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Ok so, for some reason I don't like using the word giggle or chuckle, I seriously don't know why. Instead, I use laugh quietly, or softly, and I think it's getting repetitive.
Are there any other ways to describe this? Example:
"Oh no...Not this again..." Jay said and Jacob laughed quietly, picking up a plastic knife. "Knife-y Jr Jr."
(BTW, that's an inside joke from my story)
It is one thing to laugh quietly, something altogether different to "snigger", "giggle" or "chuckle" - especially "snigger".
I am not sure the OP has in mind someone doing any of these as all carry strong nuances. Indeed one can loudly do any of them.
If I read that someone had "laughed quietly", in the absence of context that might suggest why they had laughed quietly, e.g. so as not to be overheard, I would garner nothing other than that they had given a quiet laugh.
Probably a bit late for the OP, but anyone else who finds this post like me, "Chortle" means to laugh quietly, though it sounds a bit too much like "Chuckle" which the OP was not fond of using. Of course, you could always describe it differently. "A small laugh" "A half-suppressed laugh" "She hiccuped a laugh" "A closed mouth giggle"
Titter is another word that may satisfy your request.
Merriam-Webster defines titter as
: to laugh in a nervous, affected, or partly suppressed manner: giggle, snicker
