6 Speech Patterns That Make People Underestimate Your Intelligence, According To Psychology

Intelligence and the perception of intelligence are two different things. You can be sharp, insightful, and deeply knowledgeable—and still have people assume you’re not, based entirely on how you speak. It’s not fair, but it’s real.

The way you talk creates an instant impression. Before anyone evaluates the content of your ideas, they’ve already made judgments based on your delivery. Research on first impressions shows that people form opinions about competence within seconds of hearing someone speak. Those impressions are sticky and hard to reverse.

None of these patterns mean you’re actually less intelligent. But if you’re being consistently underestimated—passed over, talked down to, or not taken seriously—the issue might not be what you’re saying. It might be how you’re saying it.

1. Uptalk at the end of statements

Uptalk is when your voice rises at the end of a sentence as if you’re asking a question, even when you’re making a statement. “I finished the report?” “The data shows a 20% increase?” It turns declarations into something that sounds like you’re seeking approval or aren’t sure of your own information.

Linguistic research shows that uptalk undermines perceived authority. Listeners interpret it as uncertainty, even when the speaker is completely confident. You might know exactly what you’re talking about, but uptalk makes it sound like you’re checking with the room to see if you’re allowed to believe your own words.

The pattern is especially common in women and younger speakers, and it’s often unconscious. Recording yourself in a meeting or conversation can reveal whether you’re doing it more than you realize.

2. Excessive hedging and qualifiers

“I might be wrong, but…” “This is probably a dumb question…” “I’m not sure, but I think maybe…” These phrases are meant to soften assertions and avoid seeming arrogant. What they actually do is preemptively discredit whatever comes next.

Hedging signals that you don’t fully stand behind your own ideas. Psychology calls this self-handicapping—undermining yourself in advance so that if you’re wrong, you’ve already provided the excuse. The problem is that listeners often just hear the hedge and discount the rest.

There’s a difference between appropriate intellectual humility and reflexive self-diminishment. Saying “the data suggests” is precise. Saying “I could be totally off base here, but maybe possibly the data might suggest” is handing people a reason to dismiss you.

3. Filler words in high density

Everyone uses filler words—um, uh, like, you know, basically, literally. They’re a normal part of speech. The issue is density. When fillers appear every few words, they create the impression that you’re struggling to think, unprepared, or don’t fully grasp your own material.

Research on speech fluency shows that excessive fillers reduce perceived expertise. Listeners start focusing on the fillers themselves rather than the content. Your actual point gets lost in the static.

The fix isn’t eliminating fillers entirely—that can make speech sound robotic. It’s becoming aware of your baseline and reducing the frequency. Pausing silently instead of filling the gap often reads as more confident and thoughtful anyway.

4. Apologizing before speaking

“Sorry, but I have a question.” “Sorry to interrupt.” “Sorry, this might not be relevant.” The reflexive apology before contributing signals that you view your own input as an imposition—something that requires forgiveness rather than something that adds value.

People who apologize constantly for speaking train others to see their contributions as less important. The apology frames what follows as a burden, and listeners unconsciously absorb that framing. Over time, your input gets weighted lower because you’ve been telling everyone to weight it lower.

There are moments when apologies are appropriate. But if you’re apologizing just for existing in the conversation, you’re signaling a status you don’t actually have to accept. Workplace communication research confirms that chronic apologizers are perceived as less competent, regardless of actual performance.

5. Trailing off without finishing thoughts

“So basically the issue is that we need to… anyway, you get what I mean.” “The reason this matters is because… well, whatever.” Trailing off signals that you’ve either lost your point, don’t think it’s worth finishing, or assume the listener won’t care enough to hear it through.

None of those impressions help you. Incomplete thoughts read as incomplete thinking. Confidence research shows that people who speak in complete sentences with clear endings are perceived as more competent and more certain of their positions.

If you catch yourself trailing off, it’s often because you’re reading the room and sensing disinterest. But abandoning your point confirms that it wasn’t important. Finishing the sentence—even briefly—asserts that what you were saying had value.

6. Vocal fry in professional contexts

Vocal fry is that low, creaky register at the end of sentences—a gravelly sound that’s become common in casual speech, particularly among younger women. In informal conversation, it’s unremarkable. In professional contexts, studies show it triggers negative competence judgments.

Research published in PLOS ONE found that speakers with vocal fry were perceived as less competent, less educated, and less trustworthy—and were less likely to be hired in simulated job interviews. Fair or not, the pattern creates friction in contexts where you’re being evaluated.

This is controversial because the bias against vocal fry falls disproportionately on women, and some argue the criticism is gendered policing of speech. That’s a valid conversation. It’s also true that if you’re being underestimated in professional settings, vocal fry might be a contributing factor worth examining.

None of these patterns reflect actual intelligence. Plenty of brilliant people uptalk, hedge, and use filler words. The issue is perception—the gap between what you know and what others conclude about what you know based on how you sound.

Changing speech patterns isn’t about performing confidence you don’t feel. It’s about not accidentally undermining confidence you do feel. You already have the ideas. The goal is to stop the delivery from getting in their way.

The smartest person in the room doesn’t help anyone if nobody realizes they should be listening.