How to Stop Saying Um and Uh: 5 Steps and Daily Exercises
You hear it in the replay of a meeting, in a voice memo, or halfway through a presentation: um, uh, um. Once you notice it, it's hard to stop noticing.
Here's the good news. Saying um isn't a sign that you're nervous, unprepared, or bad at speaking. It's a habit, and habits can be retrained. This guide covers why filler words happen, the five steps that actually reduce them, and short exercises you can do every day to make the change stick.
Why you say um and uh
Filler words aren't random. They show up at very specific moments: when your mouth is ready to keep going but your brain hasn't finished planning the next words.
Psychologists Herbert Clark and Jean Fox Tree studied this in their 2002 paper Using uh and um in spontaneous speaking. They found that speakers use "uh" to signal a short delay and "um" to signal a longer one. In other words, um is your brain saying "hold on, I'm still thinking" out loud.
That's why you'll notice more filler words when you:
Start a sentence before you know how it ends. The um buys time to find the rest.
Switch between ideas. Transitions are where planning happens, so they're where fillers cluster.
Feel uncomfortable with silence. Many people fill every gap because a pause feels like losing the floor.
Speak faster than you think. The faster you talk, the more often your words get ahead of your ideas.
Notice what's missing from that list: intelligence and confidence. Some of the smartest people you know say um constantly. It's a timing problem, not a talent problem.
Is saying um actually bad?
Not always. A few filler words in casual conversation sound natural, and nobody speaks with zero. Trying to eliminate every single um usually backfires, because you start monitoring every word and sound stiff.
The problem is frequency. When ums come every few seconds, listeners start hearing the fillers instead of your point. In interviews, presentations, and meetings, frequent fillers can make you sound less prepared than you really are. The goal isn't zero. The goal is few enough that nobody notices.
Step 1: Find out how often you actually say it
Most people have no idea how many filler words they use. Some think they say um constantly and barely do. Others are sure they never say it and use it every other sentence.
So start with a baseline. Pick a simple question, like "What did you do last weekend?", set a timer for 60 seconds, and record yourself answering it out loud. Then listen back and count every um, uh, like, you know, and so.
Write the number down. That's your starting point, and it's the only way to know whether the steps below are working. If listening to your own voice makes you cringe, you're not alone; we cover why in how to record, review, and improve your speaking skills using your phone.
Step 2: Replace the um with a pause
This is the single most effective change you can make. Every um is standing in for a pause. So instead of trying to delete the um, swap it for silence.
It feels strange at first, because a one-second pause feels like ten seconds to you. To your listener it sounds deliberate, calm, and confident. Good speakers pause constantly. You just don't notice, because the pauses sound intentional instead of hesitant.
A simple way to practice: whenever you feel an um coming, close your mouth. You can't say um with your lips together. Breathe, find the next word, then keep going.
Step 3: Slow down
Speed and filler words are tightly linked. When you talk fast, your words outrun your thinking, and fillers fill the gap while your brain catches up.
Slowing down by even a little gives your brain time to plan the next phrase before you need it. You don't need to sound like you're reading a bedtime story. Aim for the pace you'd use explaining something important to a friend across a table, not the pace you'd use leaving a rushed voicemail.
Step 4: Know your first and last sentence
Fillers pile up at the start and end of what you say. At the start, you're figuring out how to begin. At the end, you don't know how to land, so you trail off with "so, um, yeah."
Before you speak in a meeting or answer a question, decide two things: your first sentence and your last one. The middle can be loose. Knowing where you're starting and where you're stopping removes the two biggest um zones. This is the same principle behind strong openings, which we break down in how to command a room in 30 seconds.
Step 5: End sentences with a full stop
A lot of filler words come from chaining sentences together: "and um, so um, and then uh." Each "and" or "so" forces you to keep talking before you've decided what comes next.
Try ending sentences cleanly instead. Say one complete thought, stop, pause, then start the next one fresh. Short sentences with real endings give you a natural place to breathe and plan, without needing a filler to hold your place.
Exercises to stop saying um
Knowing the steps is the easy part. The habit changes through repetition. These exercises take a few minutes each, and you can do them anywhere.
The 60-second drill. Pick a random question, record a 60-second answer, and count your fillers. Do one a day and track the number. Seeing it drop is the best motivation there is.
The pause drill. Describe your morning out loud, but pause for a full second between every sentence. It will feel exaggerated. That's the point: you're teaching yourself that silence is safe.
Read, then retell. Read a short paragraph out loud, which is easy to say without fillers. Then put it away and explain it in your own words. The gap between the two shows you exactly where your ums come from.
The "ah-counter" partner. Toastmasters clubs give one member the job of counting everyone's filler words during meetings. Ask a friend or coworker to do the same for you in a low-stakes conversation. Just being counted makes you more aware.
One-breath sentences. Practice saying each sentence in a single breath, then stopping. It naturally shortens your sentences and cuts down on "and um" chains.
If you want a full routine built around drills like these, see the 5-minute daily practice that transforms average speakers.
How to stop saying um when presenting
Presentations are where filler words cost the most, and also where they're easiest to fix, because you get to prepare.
Rehearse out loud, not in your head. Reading your slides silently doesn't train your mouth. Run through the talk at full volume at least twice.
Script your transitions. The jump from one slide or section to the next is the most common um moment. Write one sentence for each transition and practice it.
Use your slides as a pause cue. Every time you change slides, stop talking for a beat. It gives the audience time to look, and gives you time to think.
Hold eye contact through the pause. Looking at someone while you're silent makes the pause read as confidence instead of a lost thought.
How to stop saying um in conversations and meetings
You can't script a conversation, but you can buy yourself thinking time without a filler.
Repeat or rephrase the question. "So the question is how we'd handle the launch date." It's useful for the listener and gives you a few seconds to plan.
Use honest bridge phrases. "Good question, let me think about that" is far better than three ums in a row. It shows you're taking the question seriously.
Lead with your point. Say your conclusion first, then explain. It's easier to speak cleanly when you already know where you're going.
For more on speaking up without losing your thread, read how to speak up in meetings without losing your train of thought.
How long does it take to stop saying um?
Most people notice a real difference within a few weeks of daily practice. The first change is awareness: you'll start catching ums right as they happen, or just before. That moment of noticing is what gives you the chance to pause instead.
Progress isn't a straight line. You'll have days where the fillers come back, usually when you're tired, stressed, or speaking off the cuff. That's normal. Keep tracking your number, and look at the trend over weeks, not single days.
The short version
Um is your brain asking for time. Give it time with a pause instead.
Measure first: record 60 seconds and count your fillers.
Slow down, know your first and last sentence, and end sentences cleanly.
Practice a few minutes a day and track your number over time.
You don't need to become a different person to stop saying um. You just need to practice pausing until it feels normal.