Filler words are almost always filler. Possible fillers like “like” or “so” are often filler but also real words, so check them in context.
Removes the filler words and accidental repeated words (“the the”). Possible fillers are left in place for you to decide.
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What counts as a filler word?
Filler words are the sounds and phrases we use to hold our place while we think: “um”, “uh”, “er”, “you know”, “I mean”. They’re a normal part of speech, and listeners barely notice them in conversation. In writing, they stand out.
This counter sorts them into two groups:
- Filler words: um, uh, er, erm, ah, hmm, mm-hmm. These are almost never doing real work in a sentence, so the cleaned copy removes them.
- Possible fillers: you know, I mean, like, so, basically, actually, literally, kind of, sort of, right, okay, well, just, really, anyway. These are often filler in speech but are also ordinary words (“I like it”, “do you know where it is?”), so they’re counted and underlined but never removed automatically.
What’s a normal filler word rate?
There’s no single right number, and spoken language naturally has more fillers than written language. The useful comparison is with yourself: count a recording or transcript today, then again after a week of practice. For writing you’re going to send, such as an email, a report or a post, the goal is simply close to zero.
How to use fewer filler words
- Pause instead of filling. A short silence sounds more confident than “um”. Practice letting the gap happen.
- Know your next point. Most fillers appear when you’re deciding what to say next. A three-bullet outline before a call or presentation removes many of them.
- Find your personal fillers. Run a transcript of your own speech through this counter. Most people lean on two or three favorites.
- Slow down slightly. Speaking a little slower gives your thinking time to catch up with your mouth.
Dictating? Let the app remove them
If you dictate emails and messages, you don’t have to train fillers out of your speech first. VybeScript, our dictation app for Mac, has a Clean style that removes “um”, “uh”, “like” and false starts as you dictate, while keeping your words. Polish and Formal go further and tighten or formalize the text. Everything runs on your Mac. (Clean, Polish and Formal need macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence turned on; without it you still get basic filler removal.)
See pricing · Take the speaking vs typing test · Mac dictation commands