Say vs. Tell — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 3, 2023
"Say" involves expressing something in words, while "tell" involves informing someone directly.
Difference Between Say and Tell
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Say" and "tell" are both verbs used in the English language to convey communication. However, they're used in slightly different contexts. While "say" often focuses on the act of verbal expression, "tell" zeroes in on the recipient of the message.
In everyday conversations, when people refer to something they've heard, they might use "say." For instance, "What did she say?" "Tell," on the other hand, tends to demand an object or person to whom the information is directed, as in "Tell me a story."
"Say" can be used in reported speech without directly pointing out the listener. An example might be, "She said she was tired." With "tell," the listener becomes important. For instance, "She told him that she was tired."
Another distinction lies in command or instruction. When one uses "say," the emphasis is on repeating or expressing a particular phrase: "Say 'hello' to her." Conversely, "tell" instructs someone to inform or convey information: "Tell her about the meeting."
"Say" often feels more neutral, simply referring to verbal expressions. "Tell" often implies a deeper level of communication, sharing, or informing.
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Comparison Chart
Basic Meaning
Expressing something in words.
Informing someone directly.
Object Requirement
Often doesn't need a direct object.
Requires a direct object (the person being informed).
Reported Speech
Used without specifying the listener: "He said he was hungry."
Needs the listener: "He told me he was hungry."
Command/Instruction
Focus on repeating: "Say the magic word."
Instruct to inform: "Tell him the truth."
Level of Depth
Neutral verbal expression.
Implies deeper communication or sharing of information.
Compare with Definitions
Say
To utter words vocally.
I didn't hear what you said.
Tell
To discern or recognize.
You can tell she's upset by her voice.
Say
To express an opinion or belief.
They say it's going to rain tomorrow.
Tell
To inform or communicate information.
Tell me about your day.
Say
Saw.
Tell
To order or instruct.
Tell him to stop.
Say
A kind of silk or satin.
Thou say, thou serge, nay, thou buckram lord!
Tell
To count or enumerate.
She can tell all the states in alphabetical order.
Say
Report or maintain;
He alleged that he was the victim of a crime
He said it was too late to intervene in the war
The registrar says that I owe the school money
Tell
To give a detailed account of; narrate
Told what happened.
Told us a story.
Say
Have or contain a certain wording or form;
The passage reads as follows
What does the law say?
Tell
To narrate.
I want to tell a story;
I want to tell you a story.
Say
State as one's opinion or judgement; declare;
I say let's forget this whole business
Tell
Communicate information to someone in spoken or written words
We must be told the facts
‘We have nothing in common,’ she told him
He's telling the truth
I told her you were coming
Say
To indicate or suggest something.
The clock says it's midnight.
Tell
Decide or determine correctly or with certainty
I couldn't tell if he believed me
You can tell they're in love
Say
To make a statement or express an opinion or judgment
The story must be true because the teacher said so.
Tell
(of an experience or period of time) have a noticeable, typically harmful, effect on someone
The strain of supporting the family was beginning to tell on him
Say
(intransitive) To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
Tell
Count (the members of a group)
The shepherd had told all his sheep
Say
(colloquial) Used to gain someone's attention before making an inquiry or suggestion
Say, what did you think about the movie?
Tell
(especially in poker) an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception.
Say
Express a supposition;
Let us say that he did not tell the truth
Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?
Tell
(in the Middle East) an artificial mound formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements.
Say
Indicate;
The clock says noon
Tell
To communicate by speech or writing; express with words
She told him that the store was closed. Tell me the truth.
Say
To repeat a specific phrase.
Say 'I love you' to her.
Tell
To notify (someone) of something; inform
He told us of his dream to sail around the world.
Say
Utter words so as to convey information, an opinion, a feeling or intention, or an instruction
He said to come early
Our parents wouldn't believe a word we said
‘Thank you,’ he said
He said the fund stood at £100,000
Tell
To make known; disclose or reveal
Tell a secret.
Tell fortunes.
Say
Assume something in order to work out what its consequences would be; make a hypothesis
Let's say we pay in five thousand pounds in the first year
Tell
To inform (someone) positively; assure
I tell you, the plan will work.
Say
Used to express surprise or to draw attention to a remark or question
Say, did you notice any blood?
Tell
To give instructions to; direct
Told the customers to wait in line.
Say
An opportunity for stating one's opinion or feelings
She let him have his say
Tell
To discover by observation; discern
We could tell that he was upset.
Say
To utter aloud; pronounce
The children said, "Good morning.".
Tell
To name or number one by one; count
Telling one's blessings.
16 windows, all told.
Say
To express in words
Say what's on your mind.
Tell
To relate a story or give an account of an event
The sailor told of having been adrift for days.
Say
To state as an opinion or judgment; declare
I say let's eat out.
Tell
To reveal something that is not supposed to be revealed, especially something that someone has done wrong
She promised not to tell on her friend.
Say
To state as a determination of fact
It's hard to say who is right in this matter.
Tell
To have an effect or impact
In this game every move tells.
Say
To report or maintain; allege
It is said he is a fraud.
Tell
An unintentional or unconsciously exhibited behavior that reveals or betrays one's state of mind, as when playing poker.
Say
To repeat or recite
Said grace.
Tell
A mound, especially in the Middle East, made up of the remains of a succession of previous settlements.
Say
To indicate; show
The clock says half past two.
Tell
To count, reckon, or enumerate.
All told, there were over a dozen.
Can you tell time on a clock?
He had untold wealth.
Say
To give nonverbal expression to; signify or embody
It was an act that said "devotion.".
Tell
To convey by speech; to say.
Finally, someone told him the truth.
He seems to like to tell lies.
Say
To suppose; assume
Let's say that you're right.
Tell
(transitive) To instruct or inform.
Please tell me how to do it.
Say
A turn or chance to speak
Having had my say, I sat down.
Tell
(transitive) To order; to direct, to say to someone.
Tell him to go away.
Say
The right or power to influence or make a decision
Citizens have a say in the councils of government. All I want is some say in the matter.
Tell
To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
Can you tell whether those flowers are real or silk, from this distance?
No, there's no way to tell.
I can tell you're upset.
An expert can tell an original from a forgery.
Say
(Archaic) Something said; a statement.
Tell
(transitive) To reveal.
Time will tell what became of him.
Say
Approximately
There were, say, 500 people present.
Tell
(intransitive) To be revealed.
Say
For instance
A woodwind, say an oboe.
Tell
(intransitive) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
Sir Gerald was moving slower; his wounds were beginning to tell.
Say
Used to express surprise or appeal for someone's attention.
Tell
To use (beads or similar objects) as an aid to prayer.
Say
(transitive) To pronounce.
Please say your name slowly and clearly.
Tell
To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.
I saw you steal those sweets! I'm telling!
Say
(transitive) To recite.
Martha, will you say the Pledge of Allegiance?
Tell
To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show
Maria rewrote the section of her novel that talked about Meg and Sage's friendship to have less telling and more showing.
Say
(transitive) To tell, either verbally or in writing.
He said he would be here tomorrow.
Tell
A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
Say
(transitive) To indicate in a written form.
The sign says it’s 50 kilometres to Paris.
Tell
(archaic) That which is told; a tale or account.
Say
To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact.
They say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", which means "behave as those around you do."
Tell
(internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
Say
Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.
A holiday somewhere warm – Florida, say – would be nice.
Say he refuses. What do we do then?
Say your family is starving and you don't have any money, is it okay to steal some food?
Tell
(archaeology) A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.
Say
To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.
Tell
To mention one by one, or piece by piece; to recount; to enumerate; to reckon; to number; to count; as, to tell money.
He telleth the number of the stars.
Tell the joints of the body.
Say
To try; to assay.
Tell
To utter or recite in detail; to give an account of; to narrate.
Of which I shall tell all the array.
And not a man appears to tell their fate.
Say
A chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision.
Tell
To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge.
Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
Say
A type of fine cloth similar to serge.
Tell
To give instruction to; to make report to; to acquaint; to teach; to inform.
A secret pilgrimage,That you to-day promised to tell me of?
Say
Trial by sample; assay; specimen.
Tell
To order; to request; to command.
He told her not to be frightened.
Say
Tried quality; temper; proof.
Tell
To discern so as to report; to ascertain by observing; to find out; to discover; as, I can not tell where one color ends and the other begins.
Say
Essay; trial; attempt.
Tell
To make account of; to regard; to reckon; to value; to estimate.
I ne told no dainity of her love.
Say
For example; let us assume.
Pick a color you think they'd like, say, peach.
He was driving pretty fast, say, fifty miles per hour.
Tell
To give an account; to make report.
That I may publish with the voice of thankgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
Say
Trial by sample; assay; sample; specimen; smack.
If those principal works of God . . . be but certain tastes and says, as it were, of that final benefit.
Thy tongue some say of breeding breathes.
Tell
To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as, every shot tells; every expression tells.
Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David.
Say
Tried quality; temper; proof.
He found a sword of better say.
Tell
That which is told; tale; account.
I am at the end of my tell.
Say
Essay; trial; attempt.
Tell
A hill or mound.
Say
A delicate kind of serge, or woolen cloth.
His garment neither was of silk nor say.
Tell
A Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)
Say
A speech; something said; an expression of opinion; a current story; a maxim or proverb.
He no sooner said out his say, but up rises a cunning snap.
That strange palmer's boding say,That fell so ominous and drearFull on the object of his fear.
Tell
Express in words;
He said that he wanted to marry her
Tell me what is bothering you
State your opinion
State your name
Say
To try; to assay.
Tell
Let something be known;
Tell them that you will be late
Say
To utter or express in words; to tell; to speak; to declare; as, he said many wise things.
Arise, and say how thou camest here.
Tell
Narrate or give a detailed account of;
Tell what happened
The father told a story to his child
Say
To repeat; to rehearse; to recite; to pronounce; as, to say a lesson.
Of my instruction hast thou nothing batedIn what thou hadst to say?
After which shall be said or sung the following hymn.
Tell
Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority;
I said to him to go home
She ordered him to do the shopping
The mother told the child to get dressed
Say
To announce as a decision or opinion; to state positively; to assert; hence, to form an opinion upon; to be sure about; to be determined in mind as to.
But what it is, hard is to say.
Tell
Discern or comprehend;
He could tell that she was unhappy
Say
To mention or suggest as an estimate, hypothesis, or approximation; hence, to suppose; - in the imperative, followed sometimes by the subjunctive; as, he had, say fifty thousand dollars; the fox had run, say ten miles.
Say, for nonpayment that the debt should double,Is twenty hundred kisses such a trouble?
Tell
Inform positively and with certainty and confidence;
I tell you that man is a crook!
Say
To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge.
To this argument we shall soon have said; for what concerns it us to hear a husband divulge his household privacies?
Tell
Give evidence;
He was telling on all his former colleague
Say
The chance to speak;
Let him have his say
Tell
Mark as different;
We distinguish several kinds of maple
Say
Express in words;
He said that he wanted to marry her
Tell me what is bothering you
State your opinion
State your name
Tell
To narrate or relate an event.
He told a fascinating story.
Say
Utter aloud;
She said `Hello' to everyone in the office
Say
Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority;
I said to him to go home
She ordered him to do the shopping
The mother told the child to get dressed
Say
Speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way;
She pronounces French words in a funny way
I cannot say `zip wire'
Can the child sound out this complicated word?
Say
Recite or repeat a fixed text;
Say grace
She said her `Hail Mary'
Say
Communicate or express nonverbally;
What does this painting say?
Did his face say anything about how he felt?
Say
To assume for the sake of argument or explanation.
Let's say you win the lottery; what would you do?
Common Curiosities
Can "tell" be used without specifying whom you're telling?
Generally, no. "Tell" typically needs a direct object or listener.
Why do we use "said" in reported speech?
"Said" is neutral and doesn't require specifying the listener, making it common in reported speech.
Is it correct to ask, "What did he say to you?"
Yes, but it's more common to ask, "What did he tell you?"
Can "tell" be used in the context of recognition?
Yes, like in "I can tell he's lying by his eyes."
Can "say" and "tell" be used interchangeably?
Not always. "Tell" usually requires an object (the listener), while "say" might not.
When should I use "say" versus "tell"?
Use "say" for expressing something in words and "tell" when informing someone directly.
Can "say" refer to non-verbal indications?
Yes, as in "The sign says 'Exit.'"
Why do we say, "Say the magic word," not "Tell the magic word"?
"Say" focuses on repeating a specific phrase, while "tell" focuses on informing.
How does "tell" imply deeper communication?
"Tell" involves the sharing or conveying of information directly to someone, hence it feels more intimate.
Do "say" and "tell" have other meanings outside of communication?
Yes, for instance, "tell" can mean to count, and "say" can be used in the context of assuming for explanation.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
