The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is a psychological phenomenon in which people have a feeling of knowing something but cannot retrieve the specific information that they are looking for. This can happen when people are trying to recall a word or a name, and may be unable to retrieve the specific information even though they know that they have seen or heard it before. The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is common and can be frustrating, but it is usually temporary and the information can often be retrieved after a short delay. The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is not necessarily a sign of memory loss or cognitive decline, and can occur in people of all ages.