the margins · Filler words · 4 min read

How to Stop Saying Um and Like

Learn how to reduce filler words with pause practice, transcript marking and one retry drill you can use after every spoken answer.

The real reason fillers appear

Fillers usually appear when your mouth moves faster than your next thought. The answer is not panic or shame. The answer is to practise a short pause until silence feels normal.

A better replacement

Replace uh and um with a closed-mouth pause. Replace like with for example when you are giving proof. Replace basically with in simple terms only when it makes the sentence clearer.

The drill

Record a one-minute answer, count your fillers, read the transcript, then retry the same topic. Most speakers improve faster when they repeat the same idea instead of jumping to a new prompt.

Practise this now

Keep practising.