Learning about the alternatives to say and using them in our daily conversations shows our English knowledge. If you want to speak with native speakers fluently, you should have a wide range of vocabulary.
One of the most common verbs we use in our daily conversations is the verb “say”. It’s important to know about the different synonyms of say and use them correctly. So stay with us!
Pay attention to this dialogue:
- Hey! What are you reading?
- Just a magazine, but it says here that somebody has robbed the bank!
- Really?! When?
It says it happened yesterday. It says that the suspect is under arrest. But it says he hasn’t said anything. But his lawyer said he doesn’t need to say anything.
Have you noticed that there are a lot of “it says…”, “He said…”, “He hasn’t said…”, etc. in this dialogue? But what else can we use instead of “say”?
In this lesson we are going to learn 10 alternatives to say and at the end of this lesson, you are going to take an exam to test how much you have learned from this lesson.
1. Admit: Of say synonyms
This item of alternatives to say means to say / accept that something is true without wanting to. For example:
- She admitted that she had made a mistake!
- He admitted that he had been wrong!
- I admit, your plan is way better than mine!
Learn more: I think synonyms
2. Confess: Of alternatives to say
Similar to “admit” we can use to verb “confess” which is of say synonyms. Confess means to say that you have done something wrong. For instance:
- She confessed to her husband that she had sold her wedding ring.
*tip: to confess to somebody
- He confessed to the crime!
3. Deny: Of synonyms of say
Deny is also of alternatives to say that is the opposite of “confess” and “admit” and it means to say that something is not true and you haven’t done anything wrong.
- Neil denied that he broke the window!
*tip: deny + (that) full sentence
- He denied breaking the window.
*tip: deny + gerund
- He denied having the window broken.
*Pro tip: deny + having + p.p
Learn more: I agree synonyms in English
4. Object: Of say synonyms
We use the verb “object” which is of say synonyms to express disapproval of something and it means to say that you are against something, you disapprove of something. for example:
- I don’t think anyone will object to leaving early.
*tip: object + to + something
- She objected that the price was too high!
5. Complain: Of alternatives to say
Similar to “object” we can use the verb “complain” that is of alternatives to say which means to say that something is wrong. As an example:
- Lots of people have complained about the noise.
- If the service was so bad, why didn’t you complain to the manager?
Learn more: What are the synonyms of want ?
6. Advise: Of synonyms of say
Another item of synonyms of say is advise”. Please pay attention to its pronunciation (/ədˈvaɪz/). Don’t forget that “advice” is a noun and “advise” is a verb.
“advise” means to tell somebody what you think they should or shouldn’t do when they have a problem. For example:
- The doctor advised me to get plenty of rest.
- He advised me not to worry so much.
7. Assure: Of say synonyms
To assure is of say synonyms that means to tell somebody confidently that something is correct so that they do not worry about it.
- The mechanic assured him that the car would be ready tomorrow.
- The president assured people that the taxes wouldn’t be raised.
- Don’t worry, you will improve your English, I assure you!
Learn more: Learn about the synonyms for but in English
8. Mention: Of alternatives to say
Another item of alternatives to say is “mention”. To mention somebody or to mention something means to talk about somebody or something briefly without giving any details. For instance:
- He mentioned that he is leaving his job!
- The police mentioned that they had arrested the suspect, but refused to give any details.
9. Reply: Of synonyms of say
This verbs is of synonyms of say which means to answer and it’s really practical when you want to talk about another person’s sentences in response to your sentences. For example:
- The man replied that something was missing!
- He asked me the time and I replied that it was 12 pm.
Learn more: What are the other ways to say I like ?
10.Report: Of say synonyms
- Today, the newspaper said that there is a new crime wave in town.
In this sentence, you can replace “said” with “reported”.
- Today, the newspaper reported that there is a new crime wave in town.
To report means to give information about something.
- We called the insurance company to report the theft. (we called them to give information that our car had been stolen.)
- The assassination was reported in all the newspapers!
Learn more: What is another word for but ?
Let’s test your knowledge!
So far we have learned 10 alternatives to the say and now it’s quiz time!
Look at this story and try to fill in the gaps.
Today’s newspaper ……. A horrific crime. The suspect was arrested, but her name wasn’t …….. . Apparently, she hasn’t …… that she committed the crime. In fact, she has ……. Everything and has ….. to being arrested.
When asked whether she was guilty, she …… no! Perhaps, her lawyer had ……. her to do so! Who knows? Maybe, she isn’t guilty after all! She hasn’t …….. yet!
Check your answers!
Today’s newspaper reported A horrific crime. The suspect was arrested, but her name wasn’t mentioned. Apparently, she hasn’t admitted that she committed the crime. In fact, she has denied Everything and has objected to being arrested.
When asked whether she was guilty, she replied no! Perhaps, her lawyer had advised her to do so! Who knows? Maybe, she isn’t guilty after all! She hasn’t confessed yet!
Summary of the lesson: alternatives to say
This is the list of the words that we have learned in this lesson:
✅ Admit
✅ Confess
✅ Deny
✅ Object
✅ Complain
✅ Advise
✅ Assure
✅ Mention
✅ Reply
✅ Report
If you want to improve your English level and learn more vocabulary and their synonyms, join my online English course .
The POC English website also has a great course for IELTS students! Take our online IELTS course and get a high score in this exam, with the help of teacher Maddy!
