Every speaker says the wrong word sometimes, or forgets a word in the middle of a sentence. Many learners freeze, go silent, or search for the word in their own language and translate it directly, which often gives a word that doesn't exist in English. Others notice a misunderstanding but feel too shy to fix it, so the wrong plan goes ahead. In this episode: • Correcting yourself • Talking around a missing word • The thingy and the whatsit • Correcting others politely • Checking understanding • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Sorry, I mean Thursday. — a quick self-correction (neutral) No, sorry, I meant Thursday. — fixing something you already said (neutral) What I meant was... — explaining your real idea (neutral) What I mean is, we could go later. — making your idea clearer Let me put it another way. — I'll say it differently (neutral) Or rather... — a better word is coming (neutral) I'll be there at six, or rather half six. — correcting the time Sorry, that came out wrong. — my words sounded unkind by mistake (casual) It's a thing you use for... — describing what it does It's a thing you use for opening tins. — a tin opener It's a kind of... — describing the type It's a kind of tool for the garden. — maybe a rake or a trowel It's like a... but smaller. — comparing it to something It's like a sofa, but smaller. — an armchair It's the person who... — describing a job It's the person who fixes pipes. — a plumber (PLUM-uh, the B is silent) What's the word? — asking for help (casual) It's on the tip of my tongue. — I almost remember it (casual) Real British English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — modern British accent, everyday grammar, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, he/she/it for things, and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.