What's the term for when a word is said so many times it sounds weird? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:
Is there a word or phrase for the feeling you get after looking at a word for too long?

If you say a certain word enough times, it starts to sound/feel different. I had this today with the word patio, and in the end I felt like I barely know the word anymore.

I am not sure how else to describe this, but that’s pretty much the reason I’m asking – what is this phenomenon called?


Solution 1:

The term you are looking for is semantic satiation.