Public Speaking Pace: free speaking game to cut filler words

What is Public Speaking Pace?

Eight short speeches, from a team update to a museum tour, all full of um, like and basically. Tap the filler words to cut them, tap the gaps to place pauses, then deliver and compare with the clean version.

Public Speaking Pace is a free public speaking game. Each round is a short speech, like a team update, a shop opening or a pitch night, written the way people really talk: full of um, uh, like, you know and basically. Tap the filler words to cut them, then tap the gaps between words to place a pause where it helps.

Then deliver it and see the clean version, with the pauses marked, plus how many seconds the fillers cost. Some words only look like fillers: "we like bikes" or "turn right at the fountain" need them, and cutting them breaks the sentence.

At a glance

Category

Skillz

Difficulty

Easy

Play time

2–4 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Cut the fillers

With the ✂ Cut tool, tap um, uh, like, you know, basically… Watch out: "I like bikes" and "turn right" are real words.

Place the pauses

With the ‖ Pause tool, tap the gap before the punchline, or after a question to the room. Keys: C, P, arrows, Enter, D to deliver.

Deliver

See the clean version, what you missed and why each pause works. Under half right costs one of 3 lives.

Score

+20 per filler cut, +30 per pause in place, −20 per real word cut, −10 per pause mid-phrase, +50 for a perfect speech.

Scoring

Each speech scores +20 per filler cut and +30 per pause in place, −20 per real word cut and −10 per pause mid-phrase, plus 50 for a perfect speech.

A speech with fewer than half of its fillers and pauses right costs one of 3 lives. A run is 8 speeches, from 2 fillers to 4 fillers with look-alike words.

What it trains

Cutting filler words

Spotting um, like, you know and basically, and telling them apart from real words like "I like".

Pausing on purpose

Giving the punchline a beat, and the room time after a question.

Speaking and presenting

Hearing what a tight, confident delivery sounds like.

Strategy and tips

Fillers sit at the edges

Most hide at the start of a sentence (So, um…) or right before an important word.

Check the meaning

If the sentence breaks without the word, it isn't a filler: "felt like a week" needs like.

Pause before the punchline

The laugh, or the nod, comes in the silence just before the last line.

Wait after a question

Asking the room something? Give people a beat to answer in their heads, or raise a hand.

Never pause mid-phrase

A pause between "the" and "dinosaur" sounds like you lost your place.

Why play Public Speaking Pace?

Fillers are normal when we think out loud, but on a stage they make a speaker sound unsure and dilute the message. A well-placed pause does the opposite: it sounds confident and gives people time to react. Spotting both on paper is the first step to hearing them in your own voice.

Frequently asked questions