IELTS Speaking Fillers: Which Ones Help and Which Hurt

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Fillers only hurt your IELTS Speaking score when they show you are searching for words. Pausing to think about ideas is natural at high bands. Replace empty sounds like 'uh' and 'um' with short real phrases such as 'Let me think about that for a second' and use them once per answer at most.↗ Share on X

Fillers do not lower your IELTS Speaking score by themselves. What lowers it is the reason behind them. If you pause because you are thinking about an idea ("Hmm, that is a tricky one, let me think..."), examiners treat that as natural. If you pause because you cannot find a word or finish a sentence ("I... uh... um... the... uh..."), that counts against Fluency and Coherence. So the goal is not zero fillers. The goal is to swap empty sounds like "uh" and "um" for short, real phrases that buy you two or three seconds and sound like normal English.

How do examiners actually judge hesitation?

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IELTS Speaking is marked on four criteria, each worth the same share of your score:

The public band descriptors make a clear split. At the higher bands, hesitation is described as being about content: you pause to decide what to say. At the middle bands, hesitation is described as being about language: you pause to search for words or fix grammar. In plain terms, a Band 8 or 9 speaker sounds like a native speaker thinking. A Band 5 or 6 speaker sounds like someone translating in their head.

That is why the same pause can be fine or harmful. It depends on what fills it.

Which fillers sound natural and which hurt you?

Think of fillers in three groups.

Group 1: Sounds that hurt when repeated. "Uh," "um," "er," "ah." One or two in a whole test is normal. Ten in one answer is a problem.

Group 2: Words used as a crutch. "Like," "you know," "actually," "basically," "I mean." These are real English, but if you use the same one in every sentence, the examiner notices. It also adds nothing to your vocabulary score.

Group 3: Thinking phrases that sound fluent. Short chunks that native speakers use to gain time. These keep your speech moving and show control. Examples:

• "That is an interesting question."
• "Let me think about that for a second."
• "I have never really thought about it, but..."
• "How can I put this..."
• "It is hard to say, but I would guess..."
• "Well, it depends on what you mean by..."
• "Off the top of my head..."
• "What I mean is..."

Your job is to move from Group 1 and Group 2 toward Group 3.

How many thinking phrases are too many?

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There is no official count. A practical rule: one thinking phrase per answer, at the start, is plenty. If you use "That is an interesting question" to open every Part 1 answer, it starts to sound memorized. Examiners are trained to spot rehearsed language, and memorized chunks do not earn credit.

Rotate between four or five phrases. Use them only when you genuinely need time. If you already know the answer, just answer.

What should you say in each part of the test?

The test runs about 11 to 14 minutes and has three parts. Each one needs a slightly different approach.

Part 1: short personal questions

Questions are simple: your home, work, studies, hobbies. You rarely need thinking time. If you do, keep it tiny:

• "Hmm, probably..."
• "Oh, that is easy..."
• "To be honest..."

Then give a direct answer plus one reason or example. Two to four sentences per answer.

Part 2: the long turn

You get 1 minute to prepare and then speak for up to 2 minutes.

You get a topic card and one minute to make notes. This is where most people freeze in the middle. The fix is to plan your transitions, not just your ideas. Write down four key words, one for each bullet on the card, and use linking phrases to move between them:

• "Moving on to why it was important..."
• "As for how I felt about it..."
• "Another thing I remember is..."

If you lose your thread, do not go silent. Say "What I remember most clearly is..." and pick up the next note.

Part 3: the discussion

These questions are abstract and harder: society, change, opinions. This is where thinking phrases belong. Pausing to consider a big question is natural, and examiners expect it.

• "That is a complex issue. I would say there are two sides..."
• "I am not an expert, but my impression is..."
• "It really depends on the country. In mine, for example..."

How do you recover when you forget a word?

This is the moment most people say "uh... uh... uh..." for five seconds. Instead, talk around the word. This is called paraphrasing, and examiners reward it because it shows you can keep communicating.

1. Do not stop. Say "What is the word..." or "the thing you use to..."

2. Describe it. "...the machine that cleans the floor by itself" instead of "robot vacuum."

3. Keep going. Do not apologize or explain that you forgot.

A short self-correction is also fine: "He go... he went there last year." Correcting yourself once shows awareness. Correcting every sentence breaks fluency.

How do you train fillers out of your speech in 2 weeks?

You cannot fix this by reading about it. You need to hear yourself. Here is a simple plan that takes about 20 minutes a day.

1. Days 1 to 2: Record a baseline. Answer five Part 1 questions and one Part 2 card on your phone. Play it back and count every "uh," "um," and repeated crutch word. Write the number down.

2. Days 3 to 5: Pick your five phrases. Choose five Group 3 phrases that feel natural to you. Write them on a card. Say each one aloud 10 times so it comes out automatically.

3. Days 6 to 8: Slow down. Most filler comes from trying to speak too fast. Record answers at a slightly slower pace. Notice that a silent half-second pause sounds better than "uhhh."

4. Days 9 to 11: Paraphrase drill. Ask a friend or app to give you random object names. Describe each one for 20 seconds without saying the word.

5. Days 12 to 14: Full mock tests. Do a complete 14-minute mock test each day. Count fillers again and compare with Day 1.

Track your count in a simple table:

You should see the empty sounds drop. If they do not, the issue is usually vocabulary, not fillers. Spend more time learning topic words for common IELTS themes like technology, environment, education, and work.

Is silence better than a filler?

A short silence is better than a long "uhhh." Silence for one or two seconds sounds like thinking. A drawn-out sound draws attention to the gap.

But long silence is worse than both. If you are quiet for five seconds or more, the examiner may move to another question, and you lose the chance to show your English. If you need more than two seconds, use a thinking phrase to fill the space with real words.

What mistakes make fillers worse on test day?

• Memorizing whole answers. Examiners change the question when they hear a script. When the script breaks, you freeze and the fillers come back.
• Using fancy phrases you do not understand. "Notwithstanding the aforementioned" in a casual Part 1 answer sounds strange. Simple and natural wins.
• Saying "I do not know." Even if you have no opinion, give one. "I have never thought about it, but I suppose..." keeps you speaking.
• Rushing. Speaking fast is not the same as speaking fluently. Steady and clear is better.

What should you do today?

Record yourself answering one Part 2 card right now, no preparation beyond the official minute. Play it back and count your "uh" and "um" sounds. Then choose five thinking phrases from this article, write them on a card, and practice each one out loud ten times. Tomorrow, record the same card again and compare. That one number, filler count, is the fastest way to see your fluency improve before test day.

FAQ

Do fillers like um and uh lower my IELTS band?

A few are normal. Many of them, especially while you search for a word or fix grammar, count against Fluency and Coherence. Hesitation about ideas is treated as natural; hesitation about language is not.

Can I memorize phrases like 'That is an interesting question'?

Yes, but rotate four or five of them and use them only when you need time. If you open every answer with the same phrase, it sounds rehearsed and earns no credit.

What should I do if I forget a word during the test?

Keep talking and describe it instead: 'the machine that cleans the floor by itself.' Paraphrasing shows you can keep communicating, which examiners value more than a single missing word.