People watching over the past few weeks, I've noticed men have an exact counterpart to a woman's giggle and deployed in the same circumstance. It's also higher pitched than their normal 'humour' laugh. What word would you use in a story? Chuckle, giggle, chortle, titter don't feel quite right to me.
AJ
I've used chuckle a lot. Some of the synonyms I got with a quick search are just plain ridiculous. "Cackle", "titter", and "hee-haw," for example.
To me, chuckle suggests a comfortable laugh, so it's not really equivalent to a woman's giggle. I perceive titter as less of a broadcast than giggle, so again not really equivalent.
AJ
Giggle is both male and female. But for a guy, it's connotation is more of a boyish laugh. If the character is more manly, I guess it's chuckle.
Anderson Cooper giggles. But he's gay.
Chuckle, giggle, chortle, titter don't feel quite right to me.
You missed snicker.
Each of the words has a slightly different meaning. None of them quite equates to a giggle, but some may capture what you mean in specific situations. For example, a titter is a nervous giggle. A chuckle is a suppressed laugh, sometimes even silent. A chortle is a chuckle + snort, which usually suggests that the laughter is suppressed except for a snort.
And think of all the more modern options:
"Lol," he said, without the slightest hint of laughter. "Rofl."
"Lol," he said, without the slightest hint of laughter. "Rofl."
I have to admit using "Lol" a couple of times in conversations with friends (he says, hanging head in shame).
A bit off topic, but my brother has been known to utter "Ass-mere," rather than ASMR.
I've got a short descriptor I use for laughter.
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Smirk: Slight, often fleeting upturning of the corners of the mouth, completely voluntary and controllable;
Smile: Silent, voluntary and controllable, more perceptible than a smirk; begins to release endorphins;
Grin: Silent, controllable, but uses more facial muscles;
Snicker: First emergence of sound with facial muscles, but still controllable;
Giggle: Has a 50 percent chance of reversal to avoid a full laugh; sound of giggling is amusing; efforts to suppress it tend to increase its strength;
Chuckle: Involves chest muscles with a deeper pitch;
Chortle: originates even deeper in the chest and involves muscles of the torso; usually provokes laughter in others;
Laugh: Involves facial and thoracic muscles as well as abdomen and extremities; sound of barking or snorting;
Cackle: First involuntary stage; pitch is higher, and body begins to rock, spine extends and flexes, with an upturning of head;
Guffaw: Full body response; feet stomp, arms wave, thighs are slapped, torso rocks, sound is deep and loud; may result in free-flowing tears, increased heart rate, and breathlessness; strongest solitary laughter experience;
Howl: Volume and pitch rise higher and higher, and body becomes more animated;
Shriek: Greater intensity than howl; sense of helplessness and vulnerability;
Roar: Lose individuality; i.e., the audience roars!
Howl... Shriek... Roar...
These should be "howl with laughter," etc.
Otherwise, you can have:
"To get to the other side," said Alice, giggling.
Bob howled, becoming more animated.
Alice shrieked, suddenly feeling helpless and vulnerable as Bob shifted into his wolf form.
Suddenly there was a roar. While the late Alice was staring at Bob, a tiger had pounced. The tiger was distinctly aware of its individuality, and it was not going to lose this fresh kill to a puny wolf!
The tiger was distinctly aware of its individuality, and it was not going to lose this fresh kill to a puny wolf!
This could be a Lyttle Lytton entry.