Filler Words: 35+ Examples, What They Mean, and Why We Use Them
You're listening back to a voice memo or a recorded call, and suddenly you can hear them everywhere: um, like, you know, basically. Words you didn't plan to say, sitting in almost every sentence.
Those are filler words, and everyone uses them. This guide gives you a list of more than 35 common examples, explains what each type is actually doing in your speech, and helps you decide which ones are harmless and which ones are worth cutting.
What are filler words?
Filler words are sounds, words, or short phrases that don't add meaning to a sentence. You could remove them and the sentence would say exactly the same thing. "So, like, the meeting is basically at three" and "The meeting is at three" carry the same information.
They show up mostly in spontaneous speech, when you're talking without a script. That's the key to understanding them. Filler words aren't a vocabulary problem. They're what happens when your mouth is moving faster than your planning.
The technical term for filler words
If you're looking for the proper name, linguists use a few terms depending on the type:
Filled pauses. Sounds like "um," "uh," and "er" that fill a gap where a silent pause would go.
Discourse markers. Real words like "so," "well," "like," and "you know" that manage the flow of a conversation rather than adding content.
Disfluencies. The broader category that covers filled pauses, repeated words, false starts, and restarted sentences.
In everyday use, "filler words" covers all of these. That's how we'll use it here.
Filler words list: 35+ examples in speaking
Here are the most common filler words people say in English, grouped by type. You'll probably recognize your own favorites.
Sounds (filled pauses)
Um and uh. The classics. Both signal that you're still thinking.
Er and ah. Common variations, especially in British English.
Hmm and mm. Often used when considering a question before answering.
Single words
Like. Probably the most talked-about filler of all. Fine as a verb or comparison, a filler when it's sprinkled between words.
So. Very common at the start of answers: "So, I've been working on..."
Well. A soft way to begin a reply or buy a second.
Okay and right. Often used to start a new thought or check in with the listener.
Actually. Useful when correcting something, filler when it isn't.
Basically. Promises a summary that usually doesn't come.
Literally. Frequently used for emphasis rather than its real meaning.
Totally, seriously, and honestly. Intensifiers that get used so often they stop intensifying.
Just. Softens requests ("I just wanted to check") and often weakens them.
Anyway. Signals a change of topic, or covers for losing your thread.
Yeah. Especially at the end of a thought: "so, um, yeah."
Phrases
You know. Asks the listener to fill in what you didn't say.
I mean. Often used to restart or clarify a sentence mid-way.
Kind of and sort of. Hedges that make statements less direct.
You see. A gentler version of "you know."
I guess. Signals uncertainty, even when you aren't uncertain.
I feel like. Turns a clear opinion into a vague impression.
Or whatever and or something. Trail-offs that end a sentence without really ending it.
And stuff and and things like that. Vague endings to a list.
At the end of the day. A phrase that announces a conclusion instead of stating it.
To be honest and to be fair. Openers that rarely change what follows.
If that makes sense and does that make sense? Common at the end of explanations.
Know what I mean? A check-in that usually doesn't wait for an answer.
That's more than 35. Most people lean heavily on three or four of them, which is good news: you only need to work on your own top few, not the whole list.
Filler words in other languages
Every language has filler words, which tells you they're a normal part of how humans speak, not a modern bad habit. Japanese speakers use "ano" and "eto." Spanish speakers say "este" and "pues." French speakers say "euh" and "ben." The sounds change, but the job is the same: holding your place while you think.
Why do we use filler words?
Filler words do real work, which is why they're so hard to drop. They tend to show up for a few reasons:
To hold the floor. A silence can feel like an invitation for someone else to start talking. A filler signals "I'm not done yet."
To buy planning time. Psychologists Herbert Clark and Jean Fox Tree, in their 2002 paper Using uh and um in spontaneous speaking, found that speakers use "uh" to signal a short delay and "um" to signal a longer one. The filler is a public announcement that your brain is still working.
To soften what you say. "Kind of," "I guess," and "just" make a statement feel less blunt. That's useful sometimes and undermining at other times.
To connect with the listener. "You know" and "right?" invite the other person in. In casual conversation, that can feel warm.
Out of habit. Once a filler gets used enough, it stops being a choice. It just comes out, even when you don't need time.
Nerves make all of these worse. When you're anxious, silence feels longer and more dangerous, so you fill more of it.
Are filler words good or bad?
Both, depending on how many and where. A few filler words in a casual chat sound natural. Speaking with none at all can actually come across as scripted or stiff, which is part of why the best speakers sound relaxed rather than rehearsed. We look at that balance in why the best speakers sound like they're having a conversation.
The trouble starts when fillers become frequent. Then listeners start hearing the fillers instead of your point. In a job interview, a presentation, or a meeting where you need to be taken seriously, a filler every few seconds can make you sound less prepared and less sure than you really are.
So the useful question isn't "do I use filler words?" You do. It's "do I use so many that people notice?"
Why filler words are bad in speeches and presentations
Presentations raise the stakes for a few reasons. Your audience is listening more closely, and they can't interrupt to ask what you meant. Every filler is also a gap where your message could have been. And because you had time to prepare, heavy fillers can read as a sign that you didn't.
The fix is the same as in conversation (pause instead of filling), but presentations give you an advantage: you can rehearse your transitions, which is where most fillers cluster.
Filler words to avoid when speaking
Not all fillers cost you the same. If you're going to work on a few, start with these:
Frequent "um" and "uh." The most noticeable, and the easiest to replace with a pause.
"Like" as a filler. It tends to cluster, appearing several times in a single sentence.
Hedges on your main point. "I kind of think we should maybe" weakens exactly the sentence that matters most.
Trail-off endings. "So, yeah," "or whatever," and "and stuff" leave your listener unsure whether you've finished.
"Does that make sense?" Used once, it's thoughtful. Used after every point, it sounds like you doubt yourself.
Words like "so" and "well" at the start of an answer are much less of a problem. Most listeners barely register them.
Filler words examples in writing
Writing has its own fillers, and they overlap with speech: "just," "really," "very," "actually," "basically," and "in order to" are the usual suspects. The difference is that in writing you can delete them before anyone sees them. In speech, the only edit happens before the word leaves your mouth, which is why spoken fillers take practice rather than proofreading.
How to reduce filler words when speaking
You don't need to memorize the list above. You need to find your own top fillers and give your brain another way to buy time. These steps work for any filler word:
Measure first. Record yourself answering a simple question for 60 seconds, then listen back and count. Most people are surprised by which fillers they use most. If hearing your own voice feels awkward, our guide to recording and reviewing your speaking on your phone makes it easier.
Pick one filler to work on. Trying to fix all of them at once makes you self-conscious about every word. Choose your most frequent one and focus there for a week.
Replace it with a pause. Every filler is standing in for a silence. Close your mouth, breathe, and find the next word. To your listener, a short pause sounds calm and deliberate.
Slow down slightly. When you talk fast, your words outrun your thinking and fillers fill the gap.
Know your first and last sentence. Fillers pile up when you're figuring out how to start and how to land. Decide both before you speak.
Track it over time. Repeat the 60-second recording every few days and compare the numbers. The trend matters more than any single day.
For a full step-by-step plan and daily exercises, read how to stop saying um and uh. The same method works for "like," "you know," and the rest.
If counting by hand gets tedious, Articulate does it for you: record up to 60 seconds on your iPhone and it scores your filler words, pace, and clarity, with every um, uh, like, you know, and I mean highlighted in the transcript.
Filler words to use instead of um
Sometimes you genuinely need a moment, and a pause alone feels too long. In those moments, a short, honest phrase works better than a string of ums:
"Let me think about that." Shows you're taking the question seriously.
"Good question." Fine once, as long as you don't say it to every question.
Repeating the question. "So, how would we handle the deadline?" It helps the listener and gives you a few seconds.
"The short answer is..." Commits you to a point and gives your brain a structure to fill.
These work because they carry meaning. A filler holds your place; a bridge phrase holds your place and tells the listener something. If you freeze up in meetings in particular, see how to speak up in meetings without losing your train of thought.
The short version
Filler words are sounds, words, and phrases that add no meaning: um, uh, like, so, you know, I mean, basically, and more.
Everyone uses them, in every language. They buy thinking time and hold the floor.
A few are fine. Frequent fillers distract listeners and make you sound less sure than you are.
Find your own top fillers by recording 60 seconds and counting, then replace them with pauses.
You don't need to cut every filler from your speech. You just need to notice yours, and give yourself permission to pause.