“Yell” vs. “Scream” vs. “Shout” – Difference Explained

Is a “Yell” the same thing as a “Shout”? And what about a “Scream”, is that the same thing as the other two? This article will explain what each of these concepts mean, and whether they’re any different from each other, using examples.

What Is The Difference Between “Yell”, “Scream”, And “Shout”?

Both a “Yell” and a “Scream” can either be noises or phrases that are being spoken in a very loud tone of voice. However, a “Shout” can only be a phrase or word that is being spoken in a very loud tone of voice.

Therefore, a “Yell” and a “Scream” can be loud noises that someone makes and are not necessarily words or phrases, while a “Shout” does have to be a word or a phrase.

What Does It Mean To “Yell”?

To “Yell” means to either say something, a word or a phrase, or cry out in a very loud and disruptive tone of voice. You can yell meaningless sounds, or you can yell out words and phrases.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, to “Yell ” means “to shout something or make a loud noise, usually when you are angry, in pain, or excited”. Notice the fact that the yell can either be words and phrases that are being shouted, or just mere noises.

Here are some example sentences that include “Yell” in them:

1. He yelled out loud asking for people to help, and in a few seconds a small crowd had gathered.
2. Once I get my university diploma, I am going to yell out in happiness and relief.
3. She was yelling in pain over her injury, and we got closer to help her out.
4. I was yelling lyrics at the concert last night so my voice is really sore today.
5. In a high-stress situation, yelling is one of the worst things you can do.
6. They were yelling at the opposite team, and things were getting heated.
7. I surprised her and she briefly yelled in surprise.

What Does It Mean To “Scream”?

To “Scream” means to say something really loudly, which can either be a nonsensical noise or actual words and phrases. The concept of screaming is particularly associated with the emotion of fear.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, to “Scream” means “to cry or say something loudly and usually on a high note, especially because of strong emotions such as fear, excitement, or anger”. A scream can be caused by many emotions, and can be either words or just noise.

Here are some example sentences that show how to use the word “Scream” in a sentence:

1. I screamed when the rollercoaster started going down the hill.
2. We were watching a horror movie and she suddenly screamed really loudly.
3. He was screaming last night over a nightmare he had when he went to bed.
4. She screamed when the news announced that the concert was canceled.
5. After I saw her for the first time in years, I screamed in happiness.
6. They were screaming all night at their party, so I couldn’t sleep at all.
7. Considering his screaming, it was amazing that she had gotten any rest at all.

What Does It Mean To “Shout”?

To “Shout” means to speak in an incredibly loud tone of voice, either out of emotion or out of necessity so the person you’re speaking to can hear you better.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, to “Shout” means “to speak with a very loud voice, often as loud as possible, usually when you want to make yourself heard in noisy situations, or when the person you are talking to is a long way away or cannot hear very well”.

Here are some examples that will show you how to use “Shout” in a sentence:

1. I was shouting because the music at the party was so loud.
2. In the construction site, she really had to shout to be able to talk to the workers.
3. After a while, the teacher lost his patience and briefly shouted at his students.
4. He’s been shouting all morning about how he lost his glasses at the restaurant.
5. She shouted at me to get my attention, and I finally saw her.
6. His voice was sore, so he clearly had shouted a lot at yesterday’s meeting.
7. I don’t like shouting because it draws attention to myself.

Which Is Stronger: “Yell”, “Scream”, Or “Shout”?

Out of all three options, “Scream” and “Yell” are arguably stronger. This is because while they can all express the same level of loudness, “Scream” and “Yell” can be used for noises that are loud and man-made, while “Shout” is exclusively for speaking loudly.

Each one of these terms can reach the same level of implied loudness depending on the context, though “Scream” is generally seen as louder than “Yell” and “Shout”.

Are “Yell”, “Scream”, And “Shout” Synonyms?

Depending on the context, “Yell”, “Scream” and “Shout” can be seen as synonyms and used interchangeably. Though the definitions for each vary slightly, they can all be applied to very similar contexts.

“Yell” and “Scream” in particular are synonyms of each other with very little discernible difference between them. “Shout” is more narrow in its range, as it can only be applied to loud speaking.

If you’re describing a situation where someone is speaking really loudly, you could feasibly use either “Yell”, “Scream” or “Shout” with little trouble.

Is “Yell”, “Scream”, Or “Shout” Used The Most?

According to information compiled by the Google Ngram Viewer, “Scream” is the most popular of all three terms, and “Yell” is the least popular by a reasonably wide margin.

The data showcases the fact that from the year 1800 to the middle of the 1990s, “Shout” was actually the most popular of all three terms.

However, “Shout” was overtaken by “Scream” in the year 1997. Meanwhile, “Yell” has always remained the least popular option of all three, as the two others have always been more popular.

Since the middle of the 1990s, all three words have increased their use more than they had in the decades prior to the 90s, but seem to have stabilized in the last few years.