speech_bubble

📅 Updated:2025-09-16

🕒 Created:2015-06-21

🆔 ID:7912

Description

thumb #676207 thumb #674612 thumb #671766

A speech bubble is a text container used to show the dialogue of one or more characters. The name is derived from the oval shape that most speech bubbles resemble, but speech bubbles can come in many shapes. A speech bubble usually will contain a narrow section extending from the container known as the tail of the speech bubble that indicates where the dialogue is coming from. A speech bubble can also contain pictographics, grawlixes or be empty (to denote speechlessness, for example).

Note: This should not be tagged for text message containers even if they resemble a speech bubble. Use message box instead.

Not to be confused with

text_box

Identifying forms

Due to the wide number of shapes that a speech bubble can take, not all forms may fit nicely within a subgroup. It is fine to leave untagged if it doesn't seem to fall into one of the subgroups.

Hybrid forms may exist that modify how we approach tagging. Any form can be linked together, or contain dotted borders; a polygonal form may sometimes appear pointy. A speech bubble can fall into multiple subgroups, and the subgroup tags may be added as needed.

A speech bubble that lacks a consistent form such as those that keep alternating between flat, and curved edges, or the length of the edges keeps changing is considered an irregular speech bubble.

For tagging purposes, a pointy speech bubble should not be considered part of the polygonal group, because of the points.

Handling other text containers

Form tags exist for each type of text container (text_box, thought_bubble). Replace `_speech_bubble` with the text container tag name (e.g. polygonal_thought_bubble) to find the proper tag for that container. Please do not use speech bubble tags for other text containers.

Form examples

Speech bubble forms

conjoined_speech_bubble - Two bubbles fused together
linked_speech_bubble - Two bubbles linked by a chain
pointy_speech_bubble - A bubble that is exploded outward into pointed spikes, commonly used for raised voices / yelling.
polygonal_speech_bubble - A bubble with only flat sides
shared_speech_bubble - A bubble that indicates shared_dialogue (or a shared_reaction, or other shared bubble content) by multiple characters.

Uncommon

dotted_line_speech_bubble
inward_tail_speech_bubble
irregular_speech_bubble
outline_speech_bubble
partial_line_speech_bubble - This is like a partial speech bubble, but has a body.
puffy_speech_bubble
shape speech bubble
- heart_speech_bubble
wavy_speech_bubble

Partial speech containers

partial_speech_bubble - Depending on how complete it is, this may not count as an actual speech bubble.

Speech bubble properties

empty_speech_bubble

Appearance

Colors

- TODO: add

Other speech indicators

speech_marker - Used when there is a line of some kind that indicates that dialogue is by a certain speaker, but the dialogue text is not enclosed by any sort of speech bubble (either fully or partially).