nonword
Meaningless letter sequence
A nonword is a string of letters that looks like it could be a word but isn't—it follows the spelling and sound patterns of a language without carrying any meaning.
Linguists and psychologists use nonwords like blicket or flurp in experiments testing reading, memory, and language processing.
Sometimes nonword describes a legitimate word someone dismisses as illegitimate: They insisted "irregardless" was a nonword.
Newly created expression
- coinageInvented term or currency
- noncePresent purpose or occasion
- nonsenseMeaningless words or actions
- gibberishUnintelligible speech or writing
jabberwocky · pseudoword · made-up · invented · fabricated · unrecognized · undefined · meaningless
Meaningless but pronounceable letter string
- pronounceableAble to be spoken
- legalPermitted by statute
- illegalForbidden by statute
- primingMaking ready beforehand
recognition · processing · orthographic · phonological · stimulus · experimental · psycholinguistic · morphology
Speed of response
- primingMaking ready beforehand
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- processingSystematic operation on data
dyslexia · reading · decoding · phonemic · awareness · literacy · assessment · testing
neologism
Newly created expression
- coinageInvented term or currency
- noncePresent purpose or occasion
- nonsenseMeaningless words or actions
gibberish · jabberwocky · pseudoword · made-up · invented · fabricated · unrecognized · undefined · meaningless · gobbledygook
pseudoword
Meaningless but pronounceable letter string
- pronounceableAble to be spoken
- legalPermitted by statute
- illegalForbidden by statute
priming · recognition · processing · orthographic · phonological · stimulus · experimental · psycholinguistic · morphology · derivation
reaction time
Speed of response
- primingMaking ready beforehand
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
- memoryMind's retention capacity
processing · dyslexia · reading · decoding · phonemic · awareness · literacy · assessment · testing · screening