Wordo

A wordo (sometimes spelled as word-o) is when someone says/types/writes one thing but thinks that they are saying/typing/writing something else. The term is derived from the word typo, to mean a word that is accidentally spelled incorrectly due to typing the wrong letter on a keyboard.

Everyone makes wordos all of the time. Most people aren't aware of it and don't even bother to fix it as it is usually obvious that they meant the other word. Some people poke fun of a wordo. If not picked up, a wordo can be repeated several times for hours at a time, even an entire day, replacing the correct word with this new wordo word.

For example, a student is asked to do a 10 minute presentation about World War II, focusing on the role played by Adolf Hitler. Instead of saying Hitler, the student instead says Churchill. The student is quite convinced, throughout the whole presentation, that they are saying Hitler, and everyone knows that whenever the student says Churchill they mean Hitler; but throughout the presentation they are saying that Churchill marched across Poland, Churchill murdered many Jews, Churchill started the 3rd reich and so forth.

Some wordos are not so obvious, as they can be 2 similar words, or 2 opposite words, both of which correctly fit into the context of whatever else is said. The most dangerous wordos are spoken wordos, as typed/written wordos are generally noticed by the person who made them after they appear on the screen/on paper. Worst of all are dictated wordos, which can lead to them being typed incorrectly but the typist not being aware that they were a wordo.