Eggcorns

Eggcorns are misheard or reinterpreted phrases in which a word or phrase is replaced by a similar-sounding one that preserves a similar meaning. They are a category of language error that differs from more formal malapropisms in that the new form often makes enough sense to feel plausible within the original context. The result is a stable, spreadable form that speakers may adopt as if it were the correct expression.

The term was coined by linguist Geoffrey K. Nunberg in a 2004 essay on language change. He defined an eggcorn as a mishearing or reinterpretation that remains coherent and meaningful, and he gave the name by drawing on the classic mishearing of acorn as eggcorn. Since then, eggcorns have been studied as evidence of how people actively reconstruct language in real time, leveraging familiar sounds and semantic associations to maintain intelligibility.

Eggcorn formation typically involves homophones or near-homophones and a plausible reinterpretation of a phrase. Because the new form often preserves the original intent or sense, speakers may replace the original with the eggcorn without realizing there was an error. This makes eggcorns a natural phenomenon in evolving language, especially in spoken discourse and informal writing.

Common examples include transforming for all intents and purposes into for all intensive purposes, or whet your appetite being heard as wet your appetite. The study of eggcorns intersects linguistics, cognitive science, and sociolinguistics, offering insight into how users navigate ambiguity and maintain communicative efficiency in everyday speech.