Filler words to cut from your writing, and when to keep them

Filler words add length without adding meaning: intensifiers like very and really, hedges like just and sort of, throat-clearing like basically and it is important to note that, and wordy phrases like in order to. Cutting them usually makes writing shorter, clearer and more confident. The catch is that some of them sometimes carry meaning, so the job is to cut with judgement, which is how the filler word remover is meant to be used.

What counts as a filler word

In speech, fillers are the um, uh and you know that buy time to think. They are normal, and listeners mostly ignore them. Writing has no thinking time to buy, so the written equivalents are pure padding. William Strunk Jr. put the principle in three words in The Elements of Style: "Omit needless words." A word is needless if removing it leaves the meaning unchanged, or if a single stronger word can replace a phrase: "it was very, very cold" says nothing that "it was freezing" does not.

The usual suspects

• Intensifiers: very, really, extremely, totally, completely, absolutely, truly, seriously. They try to add force but often weaken a sentence by implying the plain word was not enough.
• Hedges: just, quite, rather, somewhat, kind of, sort of, a bit, pretty much. They soften claims, sometimes usefully, but in bulk they make the writer sound unsure.
• Throat-clearers: basically, actually, literally, honestly, obviously, clearly, of course, needless to say. Most can simply be deleted.
• Announcements: it is important to note that, it should be noted that, please note that. If something is important, saying it is enough.

Wordy phrases and shorter swaps

• in order to: to
• due to the fact that: because
• at this point in time: now
• in the event that: if
• has the ability to: can
• a large number of: many
• prior to: before
• make a decision: decide
• give consideration to: consider
• on a daily basis: daily

Phrases like make a decision and give consideration to are a special case: a strong verb buried inside a noun. Turning them back into decide and consider shortens the sentence and gives it a real verb.

A before-and-after edit

Here is a deliberately padded paragraph:

Basically, we really need to make a decision about the budget in order to start the project prior to March. It is important to note that the team is actually able to finish it in the near future if we just give consideration to their plan.

The filler word remover makes ten changes and takes it from 46 words to 26:

We need to decide about the budget to start the project before March. The team is able to finish it soon if we consider their plan.

That is a big improvement, but a human edit goes further. Is able to should become can; the tool missed it because actually sat in the middle of the phrase. Decide about the budget reads better as agree the budget. Automatic cutting is a first pass, not a finished edit.

When to keep them

• When the word has a job. Just can mean only (just two tickets left) or a moment ago (she just left). Very is sometimes exactly right, as in the very end.
• In dialogue and informal writing, where fillers make people sound like people.
• For tone. In emails, a little softening, such as could you just check, can read as polite rather than weak. Cut the second and third hedges, not necessarily the first.
• For honest uncertainty. In scientific and analytical writing, hedges like somewhat or may accurately signal how strong the evidence is.

This is why an automatic tool should never have the last word. The filler word remover lists every change it makes, so you can reverse the ones that changed the meaning.

A quick editing routine

• Finish the draft first; hunting fillers while drafting slows you down.
• Run the text through the filler word remover and read the list of changes.
• Restore any cut that changed the meaning or the tone you wanted.
• Check for stock phrases with the cliché finder; Clichés to avoid in writing, and what to write instead explains what to replace them with.
• Compare the before and after totals in the word counter, especially if you are working to a limit.
• Read the result aloud. If a sentence now sounds abrupt, a filler may have been carrying its rhythm; put it back.

The readability checker shows whether the shorter sentences have also made the text easier to read.