{
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "id": "CC-125",
  "title": "Why would I choose another word when I expect a block?",
  "topic": "Names, orders and fixed wording",
  "author": {
    "name": "Craig Coffee",
    "id": "https://usedtostutter.com/craig-coffee#person"
  },
  "canonical_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering",
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  "context_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/about-this-material",
  "source_sha256": "3b1fd24b64f88b1b564dabbd64928e82a08d22c0a1aae5852e467aaf76dead9d",
  "source_markdown": "# Why would I choose another word when I expect a block?\n\nBy [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)\n\nBecause I would rather say a different word that I can get out than stand there forcing a word through a hard block. I’ve said that directly.\n\nOne of my philosophies is fluency above all else. Fluency at any cost. That is how strongly I felt about wanting to be able to talk.\n\nSo when somebody says word swapping is bad, I don’t agree. I would rather see someone word swap and not block than block. That is my preference when the other word preserves the meaning. I also want the person speaking to have a choice.\n\n## I wanted to finish the thought\n\nIn my dictated notes, I explained what I meant by saying what I wanted. It did not always have to be the exact word. I had to be able to express myself.\n\nI used an imagined phone call: pretend I'm twenty-two, testing things while my speech is still bad, and there's a word I expect to block on. I described choosing another word, finishing the sentence and getting the whole thought out.\n\nI said it could seem odd at first. What mattered in that example was that I could [say what I wanted to express](/what-fluency-means). That is the reason I gave for the choice.\n\n## The name for an order was one example\n\nWhen I was buying food or coffee and the name did not matter, I would rather choose a name I could say. I wasn’t interested in forcing my way through my real name just to prove I could do it.\n\nI was thinking about carrying momentum through the day. That is the way I explained the choice. I wanted the best speech I could bring into the next conversation too.\n\nI’m also the same guy telling you to go and talk to strangers. In that group call, someone said a fake name would make him feel worse at night. [I explained my view and heard his objection.](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter)\n\n## What did someone tell me about avoiding words over time?\n\nIn another conversation, someone told me his speech had been nearly flawless in his late teens apart from a few words. He could hide the problem as long as he didn't say those words. He said that turned into a mistake for him.\n\nHe described constantly trying to hide it, becoming more anxious, and his speech getting worse. He said it kept sliding until he could hardly say a few words without stuttering badly. He wanted to get back the fluency he remembered having.\n\nI said, “I respect what you're saying and let's keep talking.” I told him I could share what worked for me. That was his account of what happened as he kept hiding words, and that was my response.\n\n## I have also talked about words that do matter\n\nIn the coffee-order explanation, I said that if you are dealing with a person in authority who needs your real name, you give your real name.\n\nI’ve also said I would drop a word unless I had to say it, like for a doctor. Those exceptions are part of the things I have actually said.\n\nIn the book, I also made an exception for a true emergency where you had to tell the authorities something.\n\nMy preference for another word is clear when it expresses the same thought. It gives me a way to keep speaking. An exact name or medical detail still needs to be accurate, and I respect a person who prefers to use the original word. [My explanation of an easier order name](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter) describes that choice and the harsh judgment I have also made about myself.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [Why did I sometimes use an easier name for an order?](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter)\n- [What did a stuttering block feel like for me?](/stuttering-blocks)\n- [What does fluency mean to me?](/what-fluency-means)\n\n[Find your question](/questions)\n",
  "relative_link_base": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "reading-content",
      "heading": null,
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      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "Because I would rather say a different word that I can get out than stand there forcing a word through a hard block. I’ve said that directly.\n\nOne of my philosophies is fluency above all else. Fluency at any cost. That is how strongly I felt about wanting to be able to talk.\n\nSo when somebody says word swapping is bad, I don’t agree. I would rather see someone word swap and not block than block. That is my preference when the other word preserves the meaning. I also want the person speaking to have a choice.\n\n",
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    {
      "id": "i-wanted-to-finish-the-thought",
      "heading": "I wanted to finish the thought",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering#i-wanted-to-finish-the-thought",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## I wanted to finish the thought\n\nIn my dictated notes, I explained what I meant by saying what I wanted. It did not always have to be the exact word. I had to be able to express myself.\n\nI used an imagined phone call: pretend I'm twenty-two, testing things while my speech is still bad, and there's a word I expect to block on. I described choosing another word, finishing the sentence and getting the whole thought out.\n\nI said it could seem odd at first. What mattered in that example was that I could [say what I wanted to express](/what-fluency-means). That is the reason I gave for the choice.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "4e36555e138c2375bb7a5e2a8ce86d321898cf85927d886ffb63fc7753ebc86c"
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    {
      "id": "the-name-for-an-order-was-one-example",
      "heading": "The name for an order was one example",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering#the-name-for-an-order-was-one-example",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## The name for an order was one example\n\nWhen I was buying food or coffee and the name did not matter, I would rather choose a name I could say. I wasn’t interested in forcing my way through my real name just to prove I could do it.\n\nI was thinking about carrying momentum through the day. That is the way I explained the choice. I wanted the best speech I could bring into the next conversation too.\n\nI’m also the same guy telling you to go and talk to strangers. In that group call, someone said a fake name would make him feel worse at night. [I explained my view and heard his objection.](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter)\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "11cde8a3665391b355e19829a69e3d13ab0ef2f938bf18f568e1cf9e3360ce61"
    },
    {
      "id": "what-did-someone-tell-me-about-avoiding-words-over-time",
      "heading": "What did someone tell me about avoiding words over time?",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering#what-did-someone-tell-me-about-avoiding-words-over-time",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## What did someone tell me about avoiding words over time?\n\nIn another conversation, someone told me his speech had been nearly flawless in his late teens apart from a few words. He could hide the problem as long as he didn't say those words. He said that turned into a mistake for him.\n\nHe described constantly trying to hide it, becoming more anxious, and his speech getting worse. He said it kept sliding until he could hardly say a few words without stuttering badly. He wanted to get back the fluency he remembered having.\n\nI said, “I respect what you're saying and let's keep talking.” I told him I could share what worked for me. That was his account of what happened as he kept hiding words, and that was my response.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "97409276d2b8dd8ed0a7afa5a3a04fec2fc56ce694f9f4717b7555e9154def57"
    },
    {
      "id": "i-have-also-talked-about-words-that-do-matter",
      "heading": "I have also talked about words that do matter",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering#i-have-also-talked-about-words-that-do-matter",
      "role": "source_context",
      "source_markdown": "## I have also talked about words that do matter\n\nIn the coffee-order explanation, I said that if you are dealing with a person in authority who needs your real name, you give your real name.\n\nI’ve also said I would drop a word unless I had to say it, like for a doctor. Those exceptions are part of the things I have actually said.\n\nIn the book, I also made an exception for a true emergency where you had to tell the authorities something.\n\nMy preference for another word is clear when it expresses the same thought. It gives me a way to keep speaking. An exact name or medical detail still needs to be accurate, and I respect a person who prefers to use the original word. [My explanation of an easier order name](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter) describes that choice and the harsh judgment I have also made about myself.\n\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "ffa4d227cbf87430e47cc0f3e3f3f115a4588e64a084b77e0a02f2e6f55047d5"
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    {
      "id": "related-answers",
      "heading": "Related answers",
      "heading_level": 2,
      "citation_url": "https://usedtostutter.com/word-substitution-and-stuttering#related-answers",
      "role": "navigation",
      "source_markdown": "## Related answers\n\n- [Why did I sometimes use an easier name for an order?](/using-an-easier-name-when-you-stutter)\n- [What did a stuttering block feel like for me?](/stuttering-blocks)\n- [What does fluency mean to me?](/what-fluency-means)\n",
      "source_span_sha256": "5d8848eeb986dccaea8507fc11be68e38d7b75125cc1949344979e9bd516dfa8"
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    {
      "id": "never-push-through-a-block",
      "title": "NEVER PUSH THROUGH A BLOCK",
      "url": "https://usedtostutter.com/reader/book/editions/corrected-2026-10-04-9e1d376a993f/chapters/never-push-through-a-block",
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