‘Said’ Alternatives

Have you ever struggled with writing too many “he said/she said/they said”? These are the alternatives that I swap with in gender-neutral ‘they’ form.

When you’re thinking of an alternative to using ‘said’, you have to visualize your character and their emotions as they say it. You could replace ‘said’ with an action, or with their tone. Here are some examples:

They spoke – neutral tone
They remarked – could be casual, but sometimes could be hinting at sarcasm
They commented – more neutral, but could lean towards a slightly more casual side
They lambasted – criticizing, sarcasm beware
They argued – could be neutral, but often than not they’re saying they don’t agree to what was said or done
They retorted – carries a more angry tone in response to something
They rebuked – similar to retort, an angry tone but having a hint of reprimand
They reprimanded – could be angry or surprisingly not, has an educational tint to it
They worried – anxious territory
They cried – sometimes used to describe someone in pain, or when they’re actually crying
They shouted – possibly angry, or they’re speaking very loudly
They screamed – very loud, but more uncontrollable than shouting
They shrieked – now this is what I consider “at the top of your lungs”
They wailed – usually used when someone’s crying and also screaming

Next we have a list of actions that can be used instead of ‘said’:

They turned [away, towards you, to XYZ]
They panicked – could be both a tone or describing their physical state
They walked [choose a direction]
They closed the door – time for a heart-to-heart or a confrontation
They slammed the table – someone’s mad
They paced around [the room, etc.] – usually someone who is thinking and worried at the same time
They held their head – panicking, very confused, in a difficult spot
They crossed their arms – confrontational stance
They raised a fist – about to fight or picking a fight
They lashed out – could be a physical action or a verbal tongue lashing
They cooked – am I memeing?
They skidded to a halt – sudden stop, probably forgot to say something
They handed [it] over to them – an easy one if they’re delivering something
They snatched [it] away – could be rather confrontational to the person getting it taken from
They smiled – physical action
They laughed – most like a positive connotation, unless you add an adjective in front of it
They chuckled – ironically, could have a negative warning tone to it

You name it. You could literally replace every ‘said’ if you wanted to with an action or some other word, but sometimes, the best choice is to leave it as is. Be creative! You’ll be able to find as many interesting combinations as your heart desires!

Remember that depending on what you choose to replace your ‘said’ with, your story needs to follow the direction the action symbolizes. For example, if you choose a confrontational word like “lashed out”, then the tension will obviously be higher than using something like “remarked”. If someone “lashes out” but then the other person “gleefully accepts”, unless the other person is characterized to be a happy-go-lucky person, do consider whether it makes sense to use two such polarizing terms.

Another important tip: avoid “over-flavoring” your dialogue. If every character is constantly snarling, hissing, snapping, retorting, rebuking, and shrieking, the prose starts to feel melodramatic—even if the scene isn’t meant to be. Strong verbs are powerful because they’re used sparingly. Think of them as seasoning. A pinch adds depth. The whole jar overwhelms the dish.

Also, trust subtext. You don’t always need to tell the reader how something was said. If the dialogue itself clearly shows sarcasm, anger, or worry, you may not need to tag it at all.

“Oh, fantastic. Another meeting that could’ve been an email.”

You don’t need “they said sarcastically.” The line does the work for you.