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
Vocal Fry at Work: What the Research Actually Says
Vocal fry is not a young-woman problem, and the 2026 research says men and older adults creak more. Covers what vocal fry actually is, why listeners judge it, and what to do if you want to change it.
7 min
How to Stop Saying Um: The Pause Method
Learn how to stop saying um, why filler words cluster under pressure, and how to replace them with the silent pause that listeners read as confidence. Works in meetings, interviews, and presentations.
8 min
Why Do I Say Like So Much at Work?
Learn why you say like so much at work, how filler words affect perceived confidence, and how to reduce them without sounding robotic.
8 min
How to Stop Rambling in Meetings
Learn how to stop rambling in meetings with BLUF, timed compression drills, and practical techniques for giving clearer workplace answers.
9 min
Best App for Filler Words in 2026
Compare the best apps for reducing filler words in 2026. Includes Wellspoken, Credible, LikeSo, Orai, Speeko, Yoodli, and more, with features, pricing, and verdicts.
9 min
Speakers to study on this topic
Annotated transcripts and Wellspoken Index breakdowns for speakers who do this well.
Research on this topic
Literature reviews with footnoted academic citations.
Filler Word Frequency in Professional Speech: Norms, Contexts, and Perceptual Thresholds
A review of the peer-reviewed research on how often filler words occur in spontaneous speech, what drives their production, and how their use is perceived across professional and evaluative contexts.
Filled Pauses vs. Silent Pauses in Speech: Functional Differences and Behavioral Modification
Research in psycholinguistics and speech science distinguishes filled pauses such as "uh" and "um" from silent pauses, showing they carry different meanings for listeners and respond differently to training.
Speaker Credibility and Verbal Disfluency: A Review of Perception Research in Professional Contexts
A synthesis of experimental and observational research, from 1964 to the present, on how listeners infer a speaker's competence, intelligence, and credibility from filled pauses and other speech disfluencies.