What is the medical term for difficulty or discomfort in swallowing?

The medical term for difficulty or discomfort in swallowing is dysphagia.

Dysphagia can involve trouble moving food or liquid from the mouth through the throat and esophagus to the stomach. It may result from a problem in the muscles and nerves that coordinate swallowing, or from a physical narrowing or blockage in the digestive tract.

Doctors often distinguish oropharyngeal dysphagia, which affects initiating a swallow, from esophageal dysphagia, in which food feels stuck after swallowing has begun. Causes range from stroke and neurological disease to reflux-related narrowing, tumors, inflammation, or structural abnormalities.

Several similar-sounding terms are easy to confuse. Dyspepsia means indigestion, dysphasia refers to a language disorder, and dyspnea means difficult breathing. Odynophagia specifically means painful swallowing, whereas dysphagia is the broader term for impaired or difficult swallowing.