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Ask HN: Tips for improving mental word retrieval?
I suffer from words being at the "tip-of-my-tongue" often. I know the basic definition of what I'm trying to say, but I just can't bring up the word I want to say fast enough. I sometimes talk in a staccato rhythm as I'm seeking for the right word to say. I may use a wordy sentence around the point, or a complex GRE-level vocabulary word, instead of the succinct word that I could've used.
Have any of you had this and improved your word retrieval? Are there mind exercises I can use to improve this? "Aphasia" seems to be the closest term, but I feel that is lot more severe and against a simpler vocabulary. And regardless, are there ways to strengthen word retrieval to be a more fluent or clearer speaker?
I don't know if I've addled my brain by being so reliant on auto-correct, if the majority of my communication being written (email/chat) has softened my speaking ability, or if this is just aging. Or perhaps I shouldn't have eaten ground beef in the UK 20 years ago.
Any tips would be appreciated!