Sudden trouble speaking? Call 911
Sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech can be a sign of stroke. Call 911 right away, for yourself or someone with you, even if it passes. Other sudden signs include numbness or weakness on one side and trouble seeing.[1] Symptoms that clear up within an hour can be a TIA, a stroke that lasts only a few minutes. You can’t tell the two apart, so MedlinePlus says to get care right away.[2] The rest of this page covers everyday moments.
The short answer
- What it is
- A tip-of-the-tongue moment: you’re sure you know the word, but it won’t come out.[3]
- Is it normal?
- Yes. The NIA lists sometimes forgetting which word to use as normal aging, and older adults tend to have larger vocabularies, not smaller.[4][5]
- What helps
- Describe it and keep going, try similar sounds or first letters, and look it up rather than straining. Then say the word aloud.[6][7][8]
- When to see a doctor
- If you have trouble having a conversation, or the changes worry you.[4] Sudden trouble speaking: call 911.[1]
What is a tip-of-the-tongue moment?
It’s when you know a word, and can almost hear it, but can’t say it.
Researchers describe it as being temporarily unable to produce a word you’re certain you know.[3] The meaning is all there; it’s the word itself that won’t come. Names of people are a common example; there’s a separate guide on how to remember names.
Why does it happen?
The meaning is there, but the link to the word’s sound briefly doesn’t connect.
That’s the main explanation researchers give: the trouble is in reaching the word’s sound, not its meaning.[3][6] In one study, reading aloud other words that shared sounds with the missing word made the stuck moments less common and helped people find the word, in younger and older adults alike.[6] That’s why trying similar sounds can work.
Is it normal to forget words as you get older?
Yes. These moments become a little more frequent with age, and that’s part of normal aging.
- Studies find tip-of-the-tongue moments become more frequent as adults get older.[3][6]
- The National Institute on Aging (NIA) lists being slower to find words and recall names among common changes in thinking with age, and notes that older adults tend to have larger vocabularies than younger adults.[5]
- The NIA counts sometimes forgetting which word to use as normal aging.[4]
What should I do when a word is stuck?
Describe it, try a few sounds, and if it still won’t come, look it up. Once you have it, say it out loud.
- Pause and breathe. There’s no rush.
- Describe it and keep talking: “the thing you flip pancakes with.” The conversation carries on, and the word may come back on its own.
- Try the sounds. Say words that sound similar, or go through the alphabet for the first letter. Similar sounds helped people find stuck words in one study, and letter cues helped in another.[6][7]
- Don’t strain for long. Look it up, or ask the person you’re talking to. Staying stuck longer made the same word likelier to get stuck again two days later.[8]
- Say it out loud once you have it, and use it again soon. Resolving a stuck word made it less likely to get stuck the next time.[7]
Why does the same word keep getting stuck?
Getting stuck on a word once makes it a little likelier to happen with that word again.
Researchers found that words that got stuck once tended to get stuck again, even a week later, and that a longer struggle made a repeat almost twice as likely.[7][8] What helps: once you find the word, say it, and write it down if it’s one you need often.
When is trouble finding words a reason to see a doctor?
When it makes conversation hard, or when changes in your thinking worry you. If it comes on suddenly, call 911.
The NIA lists trouble having a conversation as a possible sign of something more serious than normal aging, and suggests talking with a doctor about changes in thinking and memory that concern you.[4][5] Some memory problems have treatable causes and usually improve once the cause is treated, the NIA adds.[4] Sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech can be a sign of stroke: call 911 right away.[1] This page is general information, not medical advice.
Try it: find the word
Read each description and find the word. If one is slow, use the steps above: say a few sounds, or go through the alphabet. The first letters are under “Hints”, and the answers below them.
- A kitchen tool for grating cheese:
- The stand that holds a painter’s canvas:
- A small device whose needle points north:
- A large bird that can’t fly but runs fast:
- The person who flies an airplane:
- A sweet, sticky food made by bees:
- A narrow boat you move with a paddle:
- The season between summer and winter:
Hints: the first letters
1. G · 2. E · 3. C · 4. O · 5. P · 6. H · 7. C · 8. F
Check your answers
- grater
- easel
- compass
- ostrich
- pilot
- honey
- canoe
- fall
Fall is also called autumn. Any word that fits is a good answer. This is practice, not a test.
A stuck-word card to print
Keep it by the phone or in a wallet. Five steps for the everyday kind, and the one sign that needs 911.
Where this comes up in the journal
The Everyday Memory Journal has short word activities on several days, such as First-Letter Cues (Day 12), One Word, Many Links (Day 17) and Rhymes and Phrases (Day 19), each paired with an everyday habit. Answers for every activity start on page 49.
Print the first three days free, or read why you walk into a room and forget why.
Quick questions
Is forgetting words a sign of dementia?
Not on its own. The National Institute on Aging lists sometimes forgetting which word to use as a normal part of aging, and trouble having a conversation as a sign of something more serious that’s worth raising with a doctor.
Does it happen to younger people too?
Yes. Tip-of-the-tongue moments happen at every age. Studies find they become more frequent as adults get older.
Do word games prevent it?
No one can promise that. The National Institute on Aging advises caution about brain-training games that promise to improve memory or prevent brain disorders. Practice can make the steps on this page automatic, which makes a stuck moment easier to handle.
Free by email
Five Memory Warm-Ups, free by email
Five short memory activities in the journal’s format, each about ten minutes, with answers. Ten large-print pages to print at home, in US Letter or A4. They aren’t in the free sample or the guides.
Get it freeIt’s free, and no card is needed. On Gumroad, the online shop we use, leave the price at 0, click “Add to cart” and enter your email address; the PDFs arrive straight away. You’ll then get occasional emails from Wren & Co.: up to five over three weeks (four with tips, the last about our US$19 journal), then only now and then. You can unsubscribe at any time. How we use your email
Sources
[1] Stroke
[2] Transient Ischemic Attack
[3] On the tip-of-the-tongue: neural correlates of increased word-finding failures in normal aging
[4] Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging
nia.nih.gov/health/memory-loss-and-forgetfulness/memory-problems-forgetfulness-and-aging
[5] How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking
nia.nih.gov/health/brain-health/how-aging-brain-affects-thinking
[6] Phonological priming effects on word retrieval and tip-of-the-tongue experiences in young and older adults
[7] Tip-of-the-tongue states reoccur because of implicit learning, but resolving them helps
[8] Learning to fail: reoccurring tip-of-the-tongue states