When you try and write the sound of a person laughing, the standard "haha!" does not always capture the true sound and meaning. Different laughs have different flavors. For the benefit of world peace, here is a list of written laughs, and information on those subtle differences.
| chortle | gleeful chuckle, chuckling and snorting. Ususally designated as a description of a weird laugh, but a chortle can be a laugh you make when you REALLY enjoy something. Often used in British comic "the Dandy and the Beano" or "Beano book", e.g. Dennis the Menace's annoying habit of guffawing at his own actions: 'Ha ha! Look Gnasher! Chortle!' |
| chuckle | quiet laughter, more through the nose, can be nerdy |
| guffaw | belly laugh, hearty, boisterous
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| gyuh gyuh,gyuh | sherrif Roscoe P. Coltrane (Dukes of Hazzard) |
| ha. | depressed, bored, in a hurry, or not really amused |
| ha! | Not a boisterous laugh, but amusing |
| ha ha | absence of an exclamation mark can be a hint of sarcasm, or indicate a polite, but unenthusiastic laugh, though not always. |
| HA-ha! | signature laugh of Nelson, a character from The Simpsons. Nelson is a bully at Bart Simpson's school, and he laughs at anyone who is in danger. His laugh is also written as "Haw-Haw!". link to sound
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| ha ha ha | |
| hackigi-gi-gi-gi! | Ed Bickle, from 3 south, signature laugh |
| hah! | diminutive, victorious |
| haha! | honest, genuine, intensity grows by adding ha's. Said by the good guy who jumps out of the bushes to confront a villain |
| ha-ha-ha-HA-ha! (emphasis on the fourth HA) | Woody Woodpecker signature laugh
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| har har! | sarcastic, as if sarcastically saying "very funny." or old fashioned hick laugh |
| hee! | - |
| heeheehee! | used after pulling a naughty prank |
| heh, heh! | perverted, or meaning "that's not really funny". Usually, "heh" is a quiet laughing sound, not laughing out loud. Heh heh may also be a good transcription of the signature laugh of Beavis, from Beavis and Butthead. Sometimes simply a more faint, private laugh |
| hehehe! | evil laugh used by bad guy when one of his plans goes right
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| ho ho ho! | Santaclaus signature laugh |
| hohn hohn hohn hohn! | evil... and French.
"We will show the stupid Americans who le clutzy frog, eh?"
"HOHN! HOHN! HOHN! HOHN!"
-- The Simpsons, Treehouse of Horror 8 |
| huh huh huh! | Butt-head, from Beavis and Butthead, signature laugh
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| hyuk hyuk! | more old fashioned and more hick than yuk, yuk |
| kekekeke! | - |
| LOL! | acronym: Laughing Out Loud, or Lots Of Laughs |
| mwahaha! / muahaha! | evil |
| na na, na NA na | interjection. melodic childish taunting phrase, expressing a feeling of superiority or contempt for another. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. see also: neener, neener; nyah, nyah / nya, nya |
| neener, neener | interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out at someone or another way of saying "ha ha". Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: nyah, nyah; na na, na NA na. link |
| nyah, nyah / nya, nya | interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: neener, neener; na na, na NA na. |
| roar | boisterous. When you roar with laughter, it's at something absolutely hilarious - it's loud, pure enjoyment |
| ROFL | acronym: Rolling On (the) Floor Laughing. Also: ROFLMAO Rolling on (the) Floor Laughing My Ass Off |
| snicker | indicating derision or perhaps an immature reaction to lewd material, can have connotations of being mean spirited - laughing at someone else's expense |
| snort | suppressed laughter, a burst of laughter through the nose - since this is viewed as so embarrassing, when someone snorts with laughter, it's generally at something surprisingly hilarious |
| teehee! | girlish. Mouth covered with hand, embarrassed and/or coy laugh
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| woah, oh, oh, oh! | Elmer Fudd signature laugh |
| woo-hoo! | Daffy Duck signature laugh |
| yuk yuk! | same as har har, but more old fashioned and more hick |
