A pause between spoken sentences may contain a low, steady room sound. Replacing the whole pause with complete digital silence can make the background disappear and return abruptly.
Listen across the edit
Play several seconds before and after the join at a comfortable level. Focus on the background as well as the words. Does the room seem to switch off? Is the change actually distracting in context, or only obvious when repeated in isolation?
Use appropriate material without changing meaning
If the project calls for consistent ambience, compare a suitable room-tone segment recorded in the same setup. Do not use the technique to conceal a change that misrepresents an interview answer. Preserve a working version so you can compare the unedited timing.
There is no universal pause length or requirement that every gap contain the same sound. A deliberate dramatic silence may be appropriate. The practical aim is to hear the difference and make a conscious editorial choice, rather than assuming that the emptiest waveform always produces the most natural conversation.