What is filler words?

What is Filler Words?

Filler words are the sounds and phrases that occupy space while you think: um, uh, like, you know, basically, actually, sort of, I mean. Everyone uses them — in ordinary conversation they are invisible. They become a problem on sales calls for two reasons. First, density: under pressure the rate spikes, and a listener reads that spike as uncertainty about what you are selling. Second, position: fillers cluster around the parts of the call you have not rehearsed, which is usually the price and the objection response. That makes them a diagnostic. A rep averaging two per minute across the call but twelve per minute while answering 'how much is it?' does not have a speech problem; they have an unrehearsed pricing answer. The fix is not to speak more carefully — it is silence. A pause reads as confidence; 'um' reads as searching.

When to use Filler Words

• Reviewing your own call recordings for confidence signals
• Preparing pricing and objection answers, where filler density spikes
• Coaching new reps in their first month, when the rate is highest

Real examples

• Baseline: under 3 filler words per minute reads as fluent; above 6 reads as hesitant.
• Diagnostic: filler rate triples during the pricing question — that answer needs rehearsing.
• Replacement drill: record yourself answering five objections, replacing every 'um' with a one-second pause.

Common mistakes

• Trying to eliminate fillers entirely. Natural speech has some; sterile delivery sounds scripted.
• Measuring the average and missing the spike, which is where the real information is.
• Speaking faster to avoid pauses, which raises filler rate rather than lowering it.

Want to practice Filler Words live? Run a roleplay with an AI buyer.