disfluency

or dys·flu·en·cy

[ dis-floo-uhn-see ]

noun

, plural dis·flu·en·cies

1. Pathology. impairment of the ability to produce smooth, fluent speech.
2. an interruption in the smooth flow of speech, as by a pause or the repetition of a word or syllable.

Word History and Origins

Origin of disfluency¹

First recorded in 1975–80; dis- ¹ + fluency ( def )

Example Sentences

While 2 percent of children stutter, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, most outgrow this disfluency, often without intervention.

From Washington Post

I’d have done anything to avoid giving a speech in which my disfluency showed.

From Washington Post

Harder-to-read fonts promote better learning, according to psychologists who call this paradox “disfluency.”

From New York Times

People who stutter experience an excessive amount of disfluency, or involuntary speech disruptions, stumbling over at least 10 percent of their words.

From Washington Post

It also matters when the speech “disfluency” occurs, Ms. Marshall said.

From New York Times