Word Salad: What It Is and Why It Happens

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIs Word Salad a Thought Disorder?Word Salad TypesExamplesSymptomsCausesTreatmentCoping

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Is Word Salad a Thought Disorder?

Word Salad Types

Examples

Symptoms

Causes

Treatment

Coping

Close

Word salad is a term used to describe a confused or meaningless mixture of words and phrases when speaking.Word salads can be found in various contexts but are especially common among people with certain mental health conditions or neurological disorders such asschizophreniaordementia.

Word salad occurs when a person lacks the ability to organize their thoughts into coherent sentences or phrases. Word salads commonly contain words or phrases that are unrelated in meaning, and some may even include made-up words.

While word salad sentences may or may not be grammatically correct, they lack semantic meaning and the end result is that the listener cannot comprehend what is being said. A person engaging in word salad may feel like there is significance to the words they are saying, but in reality, the sentences are meaningless and lack logical structure.

Clanging

Clangingis a type of word salad where the speaker associates words based on their sound rather than meaning. This can lead to seemingly logical sentences, but with words that are completely unrelated and do not make sense within the context.

Aphasia

Logorrhea

Examples of Word Salad

Word salads are especially common in the following conditions.Those affected may struggle to communicate their thoughts, leading to sentences that contain a mixture of unrelated words or phrases.

Word Salad in Dementia

Below are some examples of word salad in dementia:

Understanding Primary Progressive Aphasia, The Lesser Known Dementia

Examples of Word Salad in Schizophrenia

Below are some examples of word salad in schizophrenia:

What Is Alogia?

Word Salad Symptoms

Dr. Jay Serle, LMFT, PhD, notes, “Word salad describes a type of speech that is extremely incoherent. Word salad consists of a mix of unintelligible, random words strung together into phrases. The words may be loosely associated with each other, but they are disconnected from reality and have no meaning to the listener.”

Symptoms of word salad can vary depending on the underlying mental health condition. For example, people with dementia may experience word salad in addition to memory loss, confusion, and disorientation.

Below are some common word salad symptoms:

Why Does Word Salad Occur?

In some cases, word salad can be an effect of a medical condition such as delirium, a medication side effects or drug use. It can also occur due to neurological illnesses such asstrokeorbrain injurythat affect communication.

Below are some of the potential causes of word salad:

Why Do You Talk to Yourself?

Treatment for Word Salad

Below are some potential treatments for word salad:

Coping With Word Salad

Natali N. Edmonds, PsyD, ABPP, board-certified geropsychologist notes, “Many people who have this language symptom aren’t aware that what they are saying isn’t making sense. They may become upset or frustrated when the person listening doesn’t seem to be responding or seems confused about what they are saying. in certain cases of dementia, a referral to a speech pathologist for a full language assessment may be helpful in discovering ways to improve communication.”

Below are some other tips for helping someone you know cope with word salad:

It is important to seekprofessional helpif word salad is present. This will ensure that any underlying mental health conditions are addressed properly and treated accordingly.

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brown University.The Mental Status Examination.Sass L, Parnas J.Thought Disorder, Subjectivity, and the Self.Schizophr Bull. 2017 May;43(3):497–502. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx032National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.What is Aphasia?Shiba T, Yamakawa M, Endo Y, et al.Communication-related experiences of individuals in the early phase of semantic dementia and their families: an interview study.Psychogeriatrics. doi:10.1111/psyg.12956National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Brown University.The Mental Status Examination.Sass L, Parnas J.Thought Disorder, Subjectivity, and the Self.Schizophr Bull. 2017 May;43(3):497–502. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx032National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.What is Aphasia?Shiba T, Yamakawa M, Endo Y, et al.Communication-related experiences of individuals in the early phase of semantic dementia and their families: an interview study.Psychogeriatrics. doi:10.1111/psyg.12956National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Brown University.The Mental Status Examination.Sass L, Parnas J.Thought Disorder, Subjectivity, and the Self.Schizophr Bull. 2017 May;43(3):497–502. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx032National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.What is Aphasia?Shiba T, Yamakawa M, Endo Y, et al.Communication-related experiences of individuals in the early phase of semantic dementia and their families: an interview study.Psychogeriatrics. doi:10.1111/psyg.12956National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.

Brown University.The Mental Status Examination.

Sass L, Parnas J.Thought Disorder, Subjectivity, and the Self.Schizophr Bull. 2017 May;43(3):497–502. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx032

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.What is Aphasia?

Shiba T, Yamakawa M, Endo Y, et al.Communication-related experiences of individuals in the early phase of semantic dementia and their families: an interview study.Psychogeriatrics. doi:10.1111/psyg.12956

National Institute of Mental Health.Schizophrenia.

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