Clear communication is the bedrock of human relationships, enabling collaboration, problem-solving, and connection. But what if the power of a word lies less in its dictionary definition and more in the very sounds that form it? Groundbreaking new research suggests this might be the case, offering fresh insights into how we can all communicate more effectively.
The Science of Surprising Sounds
The study, co-authored by Rikke Louise Bundgaard-Nielsen and published in the journal Cognition, delves into the field of psycholinguistics. It focuses on a key concept known as "surprisal" – a measure of how expected or unexpected a word or sound is within a language.
While all English words are built from the same pool of vowels and consonants, they are not created equal. Words composed of unusual sound sequences, like the /sv/ in "svelte," stand out as more surprising to listeners compared to common patterns like the /st/ in "stick." The researchers used information theory to analyse a vast corpus of 51 million words from American English subtitles, assigning each word a surprisal score based on its phonetic makeup.
Vivid Words and Memory: An Unexpected Link
By cross-referencing these scores with word-processing experiments – including auditory tasks and memory recognition tests – the team made a significant discovery. They found that highly vivid, concrete words like "dog" and "flower" are statistically more surprising in their sound structure than less vivid words like "stun" and "plot." Crucially, both vividness and surprisal were shown to improve memory recall.
This finding challenges a long-held assumption in modern linguistics: that the relationship between a word's form and its meaning is largely arbitrary and conventional. While iconic, onomatopoeic words like "miaow" are known exceptions, the research suggests the link between sound and meaning may be more widespread than previously thought.
Hacking Language for Better Communication
So, why would vivid words evolve or be maintained with more surprising sounds? The researchers propose a compelling theory: speakers unconsciously "hack" into linguistic structure. By using or creating words with unexpected sound patterns for important concepts, they ensure these terms grab a listener's attention and embed themselves more firmly in memory. It’s a subtle, non-arbitrary guide to focusing our cognitive resources.
This insight has profound practical implications. The strategic use of high-surprisal words could enhance impact across multiple domains:
- Professional & Personal Communication: Crafting messages with more surprising, concrete vocabulary could make them more memorable.
- Advertising & Public Messaging: Marginal gains in recall could be invaluable for campaigns and safety announcements.
- Education: Curricula and teaching materials could leverage high-impact words to improve learning outcomes.
- Science Communication: As the article notes, readers are likely to remember "flower" and "dog" better than "stun" and "plot," demonstrating the principle in action.
The research, which acknowledges the crucial contribution of Dr. Alexander Kilpatrick, was originally published by The Conversation on Wednesday, 17 December 2025. It offers a fascinating new lens on the ancient art of communication, suggesting that sometimes, how you say it truly is as important as what you say.
