Which words do we find beautiful? And do beautifully sounding words stick better in memory? A new study led by linguist Theresa Matzinger from the University of Vienna suggests that the phonemic composition of words influences as how beautiful we perceive them to be, and how well we remember them. The findings have just been published in the journal PLOS One.
While English words such as harmony, lullaby, or melody sound soft and pleasing to many ears, drudge, blunt, or moist tend to be perceived as harsh or unpleasant. For a long time, researchers have speculated about why some words evoke pleasantness while others sound disagreeable. Until now, however, it has been unclear whether we truly find the sound itself beautiful or whether our perception of beauty is primarily shaped by a word’s meaning.
A new study led by Theresa Matzinger approached this question with a fresh method: the researchers tested artificial pseudowords with no meaning (e.g., clisious, smanious, drikious) for their aesthetic sound qualities. This allowed them, for the first time, to examine how sounds alone, independent of meaning, influence perception. The team also investigated whether the aesthetic qualities of sounds affected how easily the words could be learned.
Euphony influences what we remember
One hundred English-speaking participants heard and saw various pseudowords that had deliberately, based on earlier anecdotal descriptions, been designed to sound "appealing", "neutral", or "unappealing". First, participants were asked to learn and memorize the words; later, they were asked to recall them. Finally, they rated how beautiful they found each word.
"We found that the words that participants remembered best were also the ones they rated as most beautiful – but these were not always the words that we, as researchers, had originally designed to be the most beautiful," explains Matzinger. Previous studies on word beauty were therefore likely strongly influenced by word meaning, which may have overshadowed the aesthetic qualities of the sounds.
The results point to a close relationship between phonetic beauty and memorability. "Whether we remember things better because we find them beautiful, or find them beautiful because we can remember them more easily, remains an open question," says Matzinger. It is also possible that certain sound combinations feel more familiar because they occur frequently in one's native language, and that this familiarity makes them both more aesthetically pleasing and easier to remember, similar to the effect of familiar melodies in music.
Implications for language learning, advertising, and language change
The study offers new insights into the aesthetic perception and learnability of language. These links may have implications for (foreign) language learning, marketing strategies, and even language change across generations. "Certain sound patterns may persist in languages because they sound pleasant, while others may disappear because we find them less appealing," Matzinger speculates.
Summary:
- In the current study led by linguist Theresa Matzinger from the University of Vienna, scientists tested artificial pseudowords with no meaning (e.g. clisious, smanious, drikious) for their euphony.
- The investigation of these artificial words showed that in earlier studies, words were also judged to be beautiful-sounding based on their meaning.
- In addition, the linguists found that when words are perceived as beautiful-sounding, people remember them better.
- "Whether we remember things better because we find them beautiful or find them beautiful because we can remember them better remains to be seen," Matzinger summarises.
- The study provides new insights into the aesthetic perception and learnability of language. These connections could have implications for (foreign) language learning, marketing strategies and even language change across generations.
About the University of Vienna:
For over 650 years the University of Vienna has stood for education, research and innovation. Today, it is ranked among the top 100 and thus the top four per cent of all universities worldwide and is globally connected. With degree programmes covering over 180 disciplines, and more than 10,000 employees we are one of the largest academic institutions in Europe. Here, people from a broad spectrum of disciplines come together to carry out research at the highest level and develop solutions for current and future challenges. Its students and graduates develop reflected and sustainable solutions to complex challenges using innovative spirit and curiosity.
Original publication:
Matzinger, T., & Košić, D. (2025). Phonemic composition influences words' aesthetic appeal and memorability. PLOS One.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0336597