How to Stop Saying Um and Like: A 4-Week Plan

“Um”, “uh”, “like”, “you know”, “basically”, “so yeah” — filler words plug the gaps while we search for the next thought. One or two go unnoticed, but when there are lots of them you sound unsure, and listeners start counting your fillers instead of following your point. The good news: it’s a habit, and habits can change.

Where filler words come from

Fear of silence. A pause feels like it makes you look lost, so you fill it with sound.
Speaking too fast. Your mouth gets ahead of your thoughts, and “um” and “uh” slip into the gaps.
Nerves. Under stress, fillers multiply.
Missing words. When the right word won’t come, “like” takes its place.
Copying others. We pick up fillers from the people around us.

A four-week plan

Week 1. Find your fillers

Record 2–3 minutes of unscripted speech: talk about your day or your job. Play it back and write down every filler and how many times it came up. Most people have 2–3 “favourites” — those are the ones to work on. If listening to yourself feels awkward, here’s why your recorded voice sounds so strange.

Week 2. Swap the filler for a pause

The core exercise: every time you feel an “um” or “so” coming, just stop for a second. To a listener, a pause sounds like thinking, not confusion. Practise by retelling articles and videos, 5 minutes a day.

Week 3. Slow down

Speak about a quarter slower than usual. Slower speech gives your brain time to find the word, and fillers drop off on their own.

Week 4. Grow your vocabulary

Play the synonym game: take a word (say, “good”) and name 10 synonyms out loud in a minute. Read good writing aloud — a richer vocabulary naturally crowds out fillers.

Quick tricks for important conversations

Prepare your first and last sentence in advance and say them out loud.
Take a breath before each new thought: you can’t say “um” while breathing in.
Use short sentences — they leave less room for fillers.
Ask a friend to give you a quiet signal whenever they hear a filler.

Track your progress

In the Голос app you practise for about 10 minutes a day from a weekly plan: breathing, articulation and reading aloud. Calm breathing and the habit of reading aloud help you speak more evenly and stop fearing pauses. After a week you record a short passage again and get a progress report. For catching fillers in free speech, your phone’s voice recorder works well.

FAQ

Can you get rid of filler words completely?

Rarely, and you don’t need to: in a relaxed conversation, the odd “um” sounds natural. The goal is for fillers not to distract from what you’re saying.

How long does it take?

With daily practice, the number of fillers usually drops noticeably within 3–4 weeks.