The word that’s stuck on the tip of your tongue (and how to get it back)

You know the word. It’s right there. Just not in English, not right now.

This happens to almost every client I work with. Mid-sentence or mid-email, the word you want disappears, and every synonym you try feels slightly wrong.

Here’s a small trick. Take the sentence you’re writing, put [WORD] exactly where the missing word should go, and ask ChatGPT (or any AI tool): “I’m looking for a specific word that’s on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t find it. Here’s the text: ‘your sentence with [WORD] in it’. Based on the context, flow and tone, give me 5 to 10 suggestions for [WORD].“

You’ll usually recognise the right one the moment you see it (you weren’t missing the word, just the ability to retrieve it).

Quick win: Next time a word won’t come to you, don’t stop writing to hunt for it. Drop in [WORD], finish the sentence, and ask for the shortlist afterwards.

💬 Do you have a word-finding trick of your own?

PS The word isn’t missing from your vocabulary. It’s missing from your memory. Two different problems.