Simple Tone Tags
WHAT: Tone Tags are used to indicate the tone of a sentence where the wording is potentially ambiguous or misleading.WHY: To avoid misunderstandings when communicating over text, where there is a prominent lack of body language.WHO: Anyone and everyone can benefit from using tone tags, but it is especially helpful to those who are neurodivergent and may struggle with ambiguous writing.HOW: Add the /tonetag to the sentence you are wanting to communicate the tone of. See the examples column.
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| Tag | Tone | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| /conf | Confused | Didn't you say you wanted a cup of tea? /conf | Stating one is confused and potentially needs help understanding. |
| /gen | Genuine | I'm happy you are here! /gen | An honest remark with no ulterior motives. |
| /genq | Genuine Question | Why are you doing that? /genq | A question with no ulterior motives or aggressiveness. |
| /hj | Half Joking | The world is on fire. /hj | A joking comment but with a partially serious intent. |
| /hyp | Hyperbole | I could eat a horse! /hyp | An exaggerated statement or non literal claim |
| /j | Joke | What's up? The ceiling. /j | A comment or punchline to cause amusement or laughter |
| /lh | Light Hearted | Your hair is all over the place. /lh | Expressed in an amusing, entertaining, or carefree manner. |
| /lit | Literal | I actually have 10 cats! /lit | Without exaggeration or metaphor, the exact words expressed. |
| /meta | Metaphor | Time is money. /meta | Figure of speech that is usually symbolic. |
| /nah or /naah | Not at anyone here | They're so annoying. /nah | When talking about an external party in the second-person formatting. |
| /nay | Not at you | How dare you! /nay | When talking about a third party in the second-person formatting. |
| /neg | Negative | It's so cold! /neg | Not desirable or wanted. |
| /neu | Neutral | It's rather humid. /neu | Neither positive or negative, usually for noting information or statistics. |
| /npa | Not Passive Aggressive | Do whatever you want. /npa | Synonymous with genuine intent. |
| /nm | Not Mad | You're late today! /nm | Stating one is not angry or mad at a situation. |
| /pos | Positive | The sun is so bright! /pos | Desirable and wanted. |
| /ref | Reference | The cake is a lie. /ref | A mention or citation from another source of information. |
| /rh | Rhetorical Question | What's not to like? /rh | To make a statement rather than to have a question answered. |
| /s or /sarc | Sarcasm | I'm so happy to be here. /sarc | Using irony to mock or convey contempt. |
Please note, this is just a small and simplified list of tone tags, mainly used for professional or mature purposes only. There are other guides online with more expansive lists.
See here for a larger list.