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Speech Bubble

What is a speech bubble.

A speech bubble is a shape, like a cloud, balloon or bubble, which contains text representing a character's speech. It can also be called a speech balloon, a word balloon or a dialogue balloon.

Speech bubble diagram

What do you write inside a speech bubble?

Inside the bubble, the words that the character says are written.

'He said', 'she said', or 'they said' are not needed, as the tail points to who is speaking.

The text should include punctuation, but inverted commas are not necessary, as the bubble itself shows that the words are speech.

Speech bubble activity ideas

1. Character conversations

Choose two characters from a book you are reading, and encourage children to create a conversation between them, using speech bubbles to record what they say to each other. This could be used to further explore an event that has already happened in the story, or, you could suggest a situation that the characters might face in the future. This activity could be done in pairs, where each child takes on the role of a different character. For older children, it might be more challenging to take on the role of both characters (and perspectives) themselves.

2. Talk to a character!

Give children the opportunity to 'interact' with a character at a specific point in the text. Enourage them to ask questions or offer advice - what would they do in the character's situation, and why? You could give children speech bubbles on post-it notes, which can then be stuck in the appropriate place on the page.

3. Give words to a non-speaking character/animal

Sometimes, there are characters in a story who do not speak. Ask children to infer what they might say if they did speak. Again, children could use speech bubbles on post-it notes, and stick them on the page next to the non-speaking character.

For all of the above suggested activities, you might find this FREE Speech Bubble Template pack useful.

4. Use within cartoon strips

This can be a fun way to get your children to summarise or retell part, or all, of a story. This FREE Cartoon Strips Template is a perfect resource for this activity.

Speech bubbles can also be an effective way of developing children's social communication skills . They could be used to explore how children would, and should, respond in a variety of different social situations, e.g. if a person said this to you, what would you say back?

Our FREE Text Message Template could be used for this type of activity with KS2 children.

Other types of bubble...

Whisper bubble

Whisper bubble

Used to indicate that a character is talking quietly

Thought bubble

Used to convey what a character is thinking instead of saying

Scream bubble

Used to indicate that a character is shouting or screaming

FREE Speech Bubble Template

FREE Speech Bubble Template by PlanBee

FREE Cartoon Strips Template

FREE Cartoon Strips Template by PlanBee

FREE Text Message Template

FREE Text Message Template by PlanBee

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Exploring Speech Bubbles Templates

Explore a variety of speech bubble templates to add flair to your designs.

Speech bubbles are an integral part of visual communication, often used in graphic novels, comics, and web design to represent dialogue or thoughts. They add a dynamic element to the narrative, making it more engaging and interactive. The use of speech bubbles isn’t limited to these areas; they are also used in presentations, educational materials, and marketing collateral. This guide will delve into the world of speech bubbles templates, their uses, and how to create them.

Understanding Speech Bubbles

Speech bubbles, also known as speech balloons, are graphical elements that visually represent communication in comics and graphic novels. They have been used since the early 20th century and have become a staple in the comic book industry. The shape, size, and style of a speech bubble can convey different emotions and tones, making them a versatile tool in visual storytelling.

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Speech bubbles are not just for comics. They are also used in other forms of media such as web design, advertising, and educational materials. They can make content more engaging and easier to understand , especially when explaining complex concepts or instructions.

Different Types of Speech Bubbles

There are several types of speech bubbles, each with its unique purpose and design. The most common types include the dialogue bubble, thought bubble, scream bubble, whisper bubble, and caption. The dialogue bubble, which is the most common type, is used to represent spoken words. On the other hand, the thought bubble, often cloud-shaped , is used to represent thoughts or internal monologue .

The scream bubble, with jagged edges, represents shouting or loud speech, while the whisper bubble, usually depicted with a dotted line, represents soft or whispered speech. Lastly, the caption is used to provide narration, setting details, or other non-dialogue information.

Creating Speech Bubbles Templates

Creating speech bubbles templates can be a fun and creative process. It allows you to add a personal touch to your comics, presentations, or marketing materials. There are several ways to create speech bubbles templates, from using graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator to online tools and even coding them in HTML and CSS.

When creating speech bubbles templates, it’s important to consider the content that will go inside the bubble. The shape, size, and style of the bubble should complement the tone and message of the text. For instance, if the text is a loud exclamation, a large bubble with jagged edges would be appropriate.

Using Graphic Design Software

Graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign offer tools and features that make it easy to create speech bubbles. These software programs allow you to draw custom shapes, add text, and apply styles to create unique speech bubbles. They also offer templates that you can use as a starting point.

Creating speech bubbles in graphic design software involves drawing the bubble shape, adding the tail, and inserting the text. You can customize the shape and style of the bubble to match the tone of the text. Once you’re happy with the design, you can save it as a template for future use.

Using Online Tools

There are several online tools that allow you to create speech bubbles quickly and easily. These tools offer pre-designed templates that you can customize with your text and style. Some of these tools include Canva, Piktochart, and Bubblr.

These online tools are user-friendly and don’t require any design skills. You simply choose a template, add your text, and customize the design to suit your needs. Once you’re done, you can download the speech bubble as an image file for use in your projects.

Coding Speech Bubbles in HTML and CSS

If you have some knowledge of HTML and CSS, you can code your own speech bubbles. This gives you complete control over the design and functionality of the bubbles. You can create any shape, size, and style of bubble, and even add interactive elements like hover effects.

Coding speech bubbles involves creating a container for the bubble, adding the text, and styling the bubble and text with CSS. The bubble’s tail is created using the CSS pseudo-elements ::before and ::after. You can then save the code as a template for future use.

Speech bubbles templates are a versatile tool in visual communication. They can be used in a variety of media, from comics and graphic novels to web design and advertising. Creating your own speech bubbles templates can be a fun and creative process, whether you’re using graphic design software, online tools, or coding them in HTML and CSS.

Section Image

Remember, the key to effective speech bubbles is to match the design with the tone and content of the text. With a bit of creativity and practice, you can create engaging and dynamic speech bubbles that enhance your visual storytelling.

Start Creating Your Own Speech Bubbles Today!

Ready to bring your visual stories to life? With Phraseit, you can easily create professional-looking speech bubbles for your comic strips or other visuals. Whether you’re uploading your own images or choosing from our curated stock photos, our free online speech bubble maker at phraseit.net offers a variety of custom bubbles to personalize and add flair to your projects. Don’t wait any longer—check out our bubble maker and start crafting your unique dialogue-filled scenes now!

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Free Article: Teaching Through Thought Bubbles and Speech Bubbles

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Teaching Through Thought Bubbles and Speech Bubbles

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP and Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP

Thought bubbles and speech bubbles have endless uses, especially when discussing how what we do and say impacts one another in the moment. Many individuals with social learning differences and/or challenges report difficulties tracking conversations or discussions in real time. The reality is that conversations are not concrete; the words are spoken, and then poof, they’re gone! These same individuals also report needing help thinking about what others around them are thinking and feeling.

Over the years, we have been surprised to hear parents or professionals report that their student is “too smart” or is too sophisticated for visual strategies! Personally, we use visual strategies to get through every single day: wall and computer calendars, Post-it® notes or appointment books, digital apps, flipcharts at meetings, whiteboard planning charts, digital mind maps, etc. These are all visual tools to help us connect ideas, see the big picture, and keep our tasks, our engagements, and ourselves organized!

Like many other professionals, we have found great benefit using comic strip conversation (Carol Gray’s Comic Strip Conversations, 1991) to draw stick figures with thought bubbles and speech bubbles to teach abstract ideas in a concrete way. Taking this concept into teaching sessions where individuals use visuals to represent their thoughts and words can be very powerful.

We have personally found that thought and speech bubbles can be critical for some learners to make the process of how we interpret what we say to each other clear. Bubbles can be used both proactively, by teaching about the future impact of their words, and reactively by teaching about what was said, why it was said, and how it was interpreted.

Thought and Speech Bubbles for Teaching Social Concepts

Since these tools are physical manipulatives, they can easily be used in the teaching moment without interrupting the flow by having to stop and draw out the situation (context) or the stick figures to represent the people involved. They’re already together in the situation! This means we can shift focus to how people are relating to each other based on what each is thinking and possibly saying in that situation. This is so helpful when you’re teaching a group of students or when in an individual teaching session. The bubbles are a concrete way to show what you do or say has an impact on their thoughts and feelings and vice versa. It’s an effective on-the-spot visual tool that makes intangible concepts more concrete.

We routinely use the thought bubbles to help individuals learn about thoughts; the thoughts we have about ourselves and the thoughts we may have based on what we think about others. This tool can build more self-awareness into the metacognitive process. It can also support carrying the lesson one step further: how we adapt our social skills based on our thoughts as well as the thoughts others have about what we do or say or the situation.

Speech bubbles can also be very helpful in teaching problem solving. They can be used to illustrate what someone might say in response to what you have said to them. These can also be used reactively to explore why one person became so upset with another person based on what was said.

Here are a few of the countless ways I have used thought and speech bubbles with students (and adults) beyond introducing the very basics. The first lesson is for those working on building self-awareness, and the second and third lessons are for students who already have a level of self and other awareness but may not understand how what we say and do affects one another’s thoughts and feelings.

Lesson 1. Holding a Thought Inside Your Head

In this lesson we teach a student how to hold a thought inside their head without saying it out loud.

Tools needed: Two thought bubbles and two speech bubbles. While you might be able to purchase dry-erase thought bubbles online, you can also make your own:

  • Download the free Thought and Speech bubble

Print it and cut it out

Laminate with a laminating machine or cover with clear tape

Attach to a popsicle stick, straw, chopstick, or pencil with tape

People involved: The student and an adult (teacher or parent)

Dilemma: The student is learning about secrets and is learning to keep a secret (e.g., a surprise birthday party for someone). At this stage of learning the student is still unable to keep the surprise and tends to tell others without understanding the concept.

Introduce the concept: describe what a secret is.

“A secret means we know something that we are not supposed to tell other people. Basically, it is a thought we hold in our head.”

Give them a pencil and tell them you (the adult) are going to close your eyes and ask them to hide the object in the room where it can’t be seen.

Tell them to keep their hiding place in their own mind (own thoughts) and not tell you where it is!

Once hidden, the adult continues to encourage them to keep the thought their own brain and not say it out loud.

Then, you should take out your thought bubble and explain that you have no idea in your thought bubble about where the pencil is hidden because you didn’t see where it was hidden. Make sure to say that you also did not hear anyone talk about it since the student is not telling you because that is the point of the game.

Keep mentioning they are doing a really good job keeping the secret.

The reality is that many will find this very difficult! They will immediately tell you where it is hidden (“I am keeping a secret! I hid the pencil in the drawer!).

When this happens, ask them to write where the pencil is hidden on their own thought bubble (“the pencil is in the drawer”).

They should also write on the speech bubble “the pencil is in the drawer.”

Have them hold the thought bubble by their head and the speech bubble by their mouth and say, “The pencil is in the drawer.”

Use a mirror or, if your site allows digital images to be taken and you have permission, take a picture of the student to show that when they know where something is, they are having a thought and that the speech bubble is showing how they said the thought aloud.

When they look at the picture of the two bubbles, explain that the bubbles help us to see what they were thinking and then what they said.

At this point, explain that if people say what they are thinking, then it is not a secret. That’s just telling people what you know.

Next, you should write what you learned about the pencil on your thought bubble “the pencil is in the drawer” and hold your thought bubble above your head. Tell them, “Your secret isn’t really a secret because I know where the pencil is hidden!” You can also write on your speech bubble, “the pencil is in the drawer” while saying it aloud.

You then need to go find the pencil.

Explain that there are times to keep our thoughts in our head, like when we are in class and other students get distracted if we say everything we are thinking. It makes other people feel calm when others around them keep their thoughts in their head, so they can focus on what they are doing! Teachers like it too when students keep their thoughts in their heads during teaching time, unless they are called on in class to answer a question or offer their thoughts.

Work with the student to help them learn that they can take control of their own thoughts by learning to keep them in their brain.

To teach this, ask the student to close their eyes tight. Hide the pencil somewhere else in the room, then write on your thought bubble where the pencil is hidden (without letting the student see what is written). Turn the thought bubble around backwards so all the student can see is the backside of the thought bubble (which is blank).

Ask them to open their eyes, then say, “I hid the pencil. I know where I hid it and I am keeping the thought to myself—it’s a secret for now. I wrote it on my thought bubble, but you can’t see my thoughts!”

Have them talk through why they can’t see your thoughts (because only the back side of the thought bubble is showing and it’s blank).

Explain you are doing a good job holding your thought in your head. Show that your speech bubble is blank too.

Then ask, “Would you like to know where the pencil is hidden?” Most will say yes.

Have them write their thought (“I wonder where the pencil is?) on their thought bubble and also on their speech bubble. Once they communicate this, tell them where you hid it.

Have them try again to hold a thought in their head. Direct the student to do just as you did.

Ask you to close your eyes

Hide the pencil

Write the hiding place on the thought bubble

Turn the thought bubble so you can’t see what is written

Tell you to open your eyes

Make sure to let them know they are doing a good job figuring this out but telling them exactly what they did well, “Wow, you did it! You kept your thought in your brain! I don’t know where you hid the pencil! Great job keeping a secret!”

I’ve found that this simple physical act of having students turn their thought bubble from front to back helps them get a better idea of how they can have a thought but not share it and keep it to themselves. The use of the thought bubble helps them concretely get the idea of holding the thought in their head, and the physical manipulation of the tool seems to help this concept come alive.

Use a mirror or take another digital picture of the student’s thought bubble turned backwards and their blank speech bubble. Point out that you can’t see their thought and that nothing is on their speech bubble. This means the student is learning to keep their thoughts in their head!

Reviewing the digital picture can help a student visually put the pieces together so the teaching makes sense. They can concretely see that keeping a thought private involves 1) having a thought (written on the thought bubble), 2) learning that others can’t see their thoughts (because the thought bubble is turned backwards) and 3) not saying their thought aloud (the speech bubble is blank).

You will likely need to adapt the above and practice this lesson repeatedly to help the very literal, socially unaware students how know what to express through their language and what should stay in their thoughts.

Important note: Please make sure to discuss that some thoughts and secrets are important to keep in their brains (surprise parties, mean words about other’s appearance, sharing their thoughts during teaching time or when others are talking) but there are other secrets that they should never keep in their heads (someone hurting them or others, people touching them or others, etc.). If you believe the student may struggle to understand this concept, then slow down and develop other activities to teach good secrets vs. not good secrets.

Lesson 2. How Our Words Affect Another Person’s Thinking

We all have moments when we say something that makes another person feel uncomfortable. Part of being in a social situation with others is being accountable to how our words and actions may impact what other people think and feel. Keep in mind that if you are working with a student individually, there are two people in the room who have thoughts and feelings.

Tools needed: Two thought bubbles and two speech bubbles , minimum. If you want to involve more students, you’ll need more of the bubbles.

People involved: Two or more students (5th grade or older) to role play a situation. If there are not two students available for the role play, then the teacher and one student can do this together.

Dilemma: Similar to the lesson above, we are teaching that what we say or do can affect how someone else thinks and feels. In this lesson we are teaching this concept more deeply.

Encourage your students to hold their thought bubbles above their heads. Talk about how we all have thoughts about each other and it’s common for us to have momentary thoughts about another person in the room. Those thoughts can be uncomfortable or comfortable or neutral, for example.

Begin by having each student in the group think a positive thought about another member of the group.

To introduce them to the thought bubbles and speech bubbles, have one kid at a time write their pro-social thought on the thought bubble and write down on the speech bubble how they would describe this thought to the other person.

Then have this student tell another student the pro-social thought.

Once the other student hears/receives the pro-social thought, then have that student write down, on their own thought bubble, how this comment makes them feel. Then also write down on the speech bubble what the student may say back to the original student about how these comments made them feel.

Discuss with students how people tend to feel better and react more positively when they hear positive comments versus negative comments that make people feel not as good.

Have each student in the room experience saying a pro-social comment to another student and then exploring each student’s reaction to this type of comment. Talk about how we all have thoughts and when we say them aloud, the words can affect others positively or negatively.

Talk about the fact that people also may have negative thoughts but when those are directly stated, it makes them feel bad.

Give personal examples of how negative comments have made you think and feel. Define that “negative comments are those that might make the listener feel more negatively about themselves or others.”

Explain that it's okay to have negative thoughts about other people, as long as we know that most of the time these thoughts need to stay in our brain and not said out loud.

Have the students each write out something negative they have thought about another person (any person they can think of) on their thought bubbles. Have them keep their speech bubble blank.

Explain how having the thought does not negatively impact how that other person thinks and feels because it’s not been shared.

Discuss what happens when people think a negative thought about one person and they share that thought with someone else. Discuss a scenario when they don’t tell the negative thought to the person, but they do tell someone else the negative thought (This is called gossiping or “trash talking” and “talking behind someone’s back.”). Discuss: What if a person tells others about your negative thought? Have the group talk about this type of negative sharing and how it might make the person being talked about think and feel if they found out. Explore with your group how they would feel if this happened to them.

Next explore the scenario where a person thinks a negative thought about a person and tells it to that person. How will that affect the person who hears this negative information? How will this person think about the person who said it? How will the person likely react? Use the thought and speech bubbles to have students write out this information and hold their thought bubbles over their heads and their speech bubbles next to their mouths.

Explore reactions. What if the student who was on the receiving end of the negative comment now responds by telling the other person that he’s a “jerk” or the person tells other people how bad he was treated and by whom?

How does this type of situation end up? Do people build friendships from doing this or is this behavior what makes people upset? What if both people continue to say negative things? How can the situation escalate to even worse behavior?

Work with your students on strategies to help them realize that they have to keep control of the thoughts in their brain and be really careful about what they say. One strategy to teach is that in situations like this, we need to use what we call a “brain thought-to-talk filter.” Explain that we use our brain filters when we have less than positive thoughts and/or feelings about another person. We use a brain filter to make sure we don't say out loud what we are thinking in our brains.

A filter traps things that you don’t want to flow through. For instance, a coffee filter traps coffee grounds so people can enjoy coffee without it being ruined with bits of crushed up coffee beans in the cup. In a similar way, our brain filter traps the thoughts we don’t want to allow through to our mouth to say out loud.

If any student expresses a negative thought to someone else in the room, stop and re-explore the need to use the thought-to-talk filter. Have the student or adult who received the negative comment write down how the negative messages made him think and feel.

Give more attention to the student who was hurt by the message than to the person who said it. Explore how the student who was hurt probably wants to say something non-complimentary back. Explore how this can just lead to more and more negative thinking (and talking) on everyone’s part.

If you are familiar with Social Situation Mapping , you can also connect the strategy of using a thought-to-talk brain filter to what we teach in the Social Behavior Mapping process.

Continue to teach the cause and effect of brain filtering with how it makes others think and feel as a constant underlying lesson when teaching Social Thinking .

Lesson 3. Others Have Thoughts Even When We’re Not Talking to One Another!

This lesson helps students better understand that even when they are silent, people notice one another and have thoughts!

Tools needed: Two thought bubbles and two speech bubbles (for a two-person group). Additional bubbles needed if more students are involved.

People needed: Two or more students plus a teacher.

Dilemma: Many of our quieter students think that if they’re not talking (or no one is talking), people around them aren’t having any thoughts. Sometimes people have reactions because the students aren’t participating or contributing during a social encounter.

Select two students to role play a situation where they are spending some time together.

Student 1 stays silent, their speech bubble remains blank.

Student 2 isn’t talking either, but notices that Student 1 doesn’t say anything and begins to have confused or uncomfortable thoughts about why Student 1 doesn’t talk.

Have Student 2 write out their thoughts on their thought bubble. (Student 2’s speech bubble stays blank as well at this point.) Some examples:

“Student 1 must not like it here. Never ever talks.”

“Student 1 must not like me.”

Now have Student 1 go back and fill in their thought bubble. Even if silent, they are still noticing and having thoughts about the situation. For instance, Student 1 may be thinking:

“That person seems nice enough; I just don’t know what to say!”

“What should I say? Why does this seem so easy for everyone else!”

Put both students’ speech bubbles on the table for each to see so they realize that no one is saying anything.

Put both thought bubbles on the table and help students notice that each silent person is having a lot of thoughts, even though no one is talking.

Notice that Student 2 has uncomfortable thoughts about the situation or about what Student 1 was doing or saying (or not saying).

Encourage Student 1 to say something as simple as “hi” to demonstrate to Student 2 that they are at least thought of as friendly.

NOTE to adults: Keep talking about this idea with your students to help them understand that being silent doesn’t mean others won’t notice your presence or have no thoughts about what you do or say. From there, you can begin to explore their social goals . What type of thoughts do you want others to have? How can you communicate with others in a manner that creates these thoughts?

As your students become more conscious of the thoughts and reactions they have based on what others do or say, make sure to teach from their perspective first before teaching about what others think about their actions or words. Then, you can take the teaching to a deeper level.

How do you push yourself to use strategies you’ve learned in situations like this?

How can we create a more positive inner coach that can encourage you to push through the anxiety and work on relating to others even when you’re feeling stress?

Often you will find that at the heart of a pervasively silent student is a lot of anxiety —often social anxiety.

Involve Students in the Planning and Goal Setting!

Involving students in creating lessons can go a long way toward them learning information relevant to them! Make sure to ask about their own social goals and work to craft lessons to help them meet those goals.

Give students the chance to be the teacher. Offer the thought and speech bubbles to students and ask them to decide how to use them in the session. Have them discuss why having visuals could be helpful for students. Ask them to work together in a team to design how to teach you (now the student) about:

Thoughts and feelings: Do they go together?

Filtering thoughts before they become speech

When is it a good time to keep thoughts private?

When and which thoughts should come out?

We hope you enjoy using (and expanding and modifying) these lessons and the many more lessons you’ll create using these thought and speech bubbles to expand upon what we think and what we say in social situations. The goal of the Social Thinking Methodology is to make implicit concepts more explicit. Thought and speech bubbles are an evidence-based way to help social learners meet their social goals in a way that’s engaging, concrete, and often motivating for everyone involved across different age groups!

Related Resources to Support the Concepts in This Article

Products & curriculum sets, free articles.

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Meaning of speech bubble in English

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a day that you spend somewhere that is not your home or usual place of work

It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)

It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)

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What is the Pointy Part of a Speech Bubble Called?

Given a speech bubble, what is the pointy part from which indicates the origin of the spoken word?

enter image description here

I'm assuming this is the same term for thought bubbles? If not what's the term for the origin of thought bubbles?

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Mari-Lou A's user avatar

2 Answers 2

According to wikipedia, it's a tail :

... uses a bubble with a pointer, called a tail, directed towards the speaker.

I can't find a definitive source, and Wikiepdia doesn't provide one. But it's used in the sites like this and elsewhere.

A common speech bubble is usually made up of a oval shape, with a tail at the bottom, indicating which person is the speaker.

There doesn't appear to be a distinction among the different versions of speech bubbles, so for a thought bubble, tail is still appropriate.

jimm101's user avatar

  • Also, Microsoft platforms use the term Callout for the whole shape. –  Yosef Baskin Commented Mar 20, 2017 at 16:21
  • 1 Plenty of usage on this page if you want to add a citation: blog.animaker.com/speech-bubbles-meaning-in-animated-videos –  Phil M Jones Commented Jul 4, 2018 at 11:04

it's Notch. Well pronounced as speak bubble notch.

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  • 1 Welcome! Do you have a reference for that? A dictionary entry, perhaps, or do you know it by personal experience? –  gmauch Commented Jul 4, 2018 at 11:24
  • 1 I wouldn't mind giving an upvote or even accepting if you could provide a source. As it stands I've gotten used to calling it a tail. –  Jonathan Mee Commented Jul 9, 2018 at 1:29

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speech bubble simple definition

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speech bubble noun

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What does the noun speech bubble mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun speech bubble . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun speech bubble ?

Where does the noun speech bubble come from?

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun speech bubble is in the 1960s.

OED's earliest evidence for speech bubble is from 1966, in Art International .

speech bubble is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: speech n. 1 , bubble n. A.5

Nearby entries

  • speculous, adj. c1604
  • speculum, n. 1598–
  • sped, adj. 1891–
  • speech, n.¹ Old English–
  • speech, n.² 1875–
  • speech, v. 1654–
  • speech act, n. 1896–
  • speech act theory, n. 1969–
  • speech act verb, n. 1962–
  • speech area, n. 1885–
  • speech bubble, n. 1966–
  • speech-centre | speech-center, n. 1881–
  • speech chain, n. 1950–
  • speech clinic, n. 1963–
  • speech code, n. 1973–
  • speech coil, n. 1928–
  • speech-community, n. 1894–
  • speech-craft, n. 1573–
  • speech-crier, n. 1856–
  • speech-day, n. 1847–
  • speeched, adj. 1567–

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Meaning & use

Entry history for speech bubble, n..

Originally published as part of the entry for speech, n.¹

speech bubble, n. was first published in June 2018.

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Citation details

Factsheet for speech bubble, n., browse entry.

speech bubble

  • 1.1.1 Translations
  • 1.2 See also

speech bubble ( plural speech bubbles )

  • ( comics ) A rounded outline , containing words , representing speech in a comic . Synonyms: balloon , speech balloon , word balloon , word bubble , fumetto Coordinate terms: phylactery , thought bubble

Translations

      (duìhuàkuàng)             ,         , ,       ,       (fukidashi)       or       ,   ,       (výnoska)        
  • phylactery ( historical analog )

speech bubble simple definition

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3 Steps Simple Responsive CSS Speech Bubbles

Table of contents, download & notes, example code download, sorry for the ads..., responsive speech bubble, tutorial video, step 1) simple speech box, step 2) add speech bubble “callout”, step 3) position the  “callout”, the “magic triangle”, infographic cheatsheet, links & references, 1 thought on “3 steps simple responsive css speech bubbles”.

speech bubble simple definition

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Resource library, teaching vocabulary in speech therapy.

speech bubble simple definition

Teaching Vocabulary in Speech Therapy can be one of the trickiest areas to work on, mainly because there is no clear path for it. The best way we have seen however is to target address building vocabulary is to focus on using strategies and meaningful repetition.

Vocabulary in Speech Therapy

Students need to comprehend at least 90-95% of words in a text to comprehend it (Nagy & Scott 2000) … So, This means working on vocabulary development is a critical element of therapy.⁣⁣ According to Storkel et al., 2019, students need at least 36 exposures to a new vocabulary word for it to stick. That means 6 different exposures to the word across 6 different sessions ( or 9 exposures across 4 sessions, however you want to work the math). ?⁣⁣

Vocabulary in Speech Therapy

Before we dive into strategies, somethings to keep in mind when working on vocabulary and literacy. First, don’t feel you need to work on every possible vocabulary word in the book. Pick 5-7, tier 2 words, or words that are re-occurring in the text to focus on. Then, pre-teach these words before you even read the book. Give the students a definition right away rather then having them guess, and let the learning go from there.

Ok, onto strategies!

Vocabulary in Speech Therapy: CONTEXT CLUES

Using context clues has been an evidence-based way to help students boost and learn new vocabulary. No matter how much vocabulary a student has there will always be words they don’t know. This helps students understand how to find the relevant information for the word within the context it is being used.

Fair warning, this strategy can overwhelming for kids, so I have developed a concrete system to make things more straightforward. I call it the Clue Sandwich. You start by highlighting the sentence the word is in, then in another color, highlight the sentence before it, and finally highlight the sentence after it in a 3rd color. This gives a visual area for the students to focus on, rather than a bunch of daunting text. I have the whole strategy broken down in this post .

I use these Context Clues in Color pages to help students practice this breakdown in a structured setting before branching to using academic texts or passages from class.

Vocabulary in Speech Therapy: Prefixes and Suffixes

These little parts of speech can have a big impact on vocabulary. While understanding the full word may be tricky at first, students have a fighting chance if they can pick apart the ‘little words’ they do know. Seeing the word ‘reoccurrence’ might be intimidating to a student but if they recognize the prefix ‘re’ and know that it means ‘to do again’ then they can apply context from the text to get an idea of the definition. Suffixes can do just the same. Teaching prefixes as suffixes doesn’t have to be a long-drawn-out event either. I use a prefixes bulletin board with my students as a warm-up. We focus on two prefixes a week and it has truly helped them start to identify these prefixes in text.

speech bubble simple definition

Finally, kids who identify the part of speech of a word ( noun, verb, adjective ) had better vocabulary skills than those who could not. If a student can use clues to determine how the word is being used, it puts them one step closer to establishing meaning for it. My favorite strategy for this is Word Mapping.

It has the student break down the word into parts of speech, synonym/antonym, application, and illustration. As we complete each map, we keep them and review them at the start of each session to increase our exposure and repetition. I have used these Vocabulary Kits for years. These are best for students whose vocabulary deficits are in the mild to slightly moderate range. It gives you all the words, pretest/post-test, activities, and more.

These strategies are shown to give those students the actual boost in vocabulary development they need. Do you have a favorite method to teach vocabulary?

speech bubble simple definition

Elleman, A.M., Steacy, L.M., Olinghouse, N.G., Compton, D.L. (2017). Examining Child and Word Characteristics in Vocabulary Learning of Struggling Readers.  Scientific Studies of Reading . Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/10888438.2016.1265970

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Definition of bubble verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

present simple I / you / we / they bubble /ˈbʌbl/ /ˈbʌbl/
he / she / it bubbles /ˈbʌblz/ /ˈbʌblz/
past simple bubbled /ˈbʌbld/ /ˈbʌbld/
past participle bubbled /ˈbʌbld/ /ˈbʌbld/
-ing form bubbling /ˈbʌblɪŋ/ /ˈbʌblɪŋ/
  • The water in the pan was beginning to bubble.
  • Cook until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
  • bubble up Add the white wine and let it bubble up.

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

  • I could hear the soup bubbling away.
  • A stream came bubbling between the stones.
  • The water in the saucepan was bubbling furiously.
  • Mike’s laugh bubbled down the line.
  • She was bubbling over with excitement.
  • The business was still small but I was bubbling with ideas.
  • to the surface
  • Laughter bubbled up inside him.
  • the anger that bubbled beneath the surface
  • The meeting reignited passions that had been bubbling away underneath.
  • Match-rigging is still bubbling away in the background.

Other results

  • bubble pack
  • bubble teas
  • social bubble
  • bubble baths
  • bubble packs
  • bubble under
  • bubble under the radar
  • bubble with somebody/something
  • the bubble bursts
  • burst somebody’s bubble

Nearby words

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| | | | | |
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Legacy activities
 
 
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an approximately spherical volume of gas bounded by a liquid or a solid. ,
a small sphere of gas surrounded by a thin liquid membrane. : a small sphere of gas surrounded by a thin liquid membrane.', '', '');"> , , , , ,
anything that resembles a bubble in shape. , , , , , ,
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bubbles, bubbling, bubbled
to create or emit bubbles. , , , ,
of liquid, to move along while making a sound like that of bubbles breaking. , , , ,
to be cheery and lively. ,
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to cause to produce bubbles.
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IMAGES

  1. Speech Bubble Explained by PlanBee

    speech bubble simple definition

  2. File:Speech bubble.svg

    speech bubble simple definition

  3. Simple Speech Bubbles Collection Vector Download

    speech bubble simple definition

  4. Free Printable Speech Bubble Templates

    speech bubble simple definition

  5. Simple Talk Bubble Vector Icon

    speech bubble simple definition

  6. Simple Speech and Thought Bubbles Collection Stock Vector

    speech bubble simple definition

VIDEO

  1. Bubble in a bubble

  2. Speech bubble's failed flight

  3. Drawn in Pencil: Simple Art with Deep Emotions 🖤✏️

  4. "Speech Bubble" by @Flyteband

  5. Create a Speech Bubble with PicCollage

  6. Bubble Meaning

COMMENTS

  1. Speech balloon

    Speech balloons (also speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons) are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comics, and cartoons to allow words (and much less often, pictures) to be understood as representing a character's speech or thoughts. A formal distinction is often made between the balloon that indicates speech and the one that indicates thoughts; the balloon ...

  2. SPEECH BUBBLE

    SPEECH BUBBLE definition: 1. a round shape next to the head of a character in a cartoon inside which the character's words or…. Learn more.

  3. SPEECH BUBBLE definition and meaning

    A circle around the words that someone says in a cartoon.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.

  4. Speech Bubble Explained by PlanBee

    Whisper bubble. Used to indicate that a character is talking quietly. Thought bubble. Used to convey what a character is thinking instead of saying. Scream bubble. Used to indicate that a character is shouting or screaming. Read PlanBee's explainer wiki to find out what a speech bubble is, and discover fun speech bubble activities you can try ...

  5. Speech bubbles and their meaning in animated videos

    Speech bubbles are used as text holders and there are a variety of them.The context in which they are used differ according to the type of the speech bubble Dialogue delivery: when a video is conversational, these speech bubbles are used to contain text (dialogues).A speech bubble can be divided into two parts- The bubble and the tail.Where the bubble holds text, the tail indicates the source ...

  6. speech bubble noun

    Definition of speech bubble noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  7. PDF Making Students' Words Visible: Speech Bubbles

    Speech bubbles are also a way to share multiple responses to a single prompt. Who: The learners themselves are the most common audience for speech bubbles, but depending on the purpose, other audiences can include students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. Teachers or students can create the images and fill in the bubbles.

  8. Exploring Speech Bubbles Templates

    Speech bubbles, also known as speech balloons, are graphical elements that visually represent communication in comics and graphic novels. They have been used since the early 20th century and have become a staple in the comic book industry. The shape, size, and style of a speech bubble can convey different emotions and tones, making them a ...

  9. Speech bubble

    Define speech bubble. speech bubble synonyms, speech bubble pronunciation, speech bubble translation, English dictionary definition of speech bubble. ... English dictionary definition of speech bubble. n. A rounded or irregularly shaped outline, as in a cartoon or other drawing, containing words that represent a character's speech and often ...

  10. Teaching Through Thought Bubbles and Speech Bubbles

    This lesson helps students better understand that even when they are silent, people notice one another and have thoughts! Tools needed: Two thought bubbles and two speech bubbles (for a two-person group). Additional bubbles needed if more students are involved. People needed: Two or more students plus a teacher.

  11. PDF Graphic Novel/Comics Terms and Concepts

    Speech bubble - These are frames around the characters' language, a kind of 'direct speech', where the characters speak for themselves. If these appear as ... complex to simple, realistic to iconic, objective to subjective, specific to universal. Colour - The colours that an author uses will affect the reader's

  12. Speech Bubbles: Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud

    Speech bubbles, for instance, have a centuries-long legacy with antecedents in ancient art. Dialogue is part of life, and any medium that is going to represent life has to include it. But it's also something that can feel like a "desperation device," says McCloud — a product of necessity — and some "silent" comics can be very ...

  13. SPEECH BUBBLE definition

    SPEECH BUBBLE meaning: 1. a round shape next to the head of a character in a cartoon inside which the character's words or…. Learn more.

  14. speech balloon vs speech bubble usage and meaning

    I might make a distinction between bubble and balloon based on the type of connector between the person and the speech. if the connector is a series of small (or progressively larger bubbles) then I'd call it a bubble. If it's a thin line like the string of a balloon, then I'd call it a balloon. -

  15. What is the Pointy Part of a Speech Bubble Called?

    A common speech bubble is usually made up of a oval shape, with a tail at the bottom, indicating which person is the speaker. There doesn't appear to be a distinction among the different versions of speech bubbles, so for a thought bubble, tail is still appropriate. Share.

  16. speech bubble, n. meanings, etymology and more

    See 'Meaning & use' for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. See meaning & use. ... Earliest known use. 1960s. The earliest known use of the noun speech bubble is in the 1960s. OED's earliest evidence for speech bubble is from 1966, in Art International. speech bubble is formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: speech n. 1 ...

  17. Speech-bubble Definition & Meaning

    Speech-bubble definition: A rounded outline, containing words , representing speech in a cartoon .

  18. speech bubble

    speech bubble (plural speech bubbles) ( comics) A rounded outline, containing words, representing speech in a comic . Synonyms: balloon, speech balloon, word balloon, word bubble, fumetto. Coordinate terms: phylactery, thought bubble.

  19. 3 Steps Simple Responsive CSS Speech Bubbles

    Welcome to a step-by-step tutorial on how to create simple responsive CSS speech bubbles. Once upon a time in the Stone Age of the Internet, we created speech bubbles by putting several pieces of background images together… Like it's some sort of a jigsaw puzzle. But today, it is totally possible to create a speech bubble using pure CSS ...

  20. Vocabulary in Speech Therapy: How-To

    First, don't feel you need to work on every possible vocabulary word in the book. Pick 5-7, tier 2 words, or words that are re-occurring in the text to focus on. Then, pre-teach these words before you even read the book. Give the students a definition right away rather then having them guess, and let the learning go from there.

  21. bubble verb

    Definition of bubble verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... present simple I / you / we / they bubble ... speech bubble noun; support bubble noun; bubble and squeak noun; bubble pack; bubble teas; bubble tea; social bubble;

  22. bubble

    definition 1: an approximately spherical volume of gas bounded by a liquid or a solid. bubbles in the boiling water. similar words: bead, globule. definition 2: a small sphere of gas surrounded by a thin liquid membrane. bubbles made from soap. similar words: barm, foam, froth, lather, soapsuds, suds. definition 3:

  23. BUBBLE

    Definitions of 'bubble'. 1. Bubbles are small balls of air or gas in a liquid. [...] 2. A bubble is a hollow ball of soapy liquid that is floating in the air or standing on a surface. [...] 3. In a cartoon, a speech bubble is the shape which surrounds the words which a character is thinking or saying.