Woman who can 'taste' words reveals unlikely sensation she gets from 'concrete' and 'clock'

A woman in the US grew up associating words with certain tastes and sensations - only to learn she had a rare neurological condition.

Arkansas woman Sarah Gann, 30, has always associated certain words with food items - such as nacho cheese, purple skittles and peaches - for as long as she can remember, and just assumed everyone else could too.

It's only once Sarah got older that she realised this wasn't a common thing and was actually one of the symptoms of a condition called synesthesia.

What is synesthesia?

According to Psychology Today, synesthesia is a neurological condition where stimulation of one sensory pathway (for example, hearing or speaking) automatically triggers another sensory pathway (such as vision or smell).

Sarah has a rare condition called synesthesia, which allows her to 'taste' certain words. (SWNS/ Sarah Gann)

There is a variety of different ways people can experience synesthesia - in Sarah's case, it's a connection between speaking and tasting.

It's estimated that around 4 percent of the population globally are affected by synesthesia.

'I have always tasted words'

For Sarah, not every word is impacted by synesthesia, however she explains that specific words have very unique taste associations for her.

"I have always tasted words, but when I brought it up to a friend in middle school, she didn't understand it," the mum-of-two recalled.

"I can't physically taste the words but I can clearly imagine the taste in my mouth."

The primary school teacher went on to reveal that 'church' makes her think of powdered donuts and 'ball' tastes like nacho cheese.

She added: " used to feel super weird about it when I was younger because nobody else had synesthesia - but now I find it pretty fun."

Certain words also have more recognisable links than others as well. For example, Sarah associates icing with the colour 'pink' and 'school' with butterscotch.

Not every word has its own taste, however her partner's name reminds her of paper. (SWNS/ Sarah Gann)

However some of the associations are unusual, with 'concrete' tasting like milk dipped in cookies and 'clock' tasting like milk.

Seeing the words written down makes a difference

Sarah added that the taste sensation is strongest when she is saying the words, as well as seeing them written down.

Names are also impacted by the condition, with Sarah revealing she has a taste association for her partner Jakob's name. However this doesn't stretch to her own name, or that her of sons Sailor, six, and Skip, four.

Sarah went on to reveal that the condition is often a fun ice-breaker as people frequently ask her what their names 'taste' like.

Very similar words can also have wildly different tastes too. For example, 'clay' tastes like clay while 'Clayton' - which is also her partner's surname - tastes like paper.

As for her favourite word? It's the name 'Brandon' due to it's sugary taste.

"It tastes like a chocolate candy bar," she added.