nonword

American  

[non-wurd] / nɒnˈwɜrd /

noun

1. a word that is not recognized or accepted as legitimate, as one produced by a spelling or typographical error.

2. a word whose meaning or use is not approved in a given circumstance.

   “Failure” is a nonword in her vocabulary.

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Etymology

Origin of nonword

First recorded in 1960–65; non- + word

Example Sentences

The other major challenge in gymnastics music is to reproduce pop hits without their lyrics—though nonword vocals are allowed, which is why we get our double-doubles accompanied by a lot of tonal baby babbling.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2016

Scores of >0 mean that the tetragram is a word, scores of <0 mean that the tetragram is a nonword, and scores of 0 were randomly assigned to word or nonword.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 6, 2012