: Re: Looking for a better word than "Yikes" I'm trying to find the right word to use in a (serious) comic I'm writing. The character is an eighteen year old American girl, talking to some older

@Hamm6328258

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While I think the answers provided here have some good input, I would instead focus on your actual character and use the situation for the reader to get to know her better.

Show character!

Make her unique - Make her use phrases that others don't (could be 'yikes', or 'holy!')
Show how she's self-aware, concerning the situation she's in, with older people...

If I were to write such a scene, my character would most likely use a swear-word such as "Shit!" or even "fuck!" along with some appropriate physical movement that signals being startled.
After the character's initial reaction, some characters would then go on to first apologize to the elderly for the use of foul language, and then ask "what the hell" that person was doing there / why they burst in, or tell them that they scared the "crap" out of them...

To me, this shows character, and a scene like this is an obvious chance to do just that.

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