Semantic Satiation: Why Do Words Sound Weird When Repeated ...

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When a word is repeated multiple times, it can lose its meaning and just sound like gibberish. This is called semantic satiation and it happens because our brains translate words into ideas. When a word is repeated, the brain just focuses on the sound of the word and not the meaning, which is why it can start to sound like gibberish.

“‘Diction’. What a great word that is, right? ‘Diction’. I think the word is so slick that I like to say it over and over again.

This guy has great diction.

You should really work on your diction.

Diction is all about choosing the right words in the right places.

Diction. Hmm.. diction… d-i-c-t-i-o-n… diction… di– wait a minute, why does the word sound so weird now?”

Does this situation sound familiar? Has it ever happened to you that a perfectly normal word, when repeated over and over and over again, suddenly loses all its meaning and starts sounding weird? This includes both prolonged viewing of the word and its active repetition (oral or written).

If this has happened with you, then let me tell you this:

This phenomenon (namely when a word loses all its meaning when repeated multiple times), in fact, is quite common, and it also has a fancy name: semantic satiation.

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