Trouble Finding Words Lately? What It Can Mean and What to Do Next
A reader has written in asking the question: Why am I having trouble finding words lately?
This question fits very much into my own home life right now, as my wife is having similar struggles. Together, we’ve noticed my wife sometimes pauses mid-thought more than once, not in a funny “tip of the tongue” way, but in that quiet, unsettling way that makes you replay the moment later.
It’s enough to make this question feel personal.
The first thing to know is that having difficulty finding words is a real symptom. It can range from a normal, occasional slip to a sign of a language problem called aphasia. This makes communication harder even though a person’s thinking is still there.
Imagine you’re telling a story, you can see the scene, you know the meaning, but the exact word just will not land. A pause becomes several seconds, and in the end you give up or run through a long list of alternatives. Simply put, your brain cannot serve up the word you’re after.
Possible causes
The second thing to know is that “word-finding difficulty” is a broad complaint. It can show up in different situations.
A PubMed review highlights that this issue can show up in people through fatigue, anxiety, and mood issues, not necessarily an illness or condition.
This issue can also show up during perimenopause and menopause, and a lot of women describe it as “brain fog” or “mental blanks.” The Menopause Society says that trouble concentrating and increased memory complaints are common around the menopause transition.
The previously mentioned PubMed review also highlights that it can show up in acute problems (like aphasic stroke or encephalitis), fluctuating issues (like seizures), and chronic or progressive conditions (including the progressive aphasias).
The challenge is understanding what is causing it, and without genuine medical tests, it’s impossible to know. Therefore, it’s vital for anyone suffering from this issue to monitor when it happens and to speak to your doctor.
Track the pattern
Anything related to memory and mood, we recommend keeping a diary to help you know what happened and when. Include:
- Date and time
- What you were doing (talking, texting, reading, driving)
- How you slept the night before
- Your stress level that day
- Any new meds, alcohol, or illnesses
- What happened and how long it lasted
- Anything else odd (confusion, vision changes, headache)
Bring this to your doctor, as it backs up what you’re saying with specific, usable information.
Anomic aphasia
In some scenarios, the issue may actually be aphasia. The Mayo Clinic states that this isn’t a disease by itself and is usually a symptom of something else. It can show up as difficulty finding words, swapping words, or struggling to understand speech or writing.
The Cleveland Clinic describes anomic aphasia as when you have trouble pulling up the right word, often nouns and verbs, even though your speech can still sound fluent and grammatically correct.
It can feel like the word is right there, and you may end up describing the object instead of naming it.
The Cleveland Clinic also says that this can happen after a brain injury, and that stroke is the most common cause. Brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, brain infections, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease can also play a role.
When to see your doctor
If the symptom of forgetting words is frequent, or if it has come on all of a sudden, and there is trouble understanding speech or trouble reading and writing, seek immediate help, as it may be aphasia signaling a serious problem, like a stroke.
If the symptom is less frequent, track it and make an appointment with your doctor for review. Do not put it off.
Whether the symptom is frequent or not, it’s important to get checked out.
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