How to stop saying "um"

Short answerYou can't remove fillers by trying not to say them. Replace each one with a short silent pause, shorten your sentences, and know your first and last lines cold. Measure first so you can see it improve.

Why it happens

A filler fills a gap while your brain looks for the next phrase. The gap isn't the problem. Silence reads as confident to listeners, and fillers read as unsure.

A method that works

Measure. Record 60 seconds on any topic and count your fillers. You can't fix what you haven't counted.
Pause instead. When you feel an "um" coming, close your mouth for a beat. It will feel like forever and sound like a normal pause.
Shorten sentences. Long sentences are where fillers breed. Finish a thought, stop, start the next.
Know your first and last lines. Most fillers cluster at the start, when nerves are highest.
Practice with surprises. Rehearsed answers are easy. Unplanned questions show your real habit.

A few fillers are normal

Nobody speaks without any. The goal is to stop them from piling up in clusters, especially in the opening sentence.

Common questions

Does speaking slower help?

Slowing down the first sentence helps most. If you slow down everything, you can end up flat. Aim for a natural pace with deliberate pauses.

Is "like" a filler?

It can be. "Like" as a comparison is fine. "Like" as a verbal tic every few words is a filler.

Practice it out loud

Luwy counts fillers, pauses and words per minute from your voice, so you see the number change between attempts. Record yourself once, then again after a week of pausing instead of filling.

Try the free 60-second test Practice with Luwy

Written by the Luwy team. Last updated 1 October 2026.