Ultimate guide to: increasing your vocabulary

We use 'said' so often in English, but there are many more words we could use!

Not sure which ones? Read on.

It is important to look for different words that say the same thing:

To demonstrate to your boss that you have good command of the language, which may mean greater chances of promotion in a multinational organisation.
To show your teachers that you have good vocabulary and achieve higher marks in tests.
To make what you write and say more interesting to engage with.

At work

We often need to relay what someone else has said. Rather than using 'said' here are some other words we could use:

reported
told
informed
notified
suggested

Note that all of these words are in the past simple tense.

Said is the past simple form of 'to say' so replacement words should also share the same tense.

At school

Using a range of vocabulary will get you higher grades. When writing a story with speech try using some of these words:

whispered
exclaimed
yelled
shouted
replied
commented

They give more information about how the words are being spoken and shows part the character's personality. They didn't just 'say' something they whispered or shouted.

In an exam

International exam bodies such as IELTS will award marks for the range of vocabulary you use. Don't use 'the graph says that...' when describing a graph, use words such as: