This phenomenon was first described in The Principles of Psychology by William James way back in 1890. He didn’t actually call it the tip of the tongue phenomenon, though. The term comes from colloquial usage, possibly French.

The “Tip-of-the-Tongue” Phenomenon (TOT) is when you can’t quite remember a word, but you remember some of its features. It can be frustrating and cause mild stress, but you feel relieved when you finally remember the word.

People who experience this phenomenon often recall one or more features of the word, like the first letter, number of syllables, similar-sounding words, and synonyms.

The TOT feeling isn’t just something experienced by English speakers. It’s pretty common across different cultures. In fact, a 1999 study found that 45 out of 51 languages they looked at had their own casual sayings for it, often using the tongue, mouth, or throat as a metaphor. Language is crazy!

This is different from the “feeling of knowing”, which is when you feel like you’ll recognize an item from a list even if you can’t recall it at the moment.

Beyond your traditional app interface, as we start to design more and more conversational UIs that don’t generally have standard navigation, the TOT phenomenon should be considered and accounted for. Make sure to provide a path forward for users who can’t remember a term or navigation item by accounting for natural language and other fallbacks.

UX designers should pay attention to this phenomenon because it can directly impact how a user interacts with our products. When a user can’t quite remember how to complete an action or retrieve information, this can lead to lots of frustration.

In addition, considering the TOT in design decisions aligns with the principles of inclusive design. Some users, like older individuals or people with cognitive impairments, may be more prone to experiencing these moments. By taking this into account we can create experiences that are accessible and enjoyable for a larger group of users.