Verbal bullying in schools is when a student repeatedly uses hurtful words, tone, or name-calling to put another student down, embarrass them, or make them afraid to speak up. It does not leave a bruise, but it can change how a student feels about school, class participation, and friendships.
What Verbal Bullying Looks Like in School
In hallways, classrooms, cafeterias, and online chats connected to school life, verbal bullying can sound like repeated insults about appearance, ability, family, speech, or interests. It can include mocking how a student reads aloud, mimicking an accent or a stutter, shouting over a student so they cannot finish, or using a nickname the student has asked others not to use. Sarcasm that is aimed at the same student day after day, especially in front of others, is also part of this pattern.
Examples That Are Easy to Dismiss
Adults sometimes hear a single comment and assume it was a joke. The key question is whether it is repeated, targeted, and hard for the student to stop. A joke shared between friends, where both students laugh and either can stop it, is different from teasing that continues after a student says stop, cries, or walks away. Teachers should watch for laughter from onlookers, a student who stops answering in class, or comments that return to the same theme, such as reading level or clothing.
Signs to Watch For
A student may become quiet in class, avoid reading aloud, skip a favorite activity, or ask to sit alone. They may dread a particular class, teacher change, or group project rather than school as a whole. Headaches, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, and a drop in classwork can accompany the change. Parents may hear repeated phrases the student has been called, or notice that the student rehearses answers at home but freezes at school. As with other forms of bullying, one sign alone does not prove what is happening.
What a Student Can Do
A student can use a short, steady response such as “Stop. I do not like that,” then move toward other students or an adult. Arguing back in the moment often gives the behavior an audience. The student should tell a trusted adult what was said, where it happened, and who heard it. Keeping a simple note with dates and exact words, when the student feels able to do so, helps adults see whether the pattern is continuing. Students should not keep a list as a way to plan revenge; the note is for adult follow-up.
How Teachers Can Help
Teachers can set clear language expectations at the start of the year and repeat them when a boundary is crossed. When you hear hurtful language, name it calmly, stop the interaction, and check in privately with the student who was targeted. Avoid asking the whole class to decide whether a comment was funny. Follow your school and district policy for documentation and reporting, and keep group work and seating plans in mind so a student is not repeatedly paired with the same person who targets them.
How Parents Can Help
Parents can listen without immediately correcting the words a child repeats, then ask what happened before and after the comment. Encourage the child to tell a trusted adult at school, and contact the school through its usual route if the pattern continues. Share dates and examples in a calm, factual note, and ask how the school will follow up and check back. At home, practice short responses and safe exits so the child does not have to invent language under stress.
Try a Classroom Exercise
Language habits change with practice. Use the Exercise Finder to choose a short activity on kind words, listening, or empathy, including the Empathy exercise, and follow the Start Here plan for a steady weekly routine. Role-playing respectful disagreement and practicing how to compliment a classmate give students replacement language they can actually use.
Related Types of Bullying
Verbal bullying often travels with other behaviors. Compare it with Physical Bullying and Rumors and Gossip, and return to the Types of Bullying hub for the full list.
Frequently Asked Questions About Verbal Bullying
Is teasing always verbal bullying?
No. Friendly teasing stops when someone says stop and does not target the same person repeatedly. Verbal bullying is repeated, one-sided, and hard for the targeted student to stop, even after they ask for it to end.
What should a teacher say in the moment?
Keep it brief and calm: name the behavior, stop it, and protect the targeted student from a public debate. Follow up privately with both students and follow your school and district policy for reporting.
Should a student just ignore hurtful words?
Ignoring a comment once may end a single incident, but ignoring a pattern rarely stops it and can leave a student feeling alone. Encourage students to use a short response, move to safety, and tell a trusted adult.
What if the words are said quietly, with no witnesses?
Take the report seriously, ask for dates, places, and any patterns, and watch the setting the student names. Quiet, repeated comments are common, and a pattern often emerges when adults compare notes over time.
Want Help With This at Your School?
Want help with this at your school? Call 1-866-333-4553 or visit Start Here to begin the Safe School Program plan.
