Individuals who stutter may use um often for several reasons. First, as um is a filler word, it is used to buy time when speaking. Individuals who stutter may need to buy time as they are searching for words with sounds that are easier to say. This is called avoidance; if an individual has a difficult time with the sound /p/, then rather than saying parent, they might buy time to replace it with an easier word mother. Another reason why stutterers may use um is because it has become a habit. Possibly due to negative experiences of not getting the sound out as intended, there may be some hesitation with speaking. This hesitation could have fostered a habit of saying um.