What the Filler Word and Cliché Detector does
This detector highlights the words and phrases that weaken writing and sorts them into five categories: filler ("basically", "in order to"), clichés ("at the end of the day"), hedging ("I think", "it seems that"), weak qualifiers ("somewhat", "pretty much") and unnecessary intensifiers ("very", "really"). It counts each category, gives its density per 100 words and shows every hit in its sentence, with a suggestion where a shorter phrase exists.
You can tune it to your writing: pick a style profile, switch categories off, add your own allowlist and blocklist, and skip quotations, code and any text you select. Paste a revised version to compare before and after. The whole check runs in your browser; your draft is never uploaded or saved.
How to use it
- Paste your draft, or load the sales email or essay example. Highlights appear as you type, coloured by category, and skipped sections are shown with a dashed underline.
- Choose the style profile that matches the writing. Academic allows the careful hedging that research writing needs; Business adds jargon clichés such as "circle back" and "synergy"; Technical adds "simply", "obviously" and "please note that".
- Decide what to skip. Quotations, code and anything between [ignore] and [/ignore] are skipped by default; select any other passage and press Ignore selected text.
- Open Allowlist and blocklist to stop flagging words you use deliberately and to add your organisation's banned phrases. Write "leverage = cliche" to put a blocked phrase in a category.
- Edit, then open Before and after, press Start from the draft and revise the copy. The comparison shows each category's count before and after and lists the phrases you removed or introduced.
- Download the CSV or JSON, save a printable HTML report, or copy the list for a colleague.
Reading the results
Density is flagged phrases divided by counted words, times 100. Words in skipped sections are not counted, so a long quotation does not dilute the result. There is no official "good" density; use it to compare drafts of the same piece, or pieces of the same kind.
Each category asks a different question. Filler: does this word add meaning? Cliché: would a reader skim past it? Hedging: are you really unsure? Weak qualifier: is there a more exact word? Intensifier: would a stronger word do the job alone?
A highlight is a prompt, not an error. "Just" is filler in "I just wanted to check" and essential in "a just decision"; add words you use deliberately to the allowlist rather than rewriting good sentences to satisfy a count.
Worked example: a sales email that says little in 81 words
Load the sales email with the General profile. It has 84 words; the 3 inside the quotation "really, really easy" are skipped, leaving 81 counted words. The detector flags 13 phrases, which is 13 / 81 x 100 = 16.0 per 100 words, in 4 of the email's 6 sentences.
By category: 4 filler (just, basically, in order to, simply) at 4.9 per 100 words; 3 clichés (game changer, at the end of the day, think outside the box) at 3.7; 2 hedges (I think, I feel like), 2 weak qualifiers (quite, pretty much) and 2 intensifiers (really, very), each at 2.5.
Switch to the Business profile and "reach out" and "touch base" are added as clichés: 15 phrases, 18.5 per 100 words. A revision that cuts the opener to "I'm writing about our new platform" and replaces "a total game changer" with one specific result typically removes most of the list - the comparison shows exactly which phrases went.
Formulas and scoring rules
- Density per category
density = hits in the category / counted words x 100Counted words exclude quotations, code, [ignore] sections and selections you chose to skip. Shown to 1 decimal place.- Overall density
all flagged phrases / counted words x 100- Matching
whole words, longest phrase first, case- and accent-insensitive"at the end of the day" is one cliché, not a cliché plus "the end".
How this differs from a word counter or a plain-language check
A word frequency counter counts every word equally, so "very" appears somewhere in a long list next to "the" and "plan". A plain-language checker looks at jargon, long words and reading grade. This tool looks only for the words that weaken writing, groups them into the five categories with a density for each, lets you tune the lists and skip quotations and code, and compares two drafts. Use the Word Frequency Counter to spot repetition of any word, and the Plain Language Analyzer for jargon and readability.
Where the word lists come from
The lists were written for this page from common editing advice - the kinds of redundant phrases plain-language guides suggest cutting, such as "in order to" and "due to the fact that", and widely recognised clichés. They are English only and they are editorial choices, not a standard. Every flagged phrase is shown with its category, so you can see exactly why it was flagged and allowlist it if it is right for your text.
Limitations: what the result does not prove
- It matches words and phrases; it does not understand meaning. "Really" in "Did she really say that?" is doing real work, and the detector will still flag it.
- The lists are English. Text in other languages will produce few or no hits, which does not mean it is free of filler.
- Quotation detection needs matching quote marks. An unclosed quote is not skipped, and single quotes are not treated as quotations because they double as apostrophes.
- A low density is not proof of good writing, and a high one is not proof of bad: dialogue, speeches and informal posts naturally use more hedges and intensifiers.
Privacy: where your data goes
Everything you paste, type or drop is processed in this browser tab. It is not uploaded, logged, stored or sent to analytics. Session recording and tag-manager scripts are switched off on this page.
Standards and sources
- US federal plain language guidelines - omit unnecessary words
- GOV.UK A to Z style guide - words to avoid
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a filler word in writing?
Words and phrases that take up space without adding meaning: "basically", "actually", "just", "in order to" ("to" is enough), "due to the fact that" ("because"), "it is important to note that". Deleting them usually makes a sentence shorter and more direct without changing what it says.
What is the difference between a hedge and a weak qualifier?
A hedge softens how certain you sound about a claim - "I think", "it seems", "arguably". A weak qualifier waters down a single word - "somewhat risky", "fairly good". Hedges are sometimes honest and necessary; qualifiers usually mean a more exact word is available.
Why are hedging phrases allowed in the Academic profile?
Research writing hedges on purpose: "the results appear to suggest" states the strength of the evidence accurately. The Academic profile stops flagging those careful hedges but still flags personal ones such as "I feel that" and adds academic filler like "it is interesting to note".
How do I stop it flagging a word I use on purpose?
Add it to the allowlist under Allowlist and blocklist, one entry per line. To skip a whole passage instead, select it in the draft and press Ignore selected text, or wrap it in [ignore] and [/ignore]. Tick Remember to keep your lists in this browser.
Can I add my company's banned words?
Yes. Put them in the blocklist, one per line. Add "= cliche", "= filler", "= hedge", "= qualifier" or "= intensifier" after a phrase to count it in that category; phrases without a category are shown separately as your blocklist.
How is this different from the Word Frequency Counter?
The Word Frequency Counter counts every word and phrase equally. This tool checks only for weak-writing patterns, labels each one by category, measures density per category, lets you skip quotations and code, and compares a draft with its revision.
What does the before and after comparison show?
It runs the same settings over your draft and your revised version, then shows each category's count before and after, the change, the density per 100 words for both, and which phrases were removed or newly introduced by the revision.
Last reviewed by the A2Z.Tools team against the sources listed above.
