Shouts, or Thu’um, are among the most distinctive and powerful tools in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. From throwSEO Title: All 27 Skyrim Shouts Ranked by Power (2026 Guide)
Meta Description: Every Dragon Shout in Skyrim ranked from weakest to strongest. A full 2026 guide to the Thu’um including abilities, strategy, and the most powerful shouts in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
All 27 Skyrim Shouts Ranked by Power (2026 Guide)
The Thu’um is one of the defining mechanics of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Few abilities in RPGs feel quite as satisfying as shouting ancient dragon words and watching the world react accordingly.
Some shouts reshape combat. Others are interesting experiments that you try once before quietly returning to Fus Ro Dah like everyone else.
This ranking looks at all 27 Dragon Shouts in Skyrim, judged on usefulness, power, versatility, and how often they realistically appear in successful builds.
27. Throw Voice
Words: Zun – Haal – Viik
Throw Voice creates a distant taunting voice that distracts enemies.
It is meant for stealth gameplay, though in practice most players either sneak past enemies or eliminate them outright. The shout is amusing the first few times, then largely forgotten.
Best Use
- Distracting guards during stealth approaches
26. Kyne’s Peace
Words: Kaan – Drem – Ov
Kyne’s Peace calms nearby animals.
This is useful if wolves, bears, or sabre cats are constantly interrupting travel. The problem is that wildlife rarely poses serious danger once you reach mid game.
Best Use
- Early exploration
25. Animal Allegiance
Words: Raan – Mir – Tah
Animal Allegiance forces animals to fight for you temporarily.
It works, though animals rarely change the outcome of a battle. A wolf helping against a dragon is not exactly a tactical masterstroke.
Best Use
- Situational wilderness fights
24. Disarm
Words: Zun – Haal – Viik
Disarm causes enemies to drop their weapons.
In theory it is extremely useful. In practice enemies often recover their weapons quickly, and the shout struggles against stronger opponents.
Best Use
- Humiliating bandits
23. Dismay
Words: Faas – Ru – Maar
Dismay causes enemies to flee in terror.
It can clear space during difficult encounters, but high level enemies often resist the effect.
Best Use
- Crowd control
22. Clear Skies
Words: Lok – Vah – Koor
Clear Skies removes fog and storms.
It exists primarily for story purposes but does have occasional practical use in mountainous regions where visibility can be poor.
Best Use
- Navigation in harsh weather
21. Battle Fury
Words: Mid – Vur – Shaan
Battle Fury increases weapon attack speed for nearby allies.
This works best when travelling with followers or during large battles. Solo players rarely benefit much.
Best Use
- Companion heavy builds
20. Ice Form
Words: Iiz – Slen – Nus
Ice Form freezes enemies in place.
While the crowd control sounds powerful, the effect breaks quickly when enemies take damage. Still useful for temporarily stopping strong targets.
Best Use
- Interrupting powerful enemies
19. Drain Vitality
Words: Gaan – Lah – Haas
Drain Vitality damages health, stamina, and magicka.
It sounds impressive but its damage output is modest compared with weapons or destruction magic.
Best Use
- Long fights against durable enemies
18. Frost Breath
Words: Fo – Krah – Diin
Frost Breath releases a freezing blast that damages enemies and slows movement.
Useful early on but quickly overshadowed by stronger abilities.
Best Use
- Early game combat
17. Fire Breath
Words: Yol – Toor – Shul
Fire Breath unleashes a cone of flame.
It looks spectacular and works well against groups, though the damage does not scale strongly into late game.
Best Use
- Early and mid game battles
16. Aura Whisper
Words: Laas – Yah – Nir
Aura Whisper reveals enemies through walls.
Stealth players love this shout because it prevents ambushes and helps track enemies inside ruins.
Best Use
- Stealth exploration
15. Call of Valor
Words: Hun – Kaal – Zoor
Call of Valor summons a legendary hero from Sovngarde.
The summoned warrior can assist during combat and occasionally turns the tide in difficult fights.
Best Use
- Boss battles
14. Bend Will
Words: Gol – Hah – Dov
Bend Will allows the Dragonborn to dominate creatures and dragons.
It becomes extremely useful during the Dragonborn DLC where controlling dragons opens up new strategies.
Best Use
- Dragon encounters
13. Elemental Fury
Words: Su – Grah – Dun
Elemental Fury dramatically increases weapon speed.
For melee builds this can become incredibly powerful, turning swords into blenders.
Best Use
- Dual wield builds
12. Soul Tear
Words: Rii – Vaaz – Zol
Soul Tear deals heavy damage, captures the target’s soul, and can reanimate the corpse.
That combination makes it one of the more brutal shouts available.
Best Use
- Necromancy style builds
11. Cyclone
Words: Ven – Gar – Nos
Cyclone launches enemies into the air in a violent vortex.
It is chaotic and unpredictable but very effective against groups.
Best Use
- Large battles
10. Dragon Aspect
Words: Mul – Qah – Diiv
Dragon Aspect surrounds the Dragonborn with powerful dragon energy.
It increases combat effectiveness and provides additional abilities during battle.
Best Use
- Late game combat
9. Call Dragon
Words: Od – Ah – Viing
This shout summons Odahviing to fight beside you.
Watching a dragon fight on your side never gets old.
Best Use
- Large scale fights
8. Whirlwind Sprint
Words: Wuld – Nah – Kest
Whirlwind Sprint propels the Dragonborn forward instantly.
It becomes essential for exploration, puzzle solving, and combat positioning.
Best Use
- Dungeon traversal
7. Become Ethereal
Words: Feim – Zii – Gron
Become Ethereal makes the Dragonborn immune to damage for a short time.
Players often use it to survive massive falls or escape deadly situations.
Best Use
- Survival and exploration
6. Ice Form
Words: Iiz – Slen – Nus
When used strategically, Ice Form can completely stop dangerous enemies.
Used well, it provides excellent crowd control.
Best Use
- Combat control
5. Dragonrend
Words: Joor – Zah – Frul
Dragonrend forces dragons to land and fight on the ground.
Without it, dragon fights can become frustrating aerial chases.
Best Use
- Dragon hunting
4. Marked for Death
Words: Krii – Lun – Aus
Marked for Death steadily reduces armour and health.
Against strong enemies it can quickly become devastating.
Best Use
- Boss encounters
3. Storm Call
Words: Strun – Bah – Qo
Storm Call summons lightning strikes across the battlefield.
It is devastating in open terrain, though it will happily electrocute allies as well.
Best Use
- Large outdoor battles
2. Slow Time
Words: Tiid – Klo – Ul
Slow Time turns combat into something resembling a fantasy version of bullet time.
Enemies move slowly while you attack freely, making it one of the strongest abilities in the game.
Best Use
- Precision combat
1. Unrelenting Force
Words: Fus – Ro – Dah
The most iconic shout in Skyrim.
Unrelenting Force blasts enemies away with overwhelming force. It interrupts attacks, clears space instantly, and occasionally sends enemies tumbling down cliffs.
It never stops being useful and it never stops being funny.
Best Use
- Literally every situation
All Skyrim Shout Locations
The Dragonborn can learn words of power from Word Walls scattered across Skyrim and Solstheim. Most appear at the end of Nordic ruins, dragon lairs, or major quest locations. A few are tied directly to story quests, which means you cannot miss them during a normal playthrough.
The table below lists every shout along with the locations where their words can be learned. Many shouts have multiple possible word wall locations, while others are tied to specific quests.
| Shout | Words of Power | Word Wall Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Allegiance | Raan – Mir – Tah | Angarvunde, Ancient’s Ascent, Ysgramor’s Tomb |
| Aura Whisper | Laas – Yah – Nir | Northwind Summit, Valthume, Volunruud |
| Battle Fury | Mid – Vur – Shaan | Hag’s End, Dead Crone Rock, The Throat of the World |
| Become Ethereal | Feim – Zii – Gron | Ironbind Barrow, Lost Valley Redoubt, Ustengrav |
| Bend Will | Gol – Hah – Dov | Saering’s Watch (Dragonborn DLC quest locations) |
| Call Dragon | Od – Ah – Viing | Learned automatically during the main quest |
| Call of Valor | Hun – Kaal – Zoor | Learned in Sovngarde during the main quest |
| Clear Skies | Lok – Vah – Koor | High Hrothgar during the main quest |
| Cyclone | Ven – Gar – Nos | Dustman’s Cairn, Kolbjorn Barrow, Forelhost |
| Disarm | Zun – Haal – Viik | Eldersblood Peak, Snow Veil Sanctum, Silverdrift Lair |
| Dismay | Faas – Ru – Maar | Dead Crone Rock, Labyrinthian, Lost Tongue Overlook |
| Dragon Aspect | Mul – Qah – Diiv | Temple of Miraak, Raven Rock Mine (Dragonborn DLC) |
| Dragonrend | Joor – Zah – Frul | Learned during the main quest in the Elder Scroll vision |
| Drain Vitality | Gaan – Lah – Haas | Dimhollow Crypt, Arcwind Point, Forgotten Vale |
| Elemental Fury | Su – Grah – Dun | Dragontooth Crater, Shriekwind Bastion, Skyborn Altar |
| Fire Breath | Yol – Toor – Shul | Dustman’s Cairn, Sunderstone Gorge, Throat of the World |
| Frost Breath | Fo – Krah – Diin | Skyborn Altar, Folgunthur, Bonestrewn Crest |
| Ice Form | Iiz – Slen – Nus | Frostmere Crypt, Saarthal, Mount Anthor |
| Kyne’s Peace | Kaan – Drem – Ov | Ragnvald, Shroud Hearth Barrow, Skyborn Altar |
| Marked for Death | Krii – Lun – Aus | Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Autumnwatch Tower, Forsaken Cave |
| Slow Time | Tiid – Klo – Ul | Hag’s End, Labyrinthian, Korvanjund |
| Soul Tear | Rii – Vaaz – Zol | Soul Cairn (Dawnguard DLC) |
| Storm Call | Strun – Bah – Qo | High Gate Ruins, Forelhost, Skuldafn |
| Throw Voice | Zun – Haal – Viik | Shearpoint |
| Unrelenting Force | Fus – Ro – Dah | Bleak Falls Barrow, High Hrothgar, High Hrothgar (main quest progression) |
| Whirlwind Sprint | Wuld – Nah – Kest | Dead Men’s Respite, Volskygge, High Hrothgar |
| Bend Will (Dragon Control) | Gol – Hah – Dov | Skaal Village quests (Dragonborn DLC) |
How Word Walls Work
Each Word Wall teaches one word of a three word shout. Learning the full phrase unlocks the shout’s maximum strength.
To activate a word you must spend a Dragon Soul, which is absorbed after defeating dragons across Skyrim.
The process is simple:
- Discover a Word Wall
- Absorb a Dragon Soul
- Unlock the word in the Shouts menu
In theory this sounds straightforward. In practice it usually involves climbing freezing mountains, fighting Draugr in ancient tombs, and occasionally discovering that the dragon guarding the wall has invited several of its friends.
Skyrim does enjoy keeping things lively.
