RankedSpeakFiller word counter
Last updated 6 November 2026
Count the um, uh, like and you know in a talk, a meeting or an answer. Tap as you hear them, or paste a transcript and get the count, a rate per 100 words and every filler highlighted. Free, and nothing leaves your browser.
Tap a word each time you hear it. The timer starts on your first tap.
What counts as a filler word
Um, uh, er, ah
Sounds that fill a pause while you find the next words.
Like
A filler when it carries no meaning: "it was, like, huge". Not when it compares or means enjoy.
You know
Asks for agreement nobody needs to give.
So (to start)
Opening every answer or sentence with "so".
Basically, actually, literally
Words that sound like emphasis but usually add nothing.
I mean
A restart before saying the same thing again.
Kind of, sort of
Hedges that make a clear point sound unsure.
Right?
A tag at the end of a statement, often a habit rather than a question.
Why we say um
Um and uh are not random noise. Research on spontaneous speech found that speakers use them to signal a delay is coming, with um tending to come before longer pauses than uh. They are a way of holding your turn while your brain catches up. That is why they cluster at the start of answers and when a question surprises you.
So the fix is not to talk faster. It is to make the pause silent: stop, breathe, then say the next sentence. A one second silence feels long to you and sounds deliberate to everyone else.
How to use fewer filler words
- Count first. Record a two minute answer or ask someone to tap the counter above while you speak.
- Pause instead. When you feel an um coming, close your mouth for a beat.
- Know your first sentence. Most fillers come in the first few seconds of an answer.
- Finish sentences with a full stop, not "so, yeah". Decide how you will end before you start.
- Practise with questions you have not seen. Prepared speeches hide the habit; impromptu answers show it. Our guide to stop saying "like" goes deeper on that one word.
Being the Ah-Counter
At a Toastmasters meeting the Ah-Counter listens to every speaker and notes overused words and filler sounds, then reports them during the evaluation part of the meeting. Open this page on your phone, switch to "Tap counter", press Reset before each speaker and write down their total and rate a minute. If your club tracks different words, the "other" button catches the rest.
Counting your own fillers automatically
Counting yourself is hard while you are the one talking. RankedSpeak is our iPhone app for exactly this: you answer a question you have not seen for 30 to 90 seconds, and a few seconds later you read a score out of 10 with your filler words, pace and pauses measured from a word by word transcript, plus one fix to try next time. One daily prompt a day is free.
Count your ums without anyone tapping
Answer a daily prompt out loud and see your filler words, pace and score a few seconds later.
iPhone app. No Android or web version. What is free and what Pro costs
Questions
What is a filler word?
A word or sound that fills a gap without adding meaning: um, uh, like, you know, so, basically. Everyone uses them. They only become a problem when there are so many that listeners start to notice them instead of what you are saying.
Can this counter listen to me through the microphone?
No, on purpose. Browser speech recognition usually leaves out um and uh when it writes down what you said, so a microphone counter would tell you that you never say them. Use the tap counter while someone speaks, or paste a transcript that kept the fillers.
How many filler words is too many?
There is no official limit. For a reference point: across about 900 short practice speeches in RankedSpeak's practice data, the typical speaker said um, uh or you know about 0.8 times a minute, and about 3.5 fillers a minute once like, so and basically are counted too. The most useful number is your own: count a two minute answer today, then bring it down next week.
What does the Ah-Counter do at Toastmasters?
The Ah-Counter notes overused words and filler sounds from everyone who speaks during the meeting, such as ah, um, so and you know, and reports them in the evaluation part of the meeting. The tap counter on this page is built for that job: one tap per filler, with a timer.
Is it free?
Yes. Both counters run in your browser, there is no sign-up, and nothing you type or tap is sent anywhere.
Sources
- Clark & Fox Tree (2002), Using uh and um in spontaneous speaking, Cognition 84(1) (checked 6 November 2026)
- Toastmasters International: Ah-Counter meeting role (checked 6 November 2026)
Related pages
How to stop saying "um" and "uh"
Drills and a four week plan.
How to stop saying "like"
Why it happens and what to say instead.
Table Topics practice
Daily impromptu prompts, scored.
Toastmasters alternatives
Ways to practise speaking between meetings.
Speaking practice statistics
Filler rates and scores from about 900 practice speeches.
Speech length calculator
Words to minutes at a real measured pace.
Speaking speed test
How fast do you talk? Get your words per minute.
Speech timer
The Timer role: green, yellow and red timing lights.