of the synonyms for "said", here is the same example from the beginning.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with tears streaming down her face.
"Don't be," he insisted and wrapped his arms around her cold shoulders.
"I can't help it," she uttered burying her face in his shirt.
He patted her head knowing he would never get the mascara stains out of his favorite shirt.

If there are any other words stopping you from writing a masterpiece, let me know and together we will end their reign! :)


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Comments

  1. KaielaAugust 24, 2017 at 9:32 PM

    Haha...mascara stains can be difficult to remove indeed... I loved this post and definitely understand the struggle, I feel the same way with the word "said", I'll definitely be coming back to this post, when I'm lacking words to describe a conversation. I also have a difficult time finding synonyms for "zombie", i don't think that's as common of a problem though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PearlAugust 24, 2017 at 10:55 PM

      It might be not that common, but in a story about zombies it is a real problem.

      Delete

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