verbal tic
Involuntary word repetition
A verbal tic is a word or phrase someone uses repeatedly, often unconsciously—a habitual filler or mannerism in speech: His verbal tic of saying "basically" every other sentence drove me crazy.
The term borrows from the involuntary muscle twitches called tics, suggesting the speaker can't help themselves.
- stutterInvoluntary speech repetition
- stammerSpeak with involuntary repetitions
- twitchInvoluntary muscular jerk
- fillerSubstance closing gaps
- filler wordMeaningless verbal pause
um · uh · like · I mean · nervous · habit · repetition · mannerism · quirk · speech · speech pattern · public speaking · involuntary · pause · hesitation · actually · basically · sort of thing
- clichescliche, platitude, bromide, tired phrase, worn phrase
- comedy termsjokes, puns, wit, sarcasm, irony
- speech habitsmumbling, stuttering, stammering, rambling, interrupting
- character voiceaccent, dialect, pitch, tone, cadence
- repetitive speechrepetition, echo, reiteration, stutter, stammer
- language termsgrammar, word, vocabulary, syntax, synonym
verbal, tic, verb, verbs, verbally, verbalize, verbalized, verbalizing, verbalization