Every fluent English speaker uses them. Fillers in English—small phrases that hold speech together and make it human—are the biggest gap between textbook English and real conversation. If your spoken English sounds stiff or robotic, fillers are exactly what you are missing.
This guide gives you 50 essential conversation fillers with meaning, context, and smart substitutes. The six most-requested ones are featured first in detail, followed by the complete set of 50.
⭐ “To Be Honest” — Signals a sincere, sometimes blunt opinion. Works at the start, middle, or end of a sentence.
To be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the presentation.
Substitutes: Frankly speaking | If I’m being real | Between you and me | To tell you the truth⭐ “Oh My Goodness!” — Polite exclamation of surprise, shock, or strong emotion. Safe in formal and informal settings.
Oh my goodness, you actually got the job!
Substitutes: Oh wow | My goodness | Good heavens | Oh dear⭐ “I Don’t Know What to Say / What Should I Say?” — Expresses speechlessness from being moved or overwhelmed. The second form (“What should I say?”) often carries rhetorical exasperation.
After that award, I honestly don’t know what to say. | He forgot again. What should I say?
Substitutes: I’m speechless | Words fail me | I’m at a loss⭐ “Let Me Tell You” — Adds strong emphasis to what follows. Pulls the listener in; signals something important or surprising is coming.
Let me tell you, that train journey from Mumbai to Goa is breathtaking.
Substitutes: I’ll tell you | I must say | And here’s the thing⭐ “Look / See” — Signals a direct, key point. Look = slightly impatient or firm. See = explanatory, guiding the listener to understand.
Look, we need to decide today. | See, the issue isn’t money — it’s trust.
Substitutes: Listen | Here’s the thing | Now⭐ “To Tell You the Truth” — Introduces a real opinion or confession held back until now. Stronger than “to be honest” — implies the truth wasn’t said before.
To tell you the truth, I was never really interested in engineering.
Substitutes: Honestly | To be frank | If I’m being real⭐ “As Far as [Someone] Is Concerned” — Two meanings: (1) From someone’s perspective/opinion. (2) Regarding someone’s area of involvement.
As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed. | As far as the board is concerned, all dues must be paid.
Substitutes: In my opinion | From my perspective | Regarding [someone]
All 50 Fillers — Complete Reference
- To be honest
Sincere, sometimes blunt personal opinion
To be honest, I prefer remote work.
→ Frankly / If I’m real
2. Oh my goodness!
Polite surprise or strong emotion
Oh my goodness, you got promoted!
→ Oh wow / My goodness
3. I don’t know what to say
Speechless — moved, overwhelmed, grateful
After that reception, I don’t know what to say.
→ I’m speechless / Words fail me
4. What should I say?
Rhetorical — exasperation or irony
He forgot again. What should I say?
→ What can I say / I have no words
5. Let me tell you
Emphasises what follows; draws listener in
Let me tell you, that trip changed everything.
→ I must say / I’ll tell you
6. Look / See
Signals a direct or explanatory point
Look, we can’t wait any longer.
→ Listen / Here’s the thing
7. To tell you the truth
Confession or real opinion held back till now
To tell you the truth, I had my doubts.
→ Honestly / To be frank
8. As far as [someone] is concerned
Someone’s viewpoint or area of involvement
As far as I’m concerned, it’s done.
→ In my opinion / From my view
9. You know
Checks understanding; buys thinking time
It’s just, you know, a bit awkward.
→ I mean / Right?
10. I mean
Clarifies or rephrases what was just said
She’s nice. I mean, she really tries.
→ That is / In other words
11. Well
Introduces a hesitant or considered response
Well, that depends on what you mean.
→ Hmm / Let me think
12. Actually
Corrects assumption or adds surprising info
Actually, she finished first in class.
→ In fact / Believe it or not
13. Basically
Summarises or simplifies something
Basically, we ran out of time.
→ In short / Simply put
14. Honestly
Emphasises sincerity or mild frustration
Honestly, I had no idea about this.
→ Truly / To be frank
15. Kind of / Sort of
Softens or hedges a statement
It’s kind of complicated.
→ Somewhat / Rather
16. Like
Casual pause; introduces examples
It was like, completely unexpected.
→ Such as / For instance
17. Anyway
Returns to main point after digression
Anyway, let’s get back to the topic.
→ In any case / Moving on
18. Right
Seeks agreement or confirms understanding
You’ve met Arjun before, right?
→ Correct? / Isn’t it?
19. So
Links ideas or signals a conclusion
So, what do we do now?
→ Therefore / In that case
20. At the end of the day
Signals the ultimate conclusion
At the end of the day, results matter.
→ Ultimately / When all is said
21. Fair enough
Accepts a point with slight disagreement
Fair enough — I see your point.
→ Point taken / That makes sense
22. To be fair
Adds a balancing perspective
To be fair, he did try his best.
→ Then again / That said
23. In other words
Restates something more clearly
In other words, the plan failed.
→ To put it simply / That is
24. More or less
Indicates approximate accuracy
More or less, that’s what happened.
→ Roughly / Approximately
25. Having said that
Introduces a contrasting point
It’s pricey. Having said that, it lasts.
→ That said / Nevertheless
26.
Come to think of it
Introduces a thought that just occurred
Come to think of it, I’ve seen him before.
→ Now that I think about it
27. If anything
Suggests the opposite may be true
If anything, she works harder now.
→ If at all / On the contrary
28. For what it’s worth
Offers a humble, non-imposing opinion
For what it’s worth, I think you’re right.
→ For my part / In my view
29. The thing is
Introduces an explanation or complication
The thing is, I wasn’t even invited.
→ The fact is / Here’s the deal
30. Not to mention
Adds emphasis to an extra point
It’s tiring, not to mention costly.
→ Let alone / On top of that
31. As a matter of fact
Corrects or stresses a surprising truth
As a matter of fact, Priya topped the exam.
→ In fact / Actually
32. In a way
Qualifies a statement as partly true
In a way, I’m glad it happened.
→ Somewhat / In some sense
33. By and large
Means “mostly” or “on the whole”
By and large, the event was a success.
→ Generally / On the whole
34. Either way
The outcome is the same in both cases
Either way, we have to decide today.
→ In any case / Regardless
35. Needless to say
Obvious but worth stressing
Needless to say, everyone was shocked.
→ Obviously / Goes without saying
36. In the long run
Refers to future consequences over time
In the long run, this habit will pay off.
→ Eventually / Over time
37. All things considered
Weighs everything before a final view
All things considered, it was a good year.
→ On balance / Taking all into account
38. If you ask me
Personal opinion, sometimes unsolicited
If you ask me, they left too late.
→ In my opinion / Personally
39. You see
Invites listener to understand your point
You see, it was never about money.
→ The thing is / What happened was
40. Believe it or not
Introduces a surprising or unlikely fact
Believe it or not, he’s never flown.
→ Surprisingly / Unbelievably
41. Now that you mention it
Acknowledges something just brought to attention
Now that you mention it, he did seem off.
→ Come to think of it / Actually
42. As it turns out
Reveals how something actually ended up
As it turns out, she knew all along.
→ It so happened that / In the end
43. On second thought
Reconsiders something just said or decided
I’ll take the coffee — on second thought, make it tea.
→ Actually / Then again
44. At any rate
Concludes or dismisses side points; “anyway”
At any rate, we need to move forward.
→ In any case / Either way
45. Mind you
Adds a qualifying or noteworthy afterthought
It wasn’t cheap — mind you, it was worth it.
→ That said / Bear in mind
46. Funnily enough
Introduces an ironic or amusing coincidence
Funnily enough, I was just thinking the same thing.
→ Interestingly / Strangely enough
47. As luck would have it
Describes something that happened by chance
As luck would have it, the last seat was mine.
→ Fortunately / Coincidentally
48. Put it this way
Reframes a point more clearly or bluntly
Put it this way — I won’t be going back there.
→ Let me put it differently / In other words
49. Last but not least
Introduces a final point that still matters
Last but not least, thank you all for your patience.
→ Finally / And one more thing
50. That being said
Acknowledges the previous point while pivoting
It’s risky. That being said, I’m willing to try.
→ Having said that / Even so
Quick-Reference by Category for fillers in English
| Category | Go-To Fillers |
|---|---|
| Honesty & sincerity | To be honest · To tell you the truth · Honestly · To be fair · For what it’s worth · If you ask me |
| Surprise & emotion | Oh my goodness · Believe it or not · I don’t know what to say · Funnily enough · As luck would have it |
| Emphasis & attention | Let me tell you · Look / See · Not to mention · Needless to say · Put it this way |
| Thinking time | Well · You know · Like · I mean · You see |
| Contrast & pivot | Having said that · That being said · Mind you · Either way · On second thought |
| Perspective | As far as [someone] is concerned · For what it’s worth · If you ask me · In a way |
| Conclusions | Basically · All things considered · At the end of the day · At any rate · Last but not least |
| Clarifiers & reframers | In other words · The thing is · Come to think of it · As it turns out · Now that you mention it |
Learning tip: Don’t memorise all 50 at once. Pick one category per week. Start with “Honesty & sincerity” — use “to be honest,” “to tell you the truth,” and “if you ask me” in messages this week before moving to speech. Within 10–14 days of deliberate use, they become automatic.
Filler #25 — “having said that” — deserves its own deep-dive. Read our post on Using ‘Having Said That’ — Variants and Formal Alternatives. Also see Various Uses of ‘Been’ in English to make these fillers flow even more naturally.