on Just Publishing Advice:

Do you need synonyms for said?

Dialogue tags should be used as a seasoning and not as the main ingredient in your writing.

Readers have a blind spot for the word said, so you can use it without any concern when you write dialogue.

As Stephen King wrote in On Writing, regarding dialogue tags, “The best form of dialogue attribution is said, as in he said, she said, Bill said, Monica said.”

However, there are times when the use of said synonyms helps to convey an extra element of emotion. Also, using a descriptive dialogue reporting verb avoids the use of adverbs.

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