Filler and Crutch Words
Filler and crutch words are phrases a speaker might use when they are thinking about what they are going to say, such as um, uh, like, and you know. At TranscribeMe, we always remove filler words such as uh, um, mm-hmm, etc. (unless it is the only response to a direct question). However, the only crutch words we remove are like and you know when they add no meaning to what is said. The difference between a crutch word or meaningful utterance lies in its function in the sentence.
Like
- I like to play baseball. (Verb, keep)
- It happened like five years ago. (An approximation - can replace with "about" - keep)
- Like I really don't know how you do that. (Crutch word, remove)
- She doesn't, like, go there that often. (Crutch word, remove)
You Know
- Do you know the way to Santa Fe? (Subject and verb, keep)
- She really doesn't, you know, love him. (Crutch word, remove)
Trick question:
Yeah, definitely.
Ah! Asking for agreement. If the person is truly seeking agreement/understanding and the other speaker makes a meaningful response (i.e., not merely feedback), leave it in. This would be equivalent to saying, "Right?"
Other Crutch Phrases
Note that we DO NOT remove any crutch words/phrases other than like and you know. This means that, no matter how frequently the speaker uses them, we include utterances such as sort of, kind of, I mean, I guess, etc. Barring exceptional circumstances, DO NOT offset kind of or sort of with commas.
Said:
I was, like, you know, kind of wanting to sort of, you know, understand, like, how to, you know, kind of use crutch words, I mean, in transcribing, like, because I want to, like, do a good job, right? I like transcribing, yeah, you know, and want to, like, get on, you know, kind of a special team. You know what I mean?
Type:
I was kind of wanting to sort of understand how to kind of use crutch words, I mean, in transcribing because I want to do a good job, right? I like transcribing, yeah, and want to get on kind of a special team. You know what I mean?