We counted 2.1 million filler words. Here's what reduces them
Data from practice sessions on what actually cuts 'um' — and the one habit that makes it worse.
By UnMocked Team
Our transcription keeps filler words on purpose — you can't fix what you can't measure. Across 2.1 million fillers in practice sessions, three patterns stand out.
Fillers cluster at transitions
62% of fillers occur in the first five words of an answer or right after a follow-up question. They're not a vocabulary problem; they're a planning problem. The fix is the silent beat: one full second of pause before answering. Users who adopted it cut fillers 38% in two weeks.
Speaking faster makes it worse
Candidates above 170 WPM produce nearly double the fillers of those at 130–150 WPM. Slowing down gives your planner time to keep up with your mouth. Our pace tracker flags sessions where you drift above 160.
What doesn't work
Trying to suppress fillers consciously mid-answer. It splits attention and tanks answer quality — communication scores drop even as fillers barely move. Train the pause, watch the pace, and let the fillers fall out on their own.