Forgetting a word or phrase that you know you’re familiar with can be frustrating, but it happens to everyone. This phenomenon is often referred to metaphorically as something being on the “tip of your tongue.” It also has a technical name, “lethologica,” meaning “the inability to remember a particular word or name.”
That term was coined in the early 20th century from the Greek words lēthē, meaning “forgetfulness,” and logos, meaning “word.” While it’s not usually any more bothersome than forgetting a name or stumbling in the middle of a sentence, it’s ubiquitous enough to be considered a universal experience. Let’s learn more about what’s happening on the “tip of your tongue.”
Tip-of-your-tongue lapses can happen to anyone, regardless of language or culture. According to a 2011 paper on lethologica that appeared in the journal Memory & Cognition, around 90% of speakers surveyed (across many languages) described the phenomenon using wording similar to the “tip of your tongue” metaphor in English.
- Spanish: Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua (I have it on the tip of my tongue)
- Italian: Ce l’ho sulla punta della lingua (I have it on the tip of my tongue)
- French: Sur le bout de la langue (On the tip of my tongue)
- Turkish: Dilimin ucunda (On the tip of my tongue)
- German: Es liegt mir auf der Zunge (It’s lying on my tongue)
- Greek: Είναι κάτω από τη γλώσσα μου (It’s under my tongue)
While it happens to everyone, lethologica is a complex neurological event involving many factors that aren’t completely understood. Scientists believe one contributing element could be sleep levels, as lethologica tends to happen more often to those who are tired. Other factors might include how well the memory was encoded (the base memory of the word) and interference from other memories, which can cause confusion.
Studies have also found a positive correlation with age. Older adults might experience lethologica up to once a day, while younger adults experience it around once a week. The average native English-speaking American adult knows around 42,000 dictionary words; it’s only natural that some are forgotten from time to time.
Unfortunately, there is no “cure” for this pesky phenomenon. Typically, as time passes (or if a first letter or a part of the word is remembered), the “lost” word will finally come to mind. The good news is that these events are short-term, universal experiences and don’t usually indicate serious cognitive problems. (However, if they become more persistent or frequent, that might be a sign of another condition, and you should consult a doctor.)
Researchers also have found that once lethologica occurs when trying to remember a certain word, it is more likely to happen again later with that same word. This is because our brains respond to associations that we make with new information. After an episode of lethologica, the brain likely associates the “lost” word with the event of losing it, making the same situation more likely to reoccur. And researchers have found no evidence that continuing to dig deeper for the word helps. In fact, doing so might actually make the situation worse, causing you to draw a blank the next time you’re trying to remember it.
The best thing to do is move on — often, the missing word will spontaneously pop back into your head. Continuing to scour your brain for the right word might turn you into a loganamnosis, or someone who is obsessed with recalling a word that has been forgotten.
“Lethologica” describes the phenomenon of forgetting any word, while “lethonomia” (with the Greek root onoma, meaning “name”) refers to the inability to remember a proper name, another tip-of-your-tongue event. This can happen at any time, whether you’re watching a television show or unexpectedly running into someone in the street. It’s another short-term impairment that usually randomly resolves itself.
“Lethonomia” is a newer term — it doesn’t appear yet in most common dictionaries, as “lethologica” does — but both words were inspired by Greek mythology. The word for “forgetfulness,” lēthē, was taken from the River Lethe, a river in Hades whose water made the dead forget their life on Earth. While tip-of-your-tongue events might not be as serious as life in the underworld, the resulting sense of empty-mindedness might make you feel as if you just drank from the Lethe.
