12 Things People Who Stutter Are Tired of Hearing

People who stutter make up one percent of the world’s population, meaning there are 70 million people around the world who stutter, according to the Stuttering Foundation.

People who don’t stutter often have a hard time understanding the complexities of stuttering. So even loved ones, while they may mean well, often say the wrong thing.

The Mighty teamed up with The Stuttering Foundation to ask our readers what is something they wish people would stop saying to them.

This is what they had to say:

1. “‘‘Slow down and breathe.’ (If it was that easy, I wouldn’t stutter!)” —  Lisa Lott

2. “‘I know how you feel.’ No you don’t. You speak perfectly fine.” — Shelby Marie Smith

3. “‘Spit it out’ or ‘Did I stutter?’” — Tyler Crew

4. “‘Shouldn’t you have outgrown that stutter?’ [It] boils my blood every time.” — Heather Price

5. “‘Oh, it’s OK. There’s no need to be nervous.’” — Pamela Mertz

6. “I wish people would understand that what I have to say is important, and [it’s] not any less important just because it wasn’t said fluently.” — Rhiannon Karlsen

7. “‘Take your time’ and ‘Start over, it’s fine.’” — Memvis Hale II

8. “‘Just skip over words that start with the letter you stutter on.’ Why didn’t I think of that? OK, I just won’t say any words that start with ‘R,’ ‘S,’ ‘L,’ or ‘W.’ Or ‘F.’ Or ‘D.’ Or ‘T.’ Or ‘B.’ Never mind I’ll just be mute.” — Laura Duggan

9. “‘Think about what you’re going to say.’” — Ceri Harrison

10. “‘Oh, you forgot your name?’ No, I didn’t, but thanks for being so ignorant.” — Danielle Pumilia

11. “I just want to stop being mimicked. I’m very self conscious about it and repeating what I messed up makes me not want to continue talking.” — Mayra Gianella Garcia

12. “‘Relax. It’s all in your head.’” — Maya D. Wilson

*Answers have been edited and shortened.