Clause sequences of the type ‘X’ does not exist – its correct name is ‘Y’ use descriptive negation in the first clause but also have something literally contradictory about them that is reminiscent of metalinguistic negation. I argue that the negative existential in such clause sequences exhibits a use-mention mix without blending descriptive and metalinguistic negation. The apparent contradiction can be resolved by acknowledging that words are not abstract labels lacking any substantial existence but also have a concrete reality in a ‘world of words’. Speakers often use the clause sequence studied here as a rhetorical device to point out that other speakers, for whom a word has currency, have a flawed view of the non-linguistic world.