# Cut the ums and long pauses

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/remove-ums-and-pauses
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> TL;DR: Type "Cut the ums and long pauses" and Vidiyo reads your local transcript, deletes the filler words and false starts it finds, and removes pauses that the audio confirms are silent. Each cut keeps a short breath so speech doesn't sound clipped, and the whole pass is one undo.

## What to say

> Cut the ums and long pauses

Category: Cuts

## What Vidiyo does

1. Reads the transcript word by word, with each word's place on the timeline.
2. Marks filler words, false starts and repeated words that carry no meaning.
3. Deletes those words with a ripple cut that keeps a natural breath around them.
4. Removes pauses the audio confirms are silent, longer than about half a second by default.
5. Runs the quality checks for dead air and a slow opening, then reports the new length.

This is usually the first thing you say to a fresh talking-head recording. Vidiyo removes the filler words and dead air, leaves your meaning intact, and gives you a tighter rough cut you can keep editing by chat or by hand.

## What does Vidiyo do when you say this?

Vidiyo reads the word-timed transcript of your clip, deletes the filler words and false starts it finds, then removes pauses the audio confirms are silent. Word deletes ripple the timeline closed, so there are no gaps left behind, and each cut keeps a short breath so the speech still sounds like you.

The pause pass is the careful part. A gap in the transcript isn't proof of silence, because a laugh or a sigh can sit there. Vidiyo measures the audio and only cuts the stretches that really are quiet. Afterwards it runs its quality checks for dead air and a slow opening, and tells you the length before and after.

## How do you phrase it?

You can say it in plain words, and the more specific you are, the closer the first pass lands. Some variations that work:

- "Cut the ums and long pauses"
- "Remove the filler words but keep the pauses before the punchlines"
- "Only cut pauses longer than a second"
- "Tighten the gaps in the first 30 seconds only"
- "Cut the 'you know's and the false start at 0:42"

Timestamps and quoted words help most. If you say "keep the pause after 'and that's when it broke'", the assistant finds that line in the transcript and leaves it alone.

## How would you do this by hand?

By hand, you scrub the waveform, find each silence and each filler word by ear, blade the clip on both sides, delete the piece and close the gap. Then you listen back to check you didn't clip a syllable. Transcript-based editors speed that up, but you still read and select every filler yourself. Here you say one sentence and review the result.

## What should you check afterwards?

Play the cut once at normal speed and listen for rhythm, not just gaps. A video with every pause removed can feel breathless, so ask for "a little more room after each point" if it does. If a filler survived because the transcript missed it, give its timestamp and Vidiyo cuts it. Everything is one undo away.

## Honest limits

- Local transcription doesn't always write down every "um". One it misses stays in until you point at it.
- Timelines max out at 5 minutes.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Vidiyo cut the pauses based on the transcript or the audio?

Both. It only removes a pause when the audio itself is quiet there, so a gap in the transcript that actually holds sound is left alone for you to check.

### Will it cut words I meant to say?

It shouldn't. The assistant is told to keep every word that carries meaning and never to cut a word just to save time. If you disagree with a cut, undo it or name the word you want back.

### Can I make it more or less aggressive?

Yes. Ask for "only pauses over a second" for a gentle pass, or "tighten every gap" for a faster one. The pause length is a setting the assistant changes from your words.

### Does my footage leave my Mac?

No. Transcription runs on your Mac. The assistant reads the transcript text and a few still frames under your Claude or ChatGPT plan, and the video file stays local.

## Related

- [Remove silences and filler words automatically](https://getvidiyo.app/features/silence-and-filler-word-removal)
- [Dead air](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/dead-air)
- [Jump cut](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/jump-cut)
- [How to remove filler words from a video](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/remove-filler-words-from-video)
- [Keep only the best take of each line](https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/keep-the-best-take)

Download Vidiyo for Mac (free during the beta): https://getvidiyo.app/download