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Did this start suddenly? Call 911 now.

Sudden trouble speaking, finding words or understanding can be a sign of a stroke. Call 911 even if the signs go away. Note the time they started. Wait for the ambulance; do not drive to the hospital.

Call 911

Learn the signs: B.E. F.A.S.T.

  • Balance: Sudden loss of balance or dizziness.
  • Eyes: Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Face: One side of the face droops. Ask the person to smile.
  • Arms: One arm is weak or drifts down when both are raised.
  • Speech: Slurred or strange speech, trouble finding words, or trouble understanding.
  • Time: Call 911 right away. Note the time the signs started.

Understanding aphasia

Sudden Difficulty Finding Words When Speaking

Sudden difficulty finding words, speaking or understanding can be a sign of a stroke, even if it goes away. Call 911 right away and note the time it started. Do not drive to the hospital. Fast treatment can limit brain damage. Word-finding trouble that builds slowly over weeks or months is different, but a doctor should still check it.

Last reviewed · General information, not medical advice

If it started suddenly, call 911 now

  • Call 911 right away. Do not wait to see if it gets better.
  • Note the time the signs started, or the last time the person was known to be well. Doctors use this time to choose treatment.
  • Do not drive to the hospital. Paramedics can start care on the way.
  • Call even if the signs go away. Short episodes can be a TIA, a warning of a stroke.
  • If you can, have a list of the person's medicines ready for the paramedics.

Stroke treatments work best when they start soon after the first signs. That is why the American Stroke Association and the CDC both say to call 911 at once.

What else can cause sudden word-finding trouble

A stroke is the most urgent possibility, but not the only one. Others include:

  • A transient ischemic attack (TIA), where blood flow is blocked for a short time
  • A seizure
  • A migraine, which can sometimes cause short-lived trouble speaking
  • A head injury, even one that seemed minor at first
  • An infection of the brain, often with fever, headache or confusion

These can look alike, and some are just as serious as a stroke. You cannot tell them apart at home, so the answer is the same for all of them: call 911.

When word-finding trouble comes on slowly

Everyone forgets a name or has a word on the tip of the tongue sometimes, and it can happen more with age, tiredness, stress or some medicines. That is usually not aphasia.

See a doctor if word-finding trouble keeps getting worse over weeks or months, if family members notice it too, or if it gets in the way of work or daily life. Slow, steady language changes can come from a brain tumor or from primary progressive aphasia, and finding the cause early helps.

After the emergency

If a stroke or injury leaves lasting trouble with words, doctors may call it aphasia. Many people improve, especially with speech-language therapy (see can aphasia be cured?). Ask the hospital team for a referral to a speech-language pathologist before going home.

Common questions

Is sudden difficulty finding words a sign of a stroke?

It can be. Sudden trouble speaking, finding words or understanding speech is one of the main warning signs of a stroke. Call 911 right away and note the time it started. Only a medical team can find the cause.

What if the word-finding trouble went away?

Still get emergency care. Signs that go away after a few minutes can be a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke. A TIA is a warning that a stroke may follow, and it needs medical help right away.

Can anxiety cause sudden difficulty finding words?

Stress and anxiety can make it harder to find words, but you cannot safely tell anxiety from a stroke at home. If word-finding trouble starts suddenly, call 911 first and let the medical team decide.

What is it called when you can't find the right word?

Trouble finding words is called anomia or word-finding difficulty. Everyone has tip-of-the-tongue moments. When it starts suddenly, or happens much more often than before, it can be a sign of aphasia or another brain problem.

When should I see a doctor about word-finding problems?

Call 911 if it starts suddenly. Make a doctor's appointment if word-finding trouble keeps getting worse over weeks or months, gets in the way of daily life, or comes with other changes such as memory problems, headaches or weakness.

How ExpressAgain can help

In an emergency, call 911 first; no app replaces that. Later, if aphasia stays, ExpressAgain helps a person read and choose what they want to say and then says it out loud, in the hospital and at home.

See how ExpressAgain works for aphasia

Keep reading

More about aphasia

Sources

  1. American Stroke Association: Stroke Symptoms
  2. CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
  3. NINDS (National Institutes of Health): Transient Ischemic Attack
  4. Mayo Clinic: Aphasia, symptoms and causes
  5. NIDCD (National Institutes of Health): Aphasia
  6. National Aphasia Association: Primary Progressive Aphasia

Last reviewed . This page is general information written in plain language from the sources above. It is not medical advice and cannot diagnose anyone. Talk with a doctor or a speech-language pathologist about your own situation. If speaking or understanding suddenly becomes hard, call 911.