What are pseudowords?

Pseudowords are defined as nonsense words that are phonetically regular. This means they follow the phonological rules and patterns of a language, making them pronounceable even though they do not have any established meaning in that language. For example, a pseudoword like "mibber" can be easily pronounced because it adheres to typical phonetic structures, even though it does not convey any semantic content.

The importance of pseudowords in linguistics and psychology lies in their ability to test language processing without the influence of prior knowledge. Because they are not recognized as real words, researchers can study the cognitive mechanisms behind word recognition and language comprehension in a controlled way.

In this context, the other options don't accurately capture the nature of pseudowords. Commonly used words in literature do not qualify as pseudowords, nor do real words with complex meanings. Additionally, while some words may be difficult to pronounce, that characteristic alone does not define them as pseudowords. A pseudoword is specifically designed to be phonetically valid yet devoid of meaning, which aligns perfectly with the concept of nonsense words that are phonetically regular.