Replacing the word like

Like it or not, how you talk can lead people to make a lot of assumptions about who you are, where you’re from, and how educated (or not so educated) you might be. One of the most pervasive bits of vernacular speech in recent years (though beginning in the 1970s with the classic «Valley speak») has been the use, and subsequent overuse, of the word «like» in both casual and professional conversations. While there are many grammatically appropriate ways to use «like» in a sentence, many young people, and a few older ones as well, use the word as filler in sentences, cluttering up their speech and making them sound unsure and possible even uneducated.

If you’re a habitual «like» user, you’re not alone. Even the President is known to use a few «likes» in his everyday speech. Yet helping to curb your habit and refining your speech patterns can be a big benefit when you’re looking for work, giving presentations in your college classes, or even just out on a date. Read on to find some methods, tips, and tricks that can help you make short work of getting all those unnecessary «likes» out of your speech.

Learn how to use «like» correctly.

One way to stop using «like» in weird places throughout your speech is to take the time to learn where it should actually fall with regard to standard usage rules. If you’re unsure, take a look at the Dictionary.com entry for the word. There are several usages explained, the majority variations on using the word to compare things or express similarity and to express enjoyment or favor.

Pause when you would say «like.»

Often, saying «like» is a way to fill in awkward pauses in speech or to buy yourself some time while you think of what to say, but sometimes not saying anything at all can be a better move. Each time you can feel yourself saying «like,» pause instead and give yourself a minute to think. This also works to help you stop saying other pause words like «um,» «er,» and «you know.»

Ask others to help you.

It will undoubtedly get annoying to have your friends and coworkers constantly calling you out on saying «like» but it can also be one of the most effective ways to remind yourself when you’re doing it and to break a particularly persistent pattern. After a few days of consistent reminders, you’re bound to become more conscious of your speech, which can be good for other reasons than just helping you get rid of «like.»

Record yourself.

It’s hard to understand how other people hear you, as often you don’t realize that you have weird speech patterns or tics when you hear yourself in your own head. A solution can be to record yourself in everyday conversation. This will make it easier to see how and when you use «like» and get some help in identifying times when it really isn’t working for you, as well as some ideas on how to stop making it a part of your everyday speech.

Replace «like» with another word.

If you simply can’t seem to break your bad habit of «like» overuse, then it may be time to go cold turkey and stop using it altogether. Replace the word with any other word that means about the same thing. Listeners will get your point and you’ll avoid backtracking in your progress.

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Know the most common ways «like» is misused.

There are a couple of pretty common ways that you’ll hear «like» being thrown around in everyday speech, and knowing what these are can help you be more conscious of times when you might be at risk of using the word yourself. Watch out for using «like» to:

• Make approximations.

  When approximating a value, it’s pretty common to throw in «like» even though it’s not necessary at all. For example, «You need, like, twenty dollars to buy that.» Saying you need «about,» «roughly,» or any other word would be more precise and descriptive.

• Modify adjectives and adverbs.

  You don’t want to say, «It was, like, the biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen!» You don’t need that «like» in there to make the sentence clear and it also strengthens the sentence to omit the word.

• Before a quote.

  We’ve all heard others or been guilty of using «like» before a quote, but using a more descriptive word like «said,» «yelled,» or «asked» is a much better choice and gives life to your recollections. Compare «She was like ‘Mind your own business!'» to «She snarled, ‘Mind your own business!'» One is far more descriptive than the other.

Learn new words.

Can’t think of any words to replace «like» with? Start learning them, then! Break out a thesaurus and look up words that are similar to «like.» You may even want to make a list, paying special attention to words that will allow you to be even more specific or descriptive in your speech.

Challenge yourself.

One way to motivate yourself to get rid of those «likes» is to give yourself a challenge or goal to meet. See how long you can go without saying the word, track your progress each day, or make a game out of kicking the habit to the curb. It might sound silly, but it can be a bigger motivator than you realize.

Think before you speak.

Perhaps the most tried and true way to sound more intelligent and polished when you speak, «like» aside, is to slow down and speak more slowly and deliberately. This means taking time to think before you speak and developing a pace that doesn’t force you to use filler words to help your brain catch up to your mouth. Consider joining a local Toastmasters group or taking some public speaking classes to help you on this issue.

“I think we sent out like 1,500 invitations.”

“I asked him for the report, and he was like, ‘It’s not going to happen today.’”

“She’s, like, pretty frustrated with her new boss.”

And while you can use it here and there without any repercussions, it’s easy to unwittingly cross over to saying “like” frequently, which detracts from your message and overall professionalism.

Take it from me: I was blissfully unaware of my own overuse until a, let’s say, straightforward colleague pointed it out to me—and I’ve since been on a mission to eradicate the word from my vocabulary.

In the same boat? Join me on my journey, and try out the strategies below.

1. Slow Down

I’m known as a mega fast-talker (really—talking too fast was my original go-to answer for “What’s your biggest weakness?”). So, I know slowing down can feel like a nuisance. However, if you’re speaking at a million miles a minute, you aren’t giving yourself the opportunity to correct for form. You hear one “like,” and you’ve already said a second before you can regroup and remind yourself to say “approximately” instead.

Along with thinking through the substance of what you’re going to say, listen for the words coming out of your mouth. Speaking at a slower pace will allow you to catch when you’re about to pause or transition, so that you can be intentional about the word that comes next.

2. Try New Filler Words

“Like” isn’t altogether useless. It can be used for anything from pausing without dead air to purposefully lightening a statement. “Like 500 attendees,” for example, feels like a softer expectation than “500 attendees.”

Thankfully, there are plenty of filler words you can use without the stigma. In place of «like,» try, “for example,” “say,” “nearly,” or “about.” Eventually, you may want to correct for additional words altogether, but for now, use these words as a crutch to stop using “like.”

3. Focus on “Said” 

Perhaps the most common—and the most unprofessional—usage of “like” is when recounting a conversation. Think: “I was like, ‘Want to go grab lunch?’ and he was like, ‘No, I’m way too busy.’” What does that even mean?

So, really focus on your word choice when describing dialogue. If he said something and she responded, use those verbs. If someone thought or referenced or suggested something, say that. If you only follow one rule from this article, make it this one.

4. Work on it Outside the Workplace

“Like” is pervasive—and it’s hard to turn on and off. So, even if you focus on avoiding it all day, if you “like” up a storm after hours, it’ll be hard to switch back come morning.

Instead, reinforce your good habits by forcing yourself to sidestep “like” 24/7. It’ll be dozens more times that you catch yourself and notice when you tend to say it (and practice saying “perhaps” or “maybe,” instead).

5. Forgive Yourself When it Slips In

I won’t lie: Eradicating “like” has thrown me off my game a little bit. Sometimes it feels as though I have a stutter, because I’ll start to say it, then change to another word after starting “l—.” While that half a consonant may be unnoticeable to others, it distracts me, because I spend the next beat thinking, “Shoot! Don’t say that word.”

While in many situations it’s okay to lose focus for a moment or two, sometimes it’s not. If you’re really fired up about the point you’re trying to communicate, it may be more important to focus 100% on your meaning rather than the details of your speech patterns. And I’m here to say, that’s okay. Give yourself a pass, and you can go back to unlearning your bad habit tomorrow.

Saying “like” may not be the most worst professional habit ever, but it’s certainly not the best. So, why not work on polishing up your speech a bit? Even if overuse isn’t a problem yet, by taking these steps now, you can ensure it never will be.

Photo of woman talking courtesy of Shutterstock.

The following conversation occurred between two girls from Southern California.

“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”
“I don’t know, like, its such a beautiful day out, we should, like, go to the beach.”
“That sounds like a good idea, but like, how are we going to get there?”
“Like, uh, let’s call Mike and see if he’ll like give us a ride.”
“Are you sure that’s like, a good idea? Like didn’t you two just like break up?”
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”
“Like oh my god, and then like what did he say next?”
“He was like, “I like you too, but I just can’t be with someone who says ‘like’ so much.”

The word like has become increasingly popular in spoken English in recent years, and has quickly become one of the most used words in conversation. Its uses are many, and it can be used to: stall for time; report speech; soften what you say; approximate; complain; and reinforce. Like is an important word to study because of how often you will hear it used in conversation. Learning how to use it properly will go a long way towards making you sounds more like a native speaker.

Before we go further, I need to put up a disclaimer around the usage of the word like. When used in moderation the word like can be a powerful linguistic tool; use it too much and you risk sounding like a teenage girl. People who over use the word like are perceived as less intelligent and articulate than people who avoid using it. My advice to you is to only incorporate usage of the word like in 1 or 2 of the following ways, but not all of them.

What you already know

You are already familiar with two definitions of the word like. You know that ‘to like’ means ‘to enjoy.” For example:

“I like to eat pão de queijo.”
“Peter likes making pizza.”

If something is like something else, it is similar to it. For example:

“Written Spanish is kind of like Portuguese.”
“Australian English is not like New Zealand English.”

“I’m thinking about what to say”

When you are thinking about what to say and want to fill the air with something, like is the word that you use. In this case, like is very similar to tipo in Portuguese. If you stay silent for too long someone may interrupt you; to avoid this keep saying “like…uhh….like…uhh” until you remember what you were going to say. Here are some examples:

“Do you think you and Janet are going to get married?”
“I don’t know… like… I want to, but then again, I’m kind of scared, you know?”

“What did you do last week?”
“I like… don’t remember!”

From the conversation at the beginning:
“So, like uhh, what do you want to like, do today?”

To report speech or thought

When telling a story to your friends, saying “he said” and “I said” can get pretty repetitive, so sometimes you can change things up by using like. “I was like” can be used in the place of “I said”; “he was like” in the place of “he said. Some teenage girls have completely lost the ability to say “I/you/he/she said” and only use like. To be clear, it’s acceptable to use “he was like” without seeming like a teenage girl, but just don’t let it entirely replace your use of the word “said.”

When “I was like” is used it doesn’t necessarily mean that you said something; it can also be used to designate that you thought something. So in this case “I was like” takes the place of “I thought to myself.” This is also commonly used during story telling.

“You broke up with her? Wow. How did she take it?”
“She was like “What! After all I’ve done for you?”

“And then the teacher was like ‘We have a surprise test today,’ and I was like ‘Shit, I didn’t study at all.’”

In the example from the beginning:
“Well, I mean, like, the last time we talked he was like, “I think we should see other people,” and then I was like, “But Mike, I like really like you.”

To reduce conviction, certainty or force

Like can be used if you aren’t entirely sure about what you are saying and you want to convey your uncertainty. When used like this, like should be before a number, time or quantity.

“Do you exercise a lot?”
“I, like, enjoy working out, but not, like, all the time or anything.”

“What time will you be at the party?”
“I’ll be there at like, 5 or 6.”

In the above conversation it was used like this:

“…we should, like, go to the beach.”

Like can also be used to lessen the force of what you are demanding or requesting of someone.

“Could you do it, like, tomorrow?”
“Oh sure. No problem.”

“Can you like, shut up?”

Like meaning “approximately”

Do you have a hard time pronouncing the word “approximately?” Just start using like instead. Like can be used to show that you are uncertain of a quantity that you are giving to someone. For example:

“Entrance to that bar should be like, ten bucks.”

“He’s like, ten or eleven years old, I think.”

Like Meaning “for example”

In almost all cases the word like can be used to replace ‘for example’. When used this way it should be before a noun or noun phrase. So like:

“Have you been to any Asian countries, like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or North Korea?”

“Do you have any hobbies, like stamp collecting or photography?”

To reinforce

The last use of like is to add reinforcement to something that you are saying. I don’t recommend using like in this way, but I feel like I should add it in here for the sake of completeness.

“Did you see that girl?”
“Yeah, she’s like, so hot.”

“How was Hawaii?”
“Oh, it was like, perfect!”

In the conversation from the beginning it was used like this:
“…like, its such a beautiful day out…”

So like, that’s it. I hope you’ve learned a few new uses for the word like today. If you have any questions about their usage please leave a comment below.

Have you ever heard someone use like in one of the ways described here? Leave your answer in the comments below.

Original: I hope to study mathematics, because I like the fact that mathematics can help in virtually every professional field.

At a minimum, you need to remove your comma splice and drop «like»:

Better: I hope to study mathematics because it can help in virtually every professional field.

In America (USA), it’s stronger to state what you «want» than «hope». Be specific. IMO, «virtually every» has become cliche and gets confused with the now stronger meaning of «virtual» as in «virtual reality». Also, the phrase «it can help» is too anthropomorphic and sounds naive:

Best: I want to study mathematics because of its broad application across many fields that I’m interested in including computing, economics, human behavior, and game theory.

FYI — Many people want to study mathematics because of a love and passion for mathematics itself as an art, a science, and a way to explore the boundaries of self and transcendent knowledge. Just thought you might like to know that math has «more» use than just being helpful in professional fields. It’s good enough to study on its own without using it anywhere!