Every IELTS candidate uses filler words. The difference between Band 6 and Band 7 is not whether you use them -- it is which ones you use and how often. Some fillers make you sound thoughtful and natural. Others make you sound nervous and unprepared. This guide breaks down the fillers that help, the ones that hurt, and exactly how to replace bad habits with better ones.
The IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors for Fluency and Coherence at Band 7 describe a speaker who "speaks at length without noticeable effort" and whose hesitation is "usually content-related rather than language-related." At Band 6, the speaker "may self-correct and repeat, which sometimes disrupts flow."
Filler words sit right at the centre of this distinction. When you say "um" three times in a ten-second answer, the examiner hears language-related hesitation -- you are searching for words. When you say "well, to be honest" before giving your opinion, the examiner hears a natural conversation opener. Same pause, completely different impression.
The goal is not to eliminate every filler. Native speakers use fillers constantly. The goal is to use the right fillers in the right places so your speech sounds natural, not anxious.
These are discourse markers -- words and phrases that native speakers use to organise their thoughts, signal transitions, and sound conversational. Using them in IELTS Speaking demonstrates natural fluency.
| Filler | What It Signals | Example in IELTS Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| "Well..." | You are about to give a considered response | "Well, I think the main issue is that most people do not have enough free time to exercise regularly." |
| "Actually..." | You are adding nuance or correcting a common assumption | "Actually, I used to dislike reading, but I have come to enjoy it in the last few years." |
| "I mean..." | You are clarifying or refining your point | "It was challenging -- I mean, not impossible, but it required much more effort than I expected." |
| "To be honest..." | You are about to share a genuine, possibly unexpected opinion | "To be honest, I do not think social media has been entirely negative for young people." |
| "Let me think..." | You need a moment to consider (completely natural) | "Let me think... I would probably say the most memorable trip I have taken was to Japan." |
| "You know..." | You are connecting with the listener (use sparingly) | "It is one of those skills that you do not appreciate until you really need it, you know?" |
| "That said..." | You are about to present a counterpoint | "I enjoy living in a city. That said, I do sometimes miss the quiet of the countryside." |
| "In fact..." | You are reinforcing or strengthening your previous point | "I have always been interested in history. In fact, it was my favourite subject at school." |
Key Point
These fillers work because they serve a communicative purpose. Each one tells the examiner something about the structure of your thought. "Well" says "I am considering the question." "Actually" says "here is a nuance." "That said" says "here comes a counterpoint." They are not empty sounds -- they are signals that organise your speech.
These fillers do not serve a communicative purpose. They are sounds or phrases that appear when your brain is searching for the next word or when you are nervous. One or two per answer is normal. Five or six signals a fluency problem.
Nervous Fillers (Reduce These)
Stalling Phrases (Avoid These)
The difference is not subtle. Here are the same answers delivered with bad fillers versus good discourse markers.
Filler-Heavy (Band 5-6)
"Um, on weekends I usually, like, stay at home and, um, watch TV or something. You know, sometimes I go out with friends but, um, it depends. Like, if the weather is good, you know, we might, um, go to a park or something like that."
Natural Markers (Band 7+)
"Well, it really depends on the weather. If it is nice out, I usually meet up with friends and we head to a park or a cafe. That said, I do enjoy quieter weekends too -- sometimes I just stay in and read or catch up on a series I have been watching."
Filler-Heavy (Band 5-6)
"That is a good question. Um, I think, like, technology has basically changed a lot of things. Like, students can, um, basically study online now, you know? And, um, it is kind of easier to find information and stuff like that."
Natural Markers (Band 7+)
"Absolutely. Actually, I think the biggest shift is access. Students can now take courses from universities on the other side of the world without leaving their home. In fact, a friend of mine completed an entire certificate programme online last year. That said, I do think in-person learning still has advantages that technology cannot fully replace."
Filler-Heavy (Band 5-6)
"Um, so basically I had to, like, give a presentation at work and, um, I was really nervous because, you know, I am not really good at, like, speaking in front of people. So, um, basically I practised a lot and, um, in the end it was, like, okay I guess."
Natural Markers (Band 7+)
"I would have to say it was a presentation I gave at work about two years ago. To be honest, public speaking has never been my strong suit, so I was quite anxious about it. I mean, I had done smaller meetings before, but this was in front of about fifty people. What I ended up doing was rehearsing every evening for a week, and actually, by the day of the presentation, I felt much more prepared than I expected."
Hear how your fluency sounds to an examiner. Record an answer and get scored.
Try IELTS Speaking PracticeYou cannot eliminate fillers through willpower alone. Your brain reaches for "um" automatically because it has done it thousands of times. You need to overwrite that habit with a new one. Here is how.
Record yourself answering three IELTS questions. Play back each recording and tally every "um," "uh," "like," and "you know." Most students are shocked by the count. You cannot fix what you have not measured.
Trying to stop saying "um" without a replacement creates awkward silences that feel worse than the filler. Instead, map each bad filler to a better alternative:
| Instead of... | Try... | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| "Um..." / "Uh..." | Silent pause (1-2 seconds) | A brief silence sounds confident and thoughtful. Examiners do not penalise natural pauses. |
| "Like..." (as filler) | "For example..." or just drop it | If you mean to give an example, say so. If not, the sentence works without it. |
| "Basically..." | "What I mean is..." or "In short..." | These phrases sound intentional rather than like you are simplifying because you are stuck. |
| "You know... you know..." | Drop the second one entirely | One "you know" is conversational. The second is a verbal tic. |
| "That is a good question" | "Well..." or "Let me think..." | Both buy you the same thinking time without sounding like a rehearsed stalling tactic. |
| "Kind of... sort of..." | "Somewhat" or "to some extent" | More precise hedging that shows vocabulary range rather than uncertainty. |
Pick one bad filler to work on per week. For the entire week, every time you catch yourself about to say "um," pause silently instead. Record yourself daily and check your count. Most people cut their target filler by half within a week.
Most filler words appear because you are speaking faster than you can think. Slowing down by even 10% gives your brain enough time to find the next word without an "um" to bridge the gap. Band 7 fluency is not about speed -- it is about smoothness. A slightly slower, filler-free answer scores higher than a fast, filler-heavy one.
There is no official IELTS filler word limit, but here is a practical guideline based on what examiners reward at each band level:
Band 7-8: 0-2 fillers per minute
Mostly discourse markers ("well," "actually," "that said"). Nervous fillers are rare and do not disrupt the flow. Speech sounds natural and conversational.
Band 6: 3-5 fillers per minute
A mix of discourse markers and nervous fillers. "Um" and "like" appear but do not completely dominate. The examiner can follow your ideas, though flow is occasionally disrupted.
Band 5 and below: 6+ fillers per minute
Frequent "um," "uh," "like," and "you know" that break the flow of nearly every sentence. The examiner has to work to follow your ideas. This level of hesitation signals limited language control.
To measure your own rate, record a 2-minute answer, count every filler, and divide by two. If you are above 5 per minute, this is one of the fastest ways to raise your Fluency and Coherence score.
Filler words and vocabulary quality work together -- or against each other. A strong idiom or precise phrase loses its impact when it is sandwiched between fillers.
Idiom Weakened by Fillers
"I think, um, remote work has, like, really hit a wall, you know? It is, um, kind of not sustainable."
Idiom Delivered Cleanly
"I think remote work has hit a wall for a lot of people. The initial excitement has worn off, and many are struggling with isolation."
The idiom "hit a wall" is the same in both examples, but it only lands in the second one because the speech around it is clean. If you are working on using idioms in IELTS Speaking, reducing your filler count is the fastest way to make those idioms sound natural.
Part 1 questions are about familiar topics. Your answers should be brief and direct. There is almost no reason to use a filler here because you are not thinking about complex ideas. If you catch yourself saying "um" in Part 1, you are probably speaking before you have decided what to say. Take a half-second pause before you start, then deliver your answer cleanly.
Best discourse markers for Part 1: "Well," "Actually," "To be honest"
Part 2 is where fillers spike because you are speaking for two minutes straight. The key is preparation during your one minute of planning time. Jot down 3-4 key points on your notepad so you always know what comes next. When you transition between points, use discourse markers ("That said," "What was interesting about it was," "Looking back") instead of filling the gap with "um."
Best discourse markers for Part 2: "What I remember most is," "That said," "Looking back," "In fact"
Part 3 asks abstract, opinion-based questions. This is the hardest part for fillers because you are forming complex ideas in real time. "Let me think" and "That is an interesting point" are both acceptable here because the questions genuinely require thought. But do not use more than one thinking phrase per answer -- after that, you need to commit to your response.
Best discourse markers for Part 3: "I would argue that," "Let me think," "It depends on," "On the other hand"
Record yourself answering an IELTS question. Play it back and make a tally mark for every filler. Separate your tallies into "helpful" (discourse markers) and "nervous" (um, uh, like). Your goal: reduce nervous fillers by half each week.
Time required: 5 minutes per day
Set a timer for 2 minutes and talk about any topic. Every time you feel an "um" coming, stop. Say nothing for one full second. Then continue. This feels unnatural at first, but a silent pause sounds far more confident than a filler. After a week, the pauses become automatic.
Time required: 2 minutes per day
Pick 3 discourse markers from the table above. For one full day, use only those 3 markers as your fillers -- in English conversations, practice sessions, even talking to yourself. By forcing yourself to reach for "well" or "actually" instead of "um," you are rewiring your default filler response.
Time required: Passive practice throughout the day
It depends on the filler. Natural discourse markers like "well," "actually," and "to be honest" can help your Fluency and Coherence score by making your speech sound conversational. But nervous fillers like excessive "um," "uh," and "like" signal hesitation and reduce your fluency score, especially when they appear multiple times in a single answer.
The best fillers are discourse markers that serve a purpose: "well" (to introduce a considered response), "actually" (to add nuance), "I mean" (to clarify), "to be honest" (to signal a genuine opinion), and "let me think" (to buy thinking time naturally). These make your speech sound thoughtful rather than hesitant.
Replace "um" and "uh" with silent pauses or natural discourse markers. Record yourself answering practice questions and count your fillers. Then re-record the same answer, pausing silently where you would normally say "um." A brief silence sounds far more confident than a filler. Most students reduce their filler count by half within two weeks of deliberate practice.
Yes. Brief pauses of 1-2 seconds are completely natural and are not penalised. The IELTS Band Descriptors at Band 8 actually describe hesitation that is "content-related" -- meaning you are pausing to think about what to say, not how to say it. A short silence is always better than filling the gap with "um" or "uh."
Too many filler words make your idioms sound less confident. An idiom like "hit a wall" loses its impact when surrounded by "um" and "like." The best idiom still lands awkwardly if you hedge it with fillers. Reduce your filler count first, and your idioms will sound more natural as a result.
How to use idioms strategically without overdoing it. The one-per-minute rule and topic-matched examples.
Read guide →Understand how Fluency, Vocabulary, Grammar, and Pronunciation are scored from Band 4 to Band 9.
Read guide →5 proven strategies and a 4-week practice plan to raise your pronunciation score with per-word feedback.
Read guide →Record an answer, get scored on fluency and coherence, and see exactly where your speech sounds natural versus hesitant.