Pillar guide

Filler words at work

Updated

What 'um,' 'uh,' 'like,' and 'you know' actually do, and how to use fewer of them under pressure.

Filler words are placeholder sounds your brain produces while searching for the next word. They're universal across languages, but in professional settings the rate matters. Below 2 per minute sounds polished; above 5 hurts credibility. This guide collects everything Wellspoken has published on filler reduction.

Every article on this topic