Laugh , the most general term of this group, describes the inarticulate, more or less explosive sounds that people make for a variety of reasons. The usual reasons given are merriment, joy and happiness, but every school child knows that laughter is used also to conceal shyness, nervousness or intimidation, and as a device to humiliate, deride or ridicule. Indeed, because laughter is provoked by so many different situations, a number of words are necessary to describe the different kinds of laughter characteristic of different situations.

Giggle and titters denote high-pitched sounds and are usually associated with children or girls. A titter is somewhat breathless, as from childish embarrassment or shyness. Schoolgirls typically titter over any allusion to sex; perhaps this use by writers is influenced by the unrelated word titillate, meaning to excite or cause a tickling sensation in. Giggle , though used in similar contexts, is broader in application; it often conveys an uncontrollable fit of silly but harmless laughter – thus the colloquial expression "to get the giggles ." One sometimes hears middle-aged or elderly women spoken of as giggling , just as one sometimes hears them referred to as "girls." Such uses tend to strike others as used to describe derisive laughter.

• When the teacher turned his back, Johnny yelled "Hee, haw!" and the class tittered ; the children giggled at the clown’s antics; The girls couldn’t stop giggling when the boy answered that Don Bradman was a famous tennis player.

Both words are onomatopoeic in origin; a giggle is more fluid and less breathless than the staccato titter .

Snicker and snigger describe smothered or half-suppressed laughter used in derision, and, while not restricted to children, they imply a juvenile temperament and a decidedly retarded if not perverted sense of humour.

• The boys snickered as the poor dog ran about with a tin can tied to its tail; They sniggered when he announced that he would someday be Prime Minister.

Chuckle and chortle denote quiet laughter, usually harmless, pleasant and good-natured in tone. Chuckles are generally low-keyed, reflective and masculine, express satisfaction or appreciation, and are often directed at the chuckler himself.

• He chuckled at himself for having worn two socks that didn’t match; He couldn’t help chuckling when his little boy called the Manly ferry the Manly fairy.

Chortle , coined from chuckle and snort by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass , has a suggestion of high glee or impishness that is lacking in chuckle .

Guffaw is a loud, hearty, spontaneous roar of laughter, commonly associated with men. It is harmless and good-natured in tone, but rather gruff and rude in quality. Royalty would never guffaw .

All these words can mean to say with a laugh , snicker , chuckle , etc.

• "I’ve got the keys," he laughed ; "I’m always forgetting names," he chuckled .