Eggcorn
An eggcorn is a misheard word or phrase swapped for a similar-sounding one that happens to make its own sense — like 'egg corn' for 'acorn', or 'for all intensive purposes'.
Full definition of Eggcorn →:: COMPARE ::
EggcornvsFolk etymology
The short answer
Folk etymology reanalyses a word's origin across a whole speech community — 'Jerusalem artichoke' from Italian girasole. An eggcorn is one speaker's phonetically-driven, locally sensible substitution. Same mechanism, different scale.
Side by side
| Aspect | Eggcorn | Folk etymology |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | One speaker | A community |
| Becomes standard | Rarely | Often |
| Makes sense | Must | Must |
| Named | 2003 | 19th century |
What each one means
Folk etymology
The contrast above sets out how Folk etymology differs from Eggcorn on the points that actually matter.