: Describing laughter in dialogue? I'm having a problem that is not addressed by The Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Style Guide I have access to: How does a writer express laughter in fiction?

Handle laughter not as words spoken, but as a physical action.
Looking at my own work, I just say "laughed."
I never write multiple "Ha". I have written,

Jack was amused. "Ha. Then we'll charge 'em for the visit, too."
Richard laughed.

IRL, I hear people sometimes say "Ha" or "Heh" when amused, as an actual word. But I consider an actual laugh an action.
Analogously, I hear "Ow", "Ouch", "Oy" as actual voiced words (depending on culture) that indicate pain was felt, but I wouldn't try to put into voice a scream or other such vocalizations (grunts, moans, crying) that I consider to be more actions than words.
I can't spell out a laugh, or a scream, or the sound somebody makes when sliced by a sword, or the heavy breathing sounds they make when panting after a long sprint.

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Any word other than said draws your attention to the tag and not the dialogue. This is creative writing 101. I am twice published and working on my third and I have never had a reader, reviewer or editor complain about my use of the word said.

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one interesting thing you might want to consider is the different types of laughters.. we have giggles and laughs and chuckles and grins and chortles and lots more!! (I know the English isn't correct in the statement above.. I was trying to make it a little poetic but in vain)

You might want to consider - www.thesaurus.com/browse/laugh?s=t
Hope this helps!!

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Oh God! not the dialogue tag debate . . . again.

Firstly, those who believe 'said' is the only valid dialogue tag and dialogue tags should be invisible are misled. It's fine if you don't write a lot of dialogue - otherwise it's the worst advice possible. - Write a long dialogue exchange using only 'said' as a tag, the read it out aloud. It'll sound like Chinese water torture.

To the OP. There is no ONE way, or a CORRECT way to write most things. Ultimately there is only YOUR way.

Much like words . . . if you use the same word to describe the same action the prose becomes repetitive. You may use all any any method do indicate laughter in the same passage.

"So you see then it's a robot," said Bob.

"I see."

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing?"

"I didn't. I'm not," replied Dave, obscuring his mouth with his hand. "Carry on . . ."

"So the robot . . ."

"Ha-ha-ha!"

"What's so funny!"

"Nothing," replied Dave attempting to curtail his laughter. "Gimme one sec . . ."

Bob laughed. "I suppose it is kinda funny."

"Ha-ha!" Dave erupted. "A bug turning into a robot isn't funny. It's ridiculous!"

Think I've used most methods.

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Write "ha ha" if you want those words spoken, but not for laughter.

Vera rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny."

Actual laughter is a nonverbal sound and is better described.

Vera's eyes widened. "You mean you—"

A roar of laughter escaped her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks,
and her body shook.

I wouldn't normally spell it out, just as I wouldn't normally spell out the sound of a cough or a sneeze. Of course, there may be rare cases where you want to describe the unusual sound of certain person's sneeze or laugh (often for comic effect), and then you can go to town:

His laugh sounded like a mixture of a masonry drill and a guinea pig
squeal: "Hweaww-HEEE-hee-heghgh!"

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Your first example is the best, but I would avoid using "exclaimed" - it's generally better to stick with "said" all the time, as words like "exclaimed" tend to draw attention to themselves and away from the actual dialogue, where the focus should be. I would recommend:

Stu laughed and said "So the bug turns into the robot."

or simply:

Stu laughed. "So the bug turns into the robot."

For the third example, I would avoid "chortling" for the same reason that "exclaimed" is avoided. I would suggest:

Stu was laughing so hard that it was almost impossible to understand him. "So the bug turns into the robot."

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