"Said" Is So Last Season: Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean

When characters in stories "speak", certain words tell us how that dialog is supposed to sound. Their spoken words evoke different tones, sounds, and meaning. changes the tone and meaning of what they're saying. Pump up the volume on your writing with these words to use for dramatic dialogue.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. babble
    utter meaningless sounds
    “On Earth. The receiving station on Earth,” babbled Powell. I, Robot
  2. bleat
    talk whiningly
    “Milo,” Yossarian bleated faintly with a sinking heart, sensing at once that all was lost. Catch-22
  3. chime in
    break into a conversation
    “Well, my daughter is vegan,” a mom chimes in, glaring up at Fatima like she’s issuing a challenge. Leah on the Offbeat
  4. chorus
    utter in unison
    “A-menable,” the twins chorused in misery, barely stumbling over the unusual word. Atonement
  5. drawl
    a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
    “Wish I’d brought a brolly,” she drawled in the plummy, educated tones of the Oxbridge colleges. Code Name Verity
  6. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    “What would Papa think about this?” she drones on. X: A Novel
  7. gabble
    speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
    “Where’s a pencil, I need a pencil, I’m sure there’s a pencil around here somewhere,” I gabbled. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
  8. growl
    utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
    “I don’t like doing business with rude kids who don’t reply to me,” the waste man growled. The Bridge Home
  9. grumble
    make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath
    “Man, I do not want to do that project for Cultural Studies,” Skid grumbled, shoveling some pizza into his mouth. From Twinkle, with Love
  10. gurgle
    utter with a gurgling sound
    “Overlander,” he gurgled, “we hunt you to the last rat.” Gregor the Overlander
  11. holler
    call out loudly
    Vonetta and Fern hollered, “YAY!” and Big Ma told them to stop gobbling like wild turkeys at a Thanksgiving turkey shoot. Gone Crazy in Alabama
  12. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Look at them, just look at them!” jeered the Starling. Mary Poppins
  13. lisp
    a speech defect that involves mispronouncing "s" and "z"
    “He’s just like Homer,” I remember toothless Poppy lisping to Mom while I squirmed. October Sky
  14. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    “Inti, Inti, Inti,” Sumac mimicked in his bird voice. The Ugly One
  15. mumble
    talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
    “Send this to Mamá in the next letter you write,” he mumbled, and quickly joined Lucky, already at the front door. Lupita Mañana
  16. pant
    utter while panting, as if out of breath
    “We got a good signal in this building,” he panted as he plugged in the cord and attached the antenna. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  17. quaver
    give off unsteady sounds
    She took her courage into her two hands and quavered boldly, “I’m...fifteen.” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  18. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “So this is the orphan from Barbados?” he rasped. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
  19. snarl
    utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
    “Do what it takes to stay alert in my class,” he snarled. Out of Darkness
  20. squawk
    make a harsh, abrupt noise
    “I most certainly will not!” squawked the goose. The Wild Robot
Created on Thu Oct 17 16:56:26 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Nov 14 08:24:47 EST 2019)

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