Which term corresponds to difficulty swallowing?

• A. Dysphasia
• B. Aphasia
• C. Aphagia
• D. Dysphagia

Answer: (D)

Difficulty swallowing is described as dysphagia. The prefix dys- means difficult or abnormal, and the suffix -phagia refers to swallowing, so dysphagia specifically denotes trouble with the act of swallowing. The other terms center on language or represent a complete inability to swallow: dysphasia (or dysphasia) and aphasia involve speech and language impairment, not swallowing, and aphagia would imply an inability to swallow rather than just difficulty. So dysphagia is the term that best fits the symptom.