An eggcorn is a word or phrase that someone mishears or reshapes into something that seems logical. The classic example is eggcorn itself, a reshaping of acorn. Because an acorn is egg shaped, the mistake sounds plausible.
That is the key idea: an eggcorn is not just any error. It usually makes a kind of sense to the speaker or listener. Compare these common examples:
- for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes
- old timer’s disease instead of Alzheimer’s disease
- tow the line instead of toe the line
An eggcorn differs from a simple typo. A typo is usually a typing slip, like hitting the wrong key. An eggcorn is a meaningful substitution. It also differs from a random mishearing, because the new version often feels sensible.
Writers and teachers notice eggcorns because they show how people search for meaning in language. Even when the form is incorrect, the logic behind it can be easy to understand.
