spoken dialogue

Spoken dialogue is conversation between characters in a play, film, television show, or other dramatic work, delivered aloud by actors rather than conveyed through narration or text.

The term emphasizes the verbal, performative nature of the exchange, distinguishing it from written dialogue in novels or internal monologue.

In screenwriting and theater, spoken dialogue carries the burden of revealing character, advancing plot, and creating dramatic tension through what characters actually say to one another.