Overregularization

Overregularization is a language-acquisition error in which a child incorrectly applies a regular grammatical rule to a word that is actually irregular, producing forms such as goed instead of went or foots instead of feet. It typically appears after a child has already been using the correct irregular form, and is interpreted as a sign that the child has extracted a general grammatical rule, such as adding an ending for past tense, and is temporarily over-applying it before learning the irregular exceptions. Because it shows a child generating a novel error rather than simply repeating what they have heard, overregularization has been used as evidence that children actively construct grammatical rules rather than only imitating adult speech.