Word.ws English Dictionary

show, don't tell

/ʃəʊ dəʊnt tɛl/

show, don't tell phrase: advice to writers: convey an impression by the way that events are described in the narrative, and not by explicitly stating facts.

Phrase

show, don't tell

  1. Advice to writers: convey an impression by the way that events are described in the narrative, and not by explicitly stating facts.
    • The second flaw is a flagrant violation of “show, don't tell.” Don't tell readers that she's sad and he's mad. Show the reader what they do. Worst of all, don't do both!1999, Kendall Haven, Write Right!: Creative Writing Using Storytelling Techniques, Bloomsbury, page 186
    • In “Steve Jobs,” Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin “Sorkins” the hell out of an unconventional adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography by daring to break the cardinal rule of show don’t tell.2015 October 21, Dana Barbuto, “Review: Aaron Sorkin makes ‘Steve Jobs’ work”, in Northwest Herald

show, don't tell meaning in Arabic and Persian

show, don't tell in Arabic

advice
لا تفصح، بل أبد

show, don't tell in Persian

advice
نشان دهید، نگویید

Forms of show, don't tell

alternative formshow don't tell

Questions about show, don't tell

What does show, don't tell mean?
Show, don't tell means advice to writers: convey an impression by the way that events are described in the narrative, and not by explicitly stating facts.
What is show, don't tell in Arabic?
Show, don't tell in Arabic is لا تفصح، بل أبد. See Show, don't tell meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is show, don't tell?
Show, don't tell is a phrase.
How do you pronounce show, don't tell?
Show, don't tell is pronounced /ʃəʊ dəʊnt tɛl/.

Words near show, don't tell in the dictionary

  1. show who's the boss
  2. show willing
  3. show window
  4. show windows
  5. show'd
  6. show, don't tell
  7. show-and-tell
  8. show-and-tells
  9. show-er
  10. show-ers
  11. show-glass

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: show, don't tell (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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