A
speech error, commonly referred to as a
slip of the tongue (
Latin:
lapsus linguae, or occasionally self-demonstratingly,
lipsus languae), is a deviation (conscious or unconscious) from the apparently intended form of an
utterance. They can be subdivided into spontaneously and inadvertently produced
speech errors and intentionally produced word-plays or puns. Another distinction can be drawn between production and comprehension errors. Errors in speech production and perception are also called performance errors.