Meaning & use
buffer words
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Meaning
nounplural
Words or phrases used to soften a statement, make a request less direct, or fill pauses in speech.
Grammar: Always plural; use 'a buffer word' for one such word.
Patterns
- use buffer words
- add buffer words
In polite conversation, people often use buffer words like 'perhaps' or 'I think' to avoid sounding too direct.
Her speech was full of buffer words such as 'you know' and 'like', which made her sound uncertain.
Teachers encourage students to use buffer words when writing formal emails to sound more polite.
Word forms
| singular | buffer word |
|---|
Common combinations
- use buffer words
- She used buffer words to soften the criticism.
- fill with buffer words
- He filled his pauses with buffer words like 'um' and 'well'.
- a string of buffer words
- The sentence was just a string of buffer words with little meaning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hedges
- Hedges are words that reduce the force of a statement (e.g., 'sort of'); buffer words also include fillers and polite softeners.
- fillers
- Fillers are sounds or words used to fill pauses (e.g., 'um'); buffer words are more purposeful, often to soften.
Word family
- buffer verb
- To protect against impact or to lessen a shock.
Commonly confused: buffer words or buzzwords?
buffer words vs buzzwords
Buzzwords are trendy jargon terms; buffer words are used to soften or fill speech.
Practice
Which of these is an example of a buffer word used to soften a request?
Choose one answer.
'Could you possibly' is a buffer phrase that softens the request. The other options are direct commands without softening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buffer words”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.