So, you’re looking for the best thing to say after someone sneezes, right?
Perhaps you’re a little worried that bless you isn’t always the best fit or might be offensive.
Well, you’re in luck!
This article will teach you other ways to say bless you when someone sneezes.
6 Alternative Ways to Say “Bless You”
Feel free to review these alternatives to bless you to find out what you can say when spicing up your writing:
- Gesundheit
- Bless your heart
- Salud
- Blessings
- To your health
- That was a big one!
1. Gesundheit
One of the most common ways to say bless you after someone sneezes is gesundheit!
It’s a German phrase that literally translates to mean health. It’s a fun exclamation that shows you want to wish someone well after they sneeze.
After all, now that religion isn’t as mainstream, there’s no reason to bless someone after they sneeze. Instead, you can be more fun and interesting with it.
Overall, using this after a sneeze is still very polite and caring. But it’s also a bit more exciting, which can be more engaging when wishing your friends well.
You should refer to these sentence samples to learn more about how it works:
Gesundheit, Matt! I never knew you were capable of being so loud until that sneeze came out!
Well, gesundheit! Let me know if you need a tissue, and I’ll happily go and grab one.
2. Bless Your Heart
Next, you can use bless your heart as a different way to say bless you.
This one still refers to a blessing of some kind. However, it works well because it removes religious connotations around the phrase.
Blessing someone’s heart suggests you want them to feel better.
It’s polite and genuine, which works really well after someone has sneezed.
For the most part, the sneezing person will be happy to hear you say something like this.
After all, it shows that you care, and you hope they feel a lot better quickly.
Feel free to review these examples if you still don’t understand how it works:
Bless your heart, little one! I had no idea you were coming down with something, and I hope you recover quickly.
Bless your heart! I hate it when you get sneezes like that, especially in the middle of something important.
3. Salud
Another great foreign word to use after someone sneezes is salud.
This time, it comes from Spanish. It’s a way to wish someone well or hope they feel better quickly.
It’s less common than gesundheit after a sneeze, but it’s still an effective choice.
We highly recommend using this one to sound friendly and kind. It works well after a sneeze because it shows that you hope someone starts to feel better.
Again, it removes religious connections from the phrase. Instead of worrying about blessing someone, you can use this to simply wish them well moving forward.
Also, you should check out the following examples to learn how it works in practice:
Salud! I wish there was something more I could do, but it sounds like you’ll need to get over this yourself.
Well, salud! Fingers crossed, that was the only one you’ll need to do for the rest of the day.
4. Blessings
It’s good to simplify things and use blessings after someone sneezes. The original implication from bless you is still there without having to use the two words.
Of course, using only one word after someone sneezes helps to streamline your reaction. Therefore, it’s good to use this one when someone sneezes multiple times.
The idea of using blessings in the plural suggests you waited until every sneeze happens before saying it.
This is a great way to be caring and sincere when wishing someone well who might have sneezed a lot.
So, you can check out these examples to learn more about how it can work:
Oh, my! Blessings to you, then! I had no idea you were going to go into a sneezing fit for a while.
Blessings! Hopefully, you’re not coming down with anything! Also, I pray it isn’t contagious.
5. To Your Health
You can also use to your health after someone sneezes. This is a polite and sincere way to wish someone well after you hear them sneeze.
Generally, you can use this because it shows how much you care about someone’s well-being.
The more honest and polite the phrase is, the more effective it will be when reacting to a sneeze.
For the most part, this is something a grandparent might use when a grandchild sneezes. It’s old-fashioned. However, that makes it charming in its own sense.
Give it a go to see for yourself! You might be surprised byhow good it feels.
Also, check out these examples to learn more about it:
To your health, dear boy! I knew you weren’t feeling well, but I had no idea that was going to come out of you.
Here’s to your health. I’m going to hope that you get better from this quickly without affecting anyone else.
6. That Was a Big One!
Finally, we want to end with that was a big one. Funny things to say instead of bless you are also quite popular, so a phrase like this works well.
Of course, it’s funny and light-hearted. After all, it’s suggesting that someone sneezing caught you off guard because it was loud.
Generally, you should use this when making fun of a friend. It’s humorous and shows that you’re happy to wish them well in a more friendly way.
We really like using this when we already know the sneezer well. You’ll find that you’ll make them laugh, as long as they’re not in the middle of a second (or third) sneeze.
Check out these examples if you still want to see how it works:
Well, that was a big one! I had no idea a nose that little was capable of making such a big noise.
That was a big one! I certainly hope you’re not coming down with anything sinister.
Is It Correct to Say “Bless You”?
Bless you is correct to say after someone sneezes.
It is somewhat religious, though. So, you need to be careful using it.
For the most part, non-religious people do not mind if you say bless you when they sneeze. After all, it’s an expected social construct that occurs when someone sneezes.
It is rude not to say it after a sneeze. Of course, if someone sneezes multiple times, it’s only worth saying the phrase once or twice (otherwise, it becomes obsolete).
Feel free to review the following examples to learn how it can work:
Bless you, sir! That sounded like a really nasty one.
Oh, bless you. Let’s hope you’re not coming down with something.
So, you can use bless you after someone sneezes. But we don’t recommend using it as a blessing or to wish someone well.
Instead, you should check out our God Bless You article. This will teach you what to say when you’d like to offer someone a blessing.
