What is the average number of filler words?

The average was 8.9 filler words per recording across all languages, and 6.4 in English, but the median was only 2, because a small long tail of high filler recordings pulls the average up.

What are the most common filler words?

In English, the most common are “um”, “uh”, “like”, “so”, and “you know”. Every language has its own: German “äh”, Spanish “este”, French “euh”, and more.

Where does this filler word data come from?

From 300+ real recordings processed by SpeakFlare's speech analysis engine across 15 languages, transcribed, speaker separated, and counted against language specific filler lists. It is a directional real world dataset that updates as more recordings are analyzed.

Filler Word Statistics: What 300+ Real Recordings Reveal

Q: How many filler words is normal?

In 300+ real recordings SpeakFlare analyzed, the median was just 2 filler words per recording and 85% had fewer than 10. Under about 5 fillers per recording is cleaner than most speakers; routinely above 10 is where practice helps most.

Most advice about filler words is based on opinion. These numbers are not. SpeakFlare analyzed 300+ real recordings across 15 languages, real meetings, pitches, and practice sessions, not scripted samples, and counted every "um", "uh", "like", and "you know". Here is what the data actually shows.

How many filler words is normal?

Across every recording we analyzed, the average was 8.9 filler words per recording, but the median was just 2. That gap is the whole story. Most people barely use fillers; a small group uses a lot and pulls the average up.

29% of recordings had zero filler words.
56% had between 1 and 9, the normal, barely noticeable range.
15% had 10 or more, the long tail that listeners actually notice.
The single worst recording contained 205 filler words.

Average vs. median: why "cut your filler words" is usually wrong advice

Because the average (8.9) is more than four times the median (2), a blanket "you say "um" too much" warning is wrong for most speakers. The useful question is not "do I use fillers?" but "am I in the 15% long tail?" If you record a few real conversations and land under about 5 fillers per recording, your delivery is already cleaner than most. If you are routinely above 10, that is where focused practice pays off fastest.

Filler words in English

Narrowed to the 151 English recordings in the set, the average was 6.4 filler words with a median of 2, slightly cleaner than the cross language average. The most common offenders were the usual suspects: "um", "uh", "like", "so", and "you know".

It is not just English

SpeakFlare measured fillers across 15 languages, each with its own set, German "äh", Spanish "este", French "euh", Hebrew and Russian equivalents, and more. Filler words are universal; only the sounds change. Averages per language vary widely on small samples, so treat single language numbers as directional.

How this data was measured

These figures come from recordings processed by SpeakFlare's speech analysis engine: each recording is transcribed, each speaker separated, and filler words counted against a language specific list. This is an evolving, real world dataset, directional insight into how people actually speak, not a controlled laboratory study, and it updates as more recordings are analyzed. Measure your own filler rate free in 30 seconds, no signup required.