Meaning & use
speech bubbles
Last updated
UK/ˈspiːtʃ ˌbʌbl̩z/
US/ˈspitʃ ˌbʌbəlz/
Meaning
nounplural
The rounded shapes in comics and cartoons that hold a character's words.
Grammar: Plural noun; the singular form is 'speech bubble'.
Patterns
- in a speech bubble
- draw a speech bubble
The artist filled the speech bubbles with funny one-liners.
In the last panel, a speech bubble shows the hero whispering.
Kids love drawing speech bubbles above their cartoon animals.
Word forms
| singular | speech bubble |
|---|
Common combinations
- speech bubble above someone
- A speech bubble above the cat said 'Feed me'.
- fill a speech bubble
- She filled each speech bubble with a short phrase.
- draw a speech bubble
- First draw a speech bubble, then write the dialogue.
- thought bubble
- A thought bubble shows what the character is thinking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- speech balloon
- Common in US English for the same shape in comics.
- caption
- A caption is a text box, often at the top or bottom of a panel, not a bubble coming from a speaker.
Word family
Commonly confused: speech bubbles or thought bubble?
speech bubbles vs thought bubble
A thought bubble has small circles leading to it and shows what a character is thinking, not saying.
Practice
In a comic, what do speech bubbles usually contain?
Choose one answer.
Speech bubbles hold dialogue — what characters say. They do not usually show the artist's name or page numbers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “speech bubbles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.