Filler Words: Enemy or Tool?

Most English courses teach one rule:

“Avoid filler words.”

So learners try to delete:

• um
• uh
• like
• you know

But something strange happens.

When they remove fillers:

• pauses get longer
• speech sounds robotic
• confidence drops

Because fillers are not always the enemy.
At B2+, they become a professional communication tool.

Two Types of Fillers

1) Translation Fillers (B1)

These appear when the brain is searching:

• “uhhh…”
• long silence
• switching to native language

Signal:

processing problem

2) Discourse Fillers (B2+)

These organize thought:

• “actually…”
• “to be honest…”
• “the thing is…”
• “I mean…”

Signal:

communication strategy

The Filler Spectrum

Englivo analyzes filler quality, not just quantity.

👉 Related:
How Pauses Reveal Fluency

When Fillers Help You

1) Buying Thinking Time

“That’s an interesting question… let me think.”

Better than silent panic.

2) Softening Opinions

“To be honest, I’m not fully convinced.”

More diplomatic than:

“I disagree.”

3) Organizing Stories

“So, the main issue was…”
“What happened next was…”

Creates listener-friendly structure.

When Fillers Hurt You

1) Before Verbs

“I… uh… decided…”

Classic translation signal.

2) Repetitive Crutches

Saying “like” 12 times in a minute.

3) Native-Language Escape

Switching to L1 to think.

The Professional Filler Set

Replace These:

• uh
• um
• err

With These:

• “the point is…”
• “from my perspective…”
• “what I’m trying to say is…”
• “in other words…”

This is the jump from B1 → B2.

How Englivo Reads Your Fillers

During Live Practice we detect:

1. Location – before verbs or between ideas
2. Type – searching vs structuring
3. Repetition – crutch detection
4. Recovery – how you continue

This directly affects your CEFR score.

Check your filler profile →
Try AI Tutor

5-Minute Filler Upgrade Drill

Step 1 – Record 60 seconds

Talk about:

“Your last weekend.”

Step 2 – Count

• uh/um = red flags
• discourse fillers = green

Step 3 – Replace

Turn:

“uh… I went…”

into:

“actually, I went…”

FAQ

Should I eliminate all fillers?

No.
Eliminate search fillers, keep discourse fillers.

Do natives use fillers?

Constantly — but strategically.

Can fillers improve my CEFR level?

Yes. Quality fillers often mark the B2 boundary.

Want feedback on YOUR fillers?
👉 Join Live Practice