If you can’t stop saying the word “like,” you’re not alone. Unfortunately, overusing that word can cause your friends and coworkers to make unfair assumptions about your education or intelligence levels. Thankfully, there are some solid ways you can stop saying the word “like” to sound smarter and keep your audience engaged for longer. Read through these tricks to change the way you speak for the better.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    My friend is almost addicted to saying "like." He will say it in every sentence. How can I tell him and help him without sounding rude?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    You could pretend that you're working on cutting down the number of times you say "like" yourself. Have him record you and count how many times you say it in 1 minute. Then, ask him if he wants to try, and record him next. You can gently point out how many times he's saying it without being mean or talking down to him.
  • Question
    What other words can I use for like? I have to many "likes" in my paragraph.
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You can use "similar to" in the sense of "The noodles were like rubber." When using the word "like" to express approval, as in "I like pie," you can say "I enjoy pie" or "I love pie" or "Pie is awesome." If you're using the word "like" as a filler word, the way this article is talking about, just remove it entirely.
  • Question
    What form of speech is "like" considered?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    As a term of enjoyment, like is used as a verb, or an action word. When saying it as a term of similarity of comparison, it is a preposition.
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About This Article

Patrick Muñoz
Co-authored by:
Speech Coach
This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. This article has been viewed 594,339 times.
11 votes - 64%
Co-authors: 69
Updated: August 25, 2021
Views: 594,339
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