How do you remove “um” and “uh” from a video automatically?
By Mohamed Mokbel, founder · Last updated:
Run a tool that finds the “um” and “uh” sounds and cuts them, then review the result. Cutora AI cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know'. A hesitation its speech check does not hear as a separate sound stays in.
What can automatic filler removal do, and what can it not?
| Situation | What automatic removal can do | In Cutora AI |
|---|---|---|
| A clear “um” or “uh” between two words | Cut it, when the recogniser hears it as a separate sound | Cut |
| Words such as “like”, “so” and “you know” | Depends on the tool's own list of filler words, so check it | Kept: Cutora AI keeps words such as “like”, “so” and “you know” |
| A hesitation the recogniser does not hear as a separate sound | Stays in, in any tool that works from what it hears | Stays in: a hesitation the speech check does not hear as a separate sound is not cut |
| A filler stretched or mumbled into a word | May be missed | Cutora's product facts do not say yet |
| Several fillers in a row | Cutting them all can leave a rushed rhythm, so put a pause back where it helps | Remove or restore any single cut from the Edits list. There is no setting for an exact pause length |
| Another language | Depends on the tool | Built and tested for English and Arabic; other languages are not supported or tested. |
How does automatic filler removal work?
A tool transcribes the speech with a recogniser that writes filler sounds down, marks each “um” and “uh” with its time, and cuts those ranges. The limit follows from that: it can only cut a filler its recogniser hears as a separate sound. Cutora AI's speech check looks at the gaps between words and cuts a clear “um” or “uh” sound there. It does not cut a transcribed word.
What should you check afterwards?
- Each place a filler was cut. A cut can take a breath or the start of the next word.
- The rhythm. Fillers close together leave a gap that can sound rushed. Restore a pause where one belongs.
- Words you wanted gone. “Like” and “you know” stay in Cutora AI. Cut one by hand, or ask the chat for it, as editing by chat explains.
Repeated lines and abandoned sentences are a different edit: see cutting retakes and false starts automatically.
Can Premiere Pro remove filler words?
Can I globally remove "um" in Premiere Pro?
Yes, in a sequence. Premiere Pro's Text-Based Editing can detect "uh" and "umm" filler words and delete them from the sequence transcript. Adobe's announcement of the feature (13 September 2023) says filler words are language agnostic and work in all 18 languages supported in Speech to Text, and that a clip transcribed earlier must be re-transcribed to add them (Adobe Community announcement, read 27 October 2026). In a November 2025 Adobe forum thread, a community expert added that it works only in the sequence version of the transcript, not in a source clip (Adobe Community thread, read 27 October 2026).
Does Premiere Pro remove filler words automatically?
Partly. Premiere Pro finds the filler words, but you choose to delete them. Adobe's announcement says you can click a filler word and delete it from your sequence transcript, and that Delete offers Extract, which closes the gap, or Lift, which leaves it (Adobe Community announcement, 13 September 2023, read 27 October 2026). A RedShark News walkthrough (5 December 2023) says the bulk delete can be risky and that review is still needed (RedShark News, read 27 October 2026).
How accurate is Premiere's filler word detection?
Adobe has not published an accuracy figure on the pages we could read, so there is no number to quote. Adobe's announcement (13 September 2023) says Text-Based Editing detects "uh" and "umm" filler words. A RedShark News review of the beta (5 December 2023) said Premiere Pro "is not 100% effective in detecting filler words yet" (RedShark News, read 27 October 2026). Both come from the beta period, so test it on your own footage and check each deletion.
Which tools remove um and uh, and from what files?
Which tools and workflows automatically remove "um" and "uh" from my podcast recordings?
It depends on whether you work with audio or video. Descript's home page says "Cut filler words and retakes in a click", and its paid plans list Remove Filler Words (Descript pricing, read 27 October 2026). Cleanvoice says it can "Find every filler word and long pause, and cut them out" from audio or video uploads (Cleanvoice, read 27 October 2026). We make Cutora AI, which is built for one person talking to camera and accepts MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM and MKV files, so it does not fit an audio-only podcast. It cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know'.
Can I remove filler words from old videos?
Usually yes. OpusClip's blog (published 17 November 2025) says filler-word tools "work on any audio or video file, regardless of when it was recorded" (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026). OpusClip makes a competing tool, so treat that as the vendor's view. Cutora AI takes raw video in and gives edited video out, and Cutora's product facts do not say how it handles a video that was already edited and published.
Do filler-word removers work with video or just audio?
Both kinds exist. OpusClip's blog (17 November 2025) says Descript, Kapwing, Premiere Pro and OpusClip support video editing with filler removal, and lists Cleanvoice and Auphonic as audio-file tools (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026). Cleanvoice's own page, though, says it accepts audio or video, so check the tool you plan to use (Cleanvoice, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI works on video files: it cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know'.
Should you remove every filler word?
Should I remove all "ums" and "ahs", or keep some?
Keep some. In a forum reply dated 3 July 2025, Jeff Bullas wrote that the approach is "not about total removal": cut long, pronounced fillers and false starts, and leave very short ones inside a sentence's natural flow, because removing every one can sound "jarring, choppy, and overly edited" (Jeff Bullas forum, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know'.
Is there a rule of thumb for how many filler words to cut versus keep?
No fixed count turned up in the sources we read. The Jeff Bullas forum reply (3 July 2025) gives one test instead: ask whether the filler word hurts the clarity of the sentence, cut it if it does, and otherwise leave it unless removing it sounds unnatural (Jeff Bullas forum, read 27 October 2026). OpusClip's blog (17 November 2025) warns that removing clustered fillers can create "a rushed feel", so you may need to put a pause back (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026).
Should I ask AI to remove every filler word and breath?
No. invideo's guide (published 9 October 2026) says "Some filler words and breaths belong to the speaker's natural delivery" and advises starting with distracting repetition and abandoned attempts, then reviewing the rest in context (invideo guide, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI does not remove words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know', and you review the cut on an editable timeline with undo.
How do I keep useful pauses in an AI edit?
Decide what each pause does, then restore the ones that matter. invideo's guide (9 October 2026) suggests naming the job of the pause, such as separating ideas, giving viewers time to see an action or holding a reaction, and then restoring or adjusting those moments on the timeline (invideo guide, read 27 October 2026). In Cutora AI you review the cut on an editable timeline with undo, and you can also change the edit by chat, which works with real limits.
Will removing filler words make my content sound robotic?
Not if you cut lightly, though over-cutting can sound rushed. OpusClip's blog (17 November 2025) says filler-word removers do not make speech robotic "if you use the tools correctly", and also warns of "a rushed feel" when fillers sit close together (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know', and you can listen to the cut and undo any change. More on pacing is in does AI editing sound natural.
How accurate are filler word removers?
Which podcast editor removes filler words (ums/ahs) without clipping the ends of sentences?
We found no editor that can promise this, because clipped endings come from how tight the cuts are, not from the filler list. Our guide on removing pauses (updated 4 October 2026) says soft consonants at the ends of words can fall below a silence threshold and recommends padding of a tenth to a fifth of a second. Cutora's product facts do not say how it treats sentence endings, so listen to the joins on the timeline before you export. See also does AI editing sound natural.
How accurate are AI filler-word removers?
No independent measurement turned up. OpusClip's blog (17 November 2025) says current AI models reach "85 to 95 percent accuracy on clear audio" and that accuracy drops with heavy accents, technical jargon or poor recordings, but OpusClip makes a competing tool and the page does not say how it measured (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026). Cutora's product facts give no accuracy figure. They say a hesitation the speech check does not hear as a separate sound stays in.
Do filler-word removers work with multiple speakers?
Often yes, with some loss on overlapping speech. OpusClip's blog (17 November 2025) says most modern tools handle multi-speaker audio effectively, with slightly lower accuracy on overlapping speech or poor audio, and names Descript, Otter.ai and Riverside.fm as supporting speaker identification (OpusClip blog, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI is meant for one person talking to camera, and Cutora's product facts do not say how it handles several speakers.
More questions
Does Cutora cut words like "so", "like" or "you know"?
No. It cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as 'like', 'so' and 'you know'. A hesitation the speech check does not hear as a separate sound stays in. Other tools differ: BlitzCut's guide says to usually remove "you know" when it appears more than once in 2 minutes, and to consider keeping "like" in casual formats (BlitzCut, read 27 October 2026).
Will the AI cut a word that sounds like "um" in another language?
Cutora's product facts do not say. English works today and Arabic cutting and captions are in Beta; nothing is stated about filler words in other languages. A word that sounds like "um" could be cut if the speech check hears it as a hesitation sound, so listen to the cut and undo any change on the timeline.
What if my name sounds like a filler word?
Cutora's product facts do not say how it treats a name. It cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds that sit between words, so a name that is spoken as a word is less likely to be touched, but we cannot promise it. Listen to the places where you say your name before you export, and undo any cut on the timeline.
Should I cut every um in a podcast?
No. BlitzCut's guide says to usually remove a standalone "um" or "uh" between sentences and to consider keeping a brief "um" that builds to an important point, because it creates emphasis (BlitzCut, read 27 October 2026). Cutora AI cuts clear 'um' and 'uh' sounds between words; it is built for one person talking to camera, and its product facts do not describe podcasts with several speakers.