# say

> English word · Verb · IPA /seɪ/ · frequency rank #135

## Definitions
1. To pronounce.
2. To recite.
3. To tell, either verbally or in writing.
4. To indicate in a written form.
5. To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact.
6. Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.
7. To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
8. To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.

## Etymology
From Middle English seyen, seien, seggen, from Old English seċġan (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to say”).
Cognates
Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Swedish säga (“to say”).
The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

## Easily confused with
- **so** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-so)
- **se** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-se)
- **SC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sc)
- **SI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-si)
- **SS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-ss)
- **SP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sp)
- **su** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-su)
- **SD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sd)
- **sf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sf)
- **sh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sh)
- **SM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sm)
- **SB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sb)
- **SW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sw)
- **SL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sl)
- **SG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sg)
- **SK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sk)
- **SV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sv)
- **SJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sj)
- **Sy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-sy)
- **she** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-she)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/say