What to call words like uh, um, uh-huh, hmm (2025)

Hi everyone! Recently, I wrote a long paper on words such as those in the title and how their meanings change according to intonation. My professor advised me to refer to them as utterances. But, having spoken with a collegue of his, he says that he misspoke and that utterances is not the correct term. He suggested interjections, then threw it out. I came up with mumblings, but it doesn't sound very correct to me.

Does anyone know what to call these words/sound/utterances/mumblings?

Maybe grunts?

::still thinking::

[An academic thesis I found] calls them non-lexical conversation sounds.

<Moderator note: this post originally contained a link to the paper in pdf format but the document has been removed>

expletive 2 any syllable, word or phrase conveying no independent meaning, especially one inserted in a line of verse for the sake of the metre.

.,,

They are called vocalized pauses. My boyfriend, who is a journalist, once interviewed a writer he respected immensely — and, in the published transcript of the interview, he left in a few of the times the man said "you know," "like," "mmh" and "ah." It's pretty standard, since without any elements of colloquial speech, a written interview will look preternaturally contrived and formal.

The writer was livid, and promptly sent him an e-mail, "What's up with all the verbalized pauses, man?"

That vivid introduction acquainted us both with the term.

Fillers! Last year my public speaking professor used the word, "Fillers."

Add "like" to that list, also.

Filler words is the standard name for these in basic English classes. Chaska has an interesting thread on the subject in Cultural Discussions.

Saludos, Venus!

I once took a cross-cultural communication class and the term used to describe sounds like these as well as other concomitant elements aiding in communication was 'paralanguage'. Of course, colloquially I would most likely just call them filler words.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paralanguage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralanguage

Josh Adkins said:

I once took a cross-cultural communication class and the term used to describe sounds like these as well as other concomitant elements aiding in communication was 'paralanguage'. Of course, colloquially I would most likely just call them filler words.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paralanguage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralanguage

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It appears to me, as if 'paralanguage' is used mainly for body language and tone fluctuation more than other words actually used. At least from these definitions, is what I gather.

What is the technical name for "filler" words/utterances such as "like", "well", "um", etc?

Thanks

jess oh seven said:

What is the technical name for "filler" words/utterances such as "like", "well", "um", etc?

Thanks

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Articulated pause.

Tabac said:

Articulated pause.

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, These sounds, ("words") to which you refer, and correctly knownas "Vocal Segregates"...

I think vocal segregates might be a little too vague. For example, some definitions of vocal segregates include silent pauses, while others include grunts of approval or uncertainty in response to someone else talking.

"Fillers" or "vocal/verbalized pauses" seem to be the most consistent definitions that match the original poster's question, in my opinion.

ishmealm said:

disfluencies

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An authority for this statement would have been useful, so here is one (if we can accept a Wikipedia article as an authority) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_disfluency. I think ishmealm would have been better to have given the full name of "speech disfluencies".

I would also call them "fillers" (welcome to the forum, Safiya Jasmine!) but, as we see from the previous posts in this thread, there is no consensus, with suggestions ranging between technical terms and casual layman's ad-hoc expressions not based on any serious study.

If you're writing a paper (#1), the thing to do is choose terms that you feel are right for the purposes of your paper, define what you are using those terms to mean in the paper, and be consistent in using the terms you chose.

I think there is a narrow meaning and a wide meaning.

The narrow meaning is words like "umm" "err" "ah" and "uh", that don't express meaning or change meaning. They only prevent someone else from speaking, allowing the speaker to "still have the floor" while finding new words. The term "filler" works for that, I think.

The wider meaning includes fillers and other sounds that are used in conversations (in every language) but aren't official "words" that are part of the official "grammar". Many of these are used in speech but are not used in writing. The term "paralanguage" is probably good for that.

The wikipedia article paralanguage mentions (in English) sighs, gasps, groans, laughter, clearing the throat, fillers, and "huh?" Non-verbal things include nodding and other gestures and facial expressions. Some of these things are used by listeners: it isn't considered "interrupting the speaker" if words aren't used.

From 5 different websites or YouTube videos, these were the results:

filler words and discourse markers

Filler words

Filler words, filled pauses, hesitation markers, thinking sounds discourse markers

Filler words

Filler words

Therefore, fillers or filler words get my vote