tip-of-the-tongue
Frustratingly almost remembered
Tip-of-the-tongue describes the frustrating state of almost but not quite retrieving something from memory—you know you know it, you can sense its shape, but it won't surface: I'm having a tip-of-the-tongue moment with her name.
The phenomenon is universal enough to have names in most languages.
No longer recalled
- recallMemory retrieval act
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- rememberingRetaining past information
- blockingImpeding forward progress
retrieval · inaccessible · elusive · familiar · recognition · knowing · almost · frustration
Causing extreme frustration
- agonizingIntensely painful or distressing
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
- fleetingPassing very quickly
relief · eureka · breakthrough · finally · snap · click · satisfaction · struggle
Extraordinary observable occurrence
- word-findingAccessing stored vocabulary
- lexicalOf or relating to words
- aphasiaNeurological language impairment
- anomiaInability to recall words
cognition · psycholinguistics · naming · vocabulary · speech · articulation · verbal · expression
forgotten
No longer recalled
- recallMemory retrieval act
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- rememberingRetaining past information
blocking · retrieval · inaccessible · elusive · familiar · recognition · knowing · almost · frustration · searching
maddening
Causing extreme frustration
- agonizingIntensely painful or distressing
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
fleeting · relief · eureka · breakthrough · finally · snap · click · satisfaction · struggle · strain
phenomenon
Extraordinary observable occurrence
- word-findingAccessing stored vocabulary
- lexicalOf or relating to words
- aphasiaNeurological language impairment
anomia · cognition · psycholinguistics · naming · vocabulary · speech · articulation · verbal · expression · semantic
- mental blockwriter's block, brain freeze, blank, lapse, memory lapse
- psycholinguisticslanguage processing, language comprehension, word recognition, priming, language disorders
tip-of-the-tonguetotal recall
Complete, perfect remembrance
photographic memory · eidetic memory · right there · crystal clear