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Q&A How should I write "shush" in a narrative?

It's a transliteration of a sound, so write what you hear. If it's one long sound you write Shhhhhhhh! (however many Hs amuse you) If it's a short one, you write Shhh! with three Hs. O...

posted 10y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:22Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/10530
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T03:25:50Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/10530
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T03:25:50Z (almost 5 years ago)
It's a transliteration of a sound, so write what you hear. If it's one long sound you write

> Shhhhhhhh!

(however many Hs amuse you)

If it's a short one, you write

> Shhh!

with three Hs. One or two look like a typo (_Sh!_ and _Shh!_). Four and it becomes the long version.

Sometimes I actually say the word "Shush!" so I'd write that word, but that's not the _shhh!_ sound you're after.

If your speaker is actually repeating the short sound over and over (so there's absolutely no sustain on the hiss, as if you were trying to say "she" and stuttering), then your first example is correct.

> He began to whimper.   
> "Shshshshsh, baby, don't cry," she soothed him.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2014-03-17T17:25:45Z (over 10 years ago)
Original score: 8