How to stop saying um so much, and why you do it
To say um less, pause silently instead. Ums tend to come while you search for your next word or idea, and a short silence does the same job. Decide your first sentence and main point before you start, then record yourself for two minutes and count the ums. Aim for fewer, not none: almost everyone says them.
Why you say um
In 1991, Stanley Schachter and colleagues at Columbia University counted the “uh”s and “um”s of lecturers in ten subjects. Humanities lecturers used the most and natural scientists the fewest. When the same lecturers all spoke on a shared topic, the differences disappeared. The researchers concluded that the more words and phrases a subject gives you to choose from, the more often you pause to choose.
Psycholinguists Herbert Clark and Jean Fox Tree argued in 2002 that “uh” and “um” work like words, telling the listener that a delay is coming, with “um” signalling a longer one. Not every researcher agrees that speakers do this on purpose. Both lines of research tie ums to planning what to say next.
What helps
- Pause instead. A short silence usually feels longer to you than to your listener, and a breath at the end of a sentence gives you time to find the next one.
- Decide your first line and your point before you speak. Ums cluster where you are still deciding what to say. Our guide to explaining one idea has a simple outline.
- Count them once. Toastmasters clubs give one member the Ah-Counter role, noting filler sounds and overused words. A phone recording does the same job.
- In interviews, buy time out loud. “That’s a good question, let me think” is a complete sentence.
- Treat “like” and “you know” the same way. They often soften what you say rather than fill time, but the fix is the same: notice them, then pause.
A two-minute um check
- Record yourself answering a question you know well, such as “What do you do at work?”, for up to two minutes.
- Listen back and tally each um, uh and like. Note where they fall: at the start, between ideas, or while hunting for a word.
- Answer the same question again. When you feel an um coming, close your mouth and pause.
- Compare the two counts. If most ums came while you were hunting for a word, try the practice in our guide to finding the right words.
Play: find the word behind the um
Each speaker hesitates because they are hunting for one word. Pick the word they were reaching for.
The word behind the um
1 / 5The meeting was, um, stopped partway, and we’ll carry on tomorrow. It was ____.
Check the answer
Adjourned. It means stopped, to continue later. Postponed means moved to a later time before it starts, and cancelled means it will not happen.
Her answer was, like, you know, short but it covered everything. It was ____.
Check the answer
Succinct. It means short and complete. Brief only says it was short, and curt means rudely short. See concise vs succinct.
The plan is, um, sort of not decided yet, it might change. It’s ____.
Check the answer
Tentative. It means suggested but not settled. Hesitant describes a person who is unsure, and vague means unclear.
He kind of, um, said it without actually saying it. He ____ it.
Check the answer
Implied. To imply is to suggest without saying directly. The listener infers. See imply vs infer.
The new rule is, like, basically making things worse, not better. It’s ____.
Check the answer
Counterproductive. It means having the opposite effect to the one intended. Redundant means no longer needed, and obsolete means out of date.
Your score
Where arcoco fits
arcoco is our vocabulary game for iPhone and Android. If your ums come while you hunt for a word, practising word choice may help you find words faster, though we have not shown that playing reduces filler words.
arcoco does not listen to your speech or coach delivery. Read how the games work to see whether they suit you.