How to remove filler words from a video automatically
To remove “um” and “uh” without cutting each one by hand, use a tool that transcribes the video: it finds the fillers in the text and cuts the matching audio and video. A silence remover that works on volume will not catch them, because an “um” is a sound, not a silence. Rushly AI works from the transcript and also targets retakes: when you start a sentence again, it keeps the best take, meaning the most complete and fluent one, which is often but not always the last. Review the cuts either way.
By Quentin, video editor and founder of Rushly AI. Features and limits read on the publishers' pages on October 29, 2026.
3 steps
- Transcribe your video in a tool that flags filler words.
- Review what it flagged. Keep the ones that give the sentence its rhythm.
- Cut, then listen to the joins at normal speed, especially where a word was close to the filler.
In Rushly AI, you upload your talking-head video, pick a style and get back an edit that is ready to post; your first video is free, with no credit card. Rushly AI's transcription keeps the ums in the text, which is what lets the cutting step see them as words and cut them. The captions do not show them. The tools below let you do the same gesture.
Volume or meaning: why a silence remover misses “um”
There are two ways to find a filler.
- By volume. The tool measures loudness and cuts what is quiet. An “um” is spoken out loud, so it passes through. Microsoft's page on Clipchamp's silence removal, for instance, covers pauses longer than 3 seconds and never mentions filler words.
- By meaning. The tool transcribes the video and looks for words in the text. This is what Descript, CapCut, Captions and Opus Clip describe on their pages.
An illustration, not a test result. Say you recorded: “So, um, today I want to — I want to talk about, uh, pricing.” A volume-based cutter finds no silence and changes nothing. A transcript tool removes “um” and “uh”. A tool that also looks at retakes would drop the abandoned “So, um, today I want to” and keep “I want to talk about pricing”. That last step is the one most pages we read do not describe.
What each tool says it does
| Tool | How, according to its page | Cost or limit, according to its page |
|---|---|---|
| Descript | AI Tools panel, Remove filler words; per filler: delete, delete and leave a gap, ignore, or remove from transcript; Avoid harsh cuts option | English transcripts; uses AI credits on current plans; free plan lists 1 media hour |
| CapCut (desktop) | Captions, Auto captions, language, Identify filter words, Generate; or Remove filler words above the timeline | One page: free with trial. Another (May 16, 2025): needs Pro, with a free Pro trial |
| Captions | Toggle “Trim filler and silences”, then refine with plain-language prompts | Plan and credits not stated on the page (July 24, 2026) |
| Opus Clip | AI editor, Enhance Audio, filler word removal | Free credits (the pages we read say 90 and 60); video length not stated |
| VEED | Magic Cut picks takes and removes silences and fillers | Magic Cut is a premium feature |
| Gling | Proposes cuts for fillers, long pauses and repeated takes; you review each | Free plan: 1 AI-edited hour a month; free MP4 exports are watermarked |
| Clipchamp | Auto cut finds pauses over 3 seconds | Free for all users; filler words not mentioned on Microsoft's page |
| Rushly AI | Transcript that keeps the ums, then analysis of the meaning; targets retakes | First video free with a watermark; plans are on the home page; we have not published a measurement of its cuts |
Not covered: Premiere Pro. Adobe's help pages refused our automated reading, and we did not test it. To compare Rushly AI with CapCut in more detail, see Rushly AI as an alternative to CapCut.
Two notes from the pages. Descript's help page says detection works on English transcripts, and its pricing pages disagree on whether the free plan's 100 AI credits are one-time or monthly. And CapCut's own guide says to apply removals in small batches so problems are easier to trace.
Should you cut everything?
No. A pause before a number or a punchline carries meaning. Words like “like” or “you know” are sometimes filler and sometimes part of the sentence. Descript's Avoid harsh cuts exists because removing a filler can clip the neighbouring word. Pauses are a separate question: see how to remove silence from a video.
What Rushly AI avoids cutting
The instruction given to the AI is to keep a sentence when in doubt, and never to cut an idea you said only once on the grounds that it looks like a repeat. It targets sentences that are entirely filler, aborted starts, repeated takes and remarks to the camera or the editor. This is a rule the tool follows, not a guarantee: review the cuts.
After the cut: captions
Fillers are one part of the edit; captions are the other. Read about animated captions and captions for TikTok and Reels, and about the whole category of AI video editors if you are choosing a tool.
When Rushly AI is not the right choice
- Audio only. For a podcast or a voice-over, an audio-first editor fits better.
- Several voices, or nobody talking to the camera. Rushly AI targets one person talking to the camera.
- You only want the ums gone. Rushly AI edits the whole video into 9:16; a dedicated filler remover is enough. Like any tool, it can cut a normal word, so review.
- Very noisy sound. Transcription makes more mistakes, so the cuts do too.
- You want to keep a conversational feel. Keep your ums, and cut only the long pauses.
- You need music, sound effects or B-roll. Rushly AI does not add any.
Sources
Pages read on October 29, 2026:
- Descript help, “Filler words”: help.descript.com/script-editing/filler-words; “Shorten word gaps”: help.descript.com/script-editing/shorten-word-gaps; pricing: descript.com/pricing (undated)
- CapCut, filler words tool: capcut.com/tools/filler-words (undated); capcut.com/create/filler-word-removal-for-video (Aug 12, 2026); capcut.com/resource/filler-words-meaning (May 16, 2025)
- Captions, “Remove filler words from videos” (July 24, 2026): captions.ai/blog/remove-filler-words-videos
- Opus Clip, filler word remover: opus.pro/tools/remove-filler-words-from-video (undated)
- VEED, filler remover: veed.io/tools/filler-remover (undated)
- Gling, “Removing filler words” guide (Oct 18, 2026): gling.ai/blog/removing-filler-words-guide
- Microsoft support, “How to use silence removal” (Clipchamp): support.microsoft.com/en-us/Clipchamp/how-to-use-silence-removal (undated); Clipchamp blog, “Remove silences from video” (updated Apr 23, 2025): clipchamp.com/en/blog/remove-silences-from-video
- Submagic, Auto-Cut: submagic.co/features/ai-silence-remover (undated)
Not read: Adobe's Premiere Pro help pages (access error). Buttons and plans change; check them in the app.
Want to see what this does on your own video? Try Rushly AI with your first video free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove ums and uhs from a video automatically?
Use a tool that transcribes the video, flags the “um” and “uh” in the text and cuts the matching audio and video. A silence remover that works on volume will not do it, because an “um” is a sound, not a silence. Review what it flagged before you export: a tool can cut a real word.
How do I remove filler words in CapCut?
On the desktop app, the CapCut pages we read describe two routes: Captions, then Auto captions, the language, Identify filter words and Generate; or a Remove filler words option in the menu above the timeline. One page says you can try it free, another says it needs Pro. We have not tested the buttons in the app, and menus change with the version.
Does Descript remove filler words?
Yes. Its help page says you open the AI Tools panel, choose Remove filler words, and decide for each one: delete it, delete and leave a gap, ignore it, or remove it from the transcript only. An Avoid harsh cuts option skips fillers that cannot be removed cleanly. The page says detection works on English transcripts and that the feature uses AI credits on current plans.
Will a silence remover also remove filler words?
Not if it works on volume. Microsoft's page on Clipchamp's silence removal covers pauses longer than 3 seconds and does not mention filler words. Submagic's Auto-Cut page talks about silence only. To cut an “um”, the tool has to read the transcript.
Should I remove every filler word?
No. A pause before a number or a punchline is part of the message, and words like “like” or “you know” are sometimes real words. CapCut's own guide says highlighted words are suggestions and that some carry meaning, such as self-corrections or emphasis. Good tools let you review each cut.
What about retakes and false starts?
Cutting “um” does not fix a sentence you started three times. In the pages we read, Descript, CapCut, Captions and Clipchamp describe filler words and pauses, not retakes. Gling, VEED (its Magic Cut “selects the best takes”) and Rushly AI say they also handle repeated takes. Check the result on your own video.
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