Words and phrases that make writing sound like AI
This list comes from the rule set our checker runs. None of these words is banned, and a good writer can use any of them. They are on the list because machine text reaches for them far more often than people do, and because each one can usually be replaced by something a reader can see.
1. Words that promise more than they deliver
The heaviest group. Each word stands in for a specific claim the writer did not make. When you cut it, you usually find there was nothing underneath.
| Word | What it is doing | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| robust | Claiming strength without saying what breaks | the number it handles, the case it survives |
| seamless | Claiming nothing went wrong | what used to go wrong, and what you changed |
| holistic | Claiming the parts fit | name the parts, or name the one that was missing |
| leverage | A verb wearing a suit | use, spend, borrow, apply |
| pivotal / crucial | Importance as an adjective | say what changed because of it |
| meticulous | Praise for care, with no evidence | the check you ran, the thing you caught |
| vibrant / intricate / tapestry | Colour where there is no picture | the actual scene, the actual detail |
| underscore / showcase | Pointing at a point already made | say it once, earlier |
| landscape / paradigm | A map with no streets | the market, the tool, the year |
| foster / enhance / elevate | A change with no actor and no measure | who did what, and what got better |
| deep dive / delve | Announcing depth | start at the third paragraph and go |
| cutting-edge / game-changing | A date-sensitive boast | what it does that the old one did not |
2. Wind-ups: the sentence before the sentence
These phrases buy time. They feel like a run-up and read like a stall.
| Phrase | Say instead |
|---|---|
| Here's the thing | the thing |
| The truth is | the claim |
| What matters is | the claim |
| It comes down to | the cause |
| Let's be clear / let's be honest | be clear |
| At its core / at the heart of | the mechanism |
| What really matters | the one thing, named |
3. Balanced contrasts that balance nothing
"Not just X, but Y" and "It is not X; it is Y" turn one claim into two clauses and add no information. The shape is so common in machine text that a reader notices it before they notice the content.
| Shape | Say instead |
|---|---|
| not just X, but Y | Y. Then X, if X still matters |
| not only X but also Y | both, in two sentences |
| it isn't about X, it's about Y | Y, with the reason X failed |
| this does not mean X | the actual conclusion |
4. Corporate filler
Long phrases with a one-word replacement. Every one of them costs the reader a few hundred milliseconds and gives nothing back.
| Phrase | Say instead |
|---|---|
| in order to | to |
| due to the fact that | because |
| at this point in time | now |
| it is important to note | (delete, then state it) |
| has the ability to | can |
| could potentially / might possibly | could / might |
| in the heart of | in |
| stands as / serves as | is |
| represents a / marks a | is |
5. Email pleasantries
Opening lines that exist to fill the first line. Most readers skip them, which is the argument for cutting them.
| Phrase | Say instead |
|---|---|
| I hope this email finds you well | the reason you are writing |
| I hope you're doing well | same |
| I wanted to reach out | I need X by Thursday |
| Just following up | the question, again, in one line |
| Please don't hesitate to reach out | (delete) |
6. Hedges, stacked
One hedge is caution. Three in a sentence is a writer who does not want to be found. The checker flags them when they pile up, not when they appear alone.
| Words | Say instead |
|---|---|
| quite, rather, somewhat, fairly | the adjective, or the number |
| arguably, relatively, reasonably | the comparison, with the other side named |
| it could be argued that | say it, or say who argues it |
7. Sentence shapes that give a text away
The last group is not about words. These shapes are what a reader hears before they can name anything:
- All sentences one length. Four in a row with the same breath. Fix: let one run long and one run short.
- Every sentence starting with its subject. Fix: start one with a time, a place, or a number.
- An "-ing" tail explaining the sentence before it. "…, highlighting the importance of X." Fix: cut the tail or make it a sentence with a subject.
- A debate with nobody. "But you might ask…" Fix: answer the objection without the staging.
- Passive voice in a row. Fix: put the person who did the thing at the front.
Paste a few hundred words. You get the flagged sentences with a reason for each, then the opening rewritten in your own voice — free, no account.
If you want the long version of why this happens, we read the threads where people describe it: what Reddit says about writing that sounds like AI.
How to use a list like this
Do not hunt for the words one at a time. Paste the paragraph into the checker and look at which group the flags fall into. If most flags are words, replace them and you are done. If most flags are shapes, the paragraph needs the seven edits, and the words barely matter.
Questions people ask
Are these words wrong to use?
No. Each one has a place. The list marks the words that show up far more often in machine text than in writing by people, and the ones a reader is most likely to hear as noise.
Will avoiding them make my writing better on its own?
Partly. Cutting the words helps the worst paragraphs most. Changing the sentence shapes helps the rest, and that is the harder half.
Where does the list come from?
The list comes from the checker's rule set. We built those rules by comparing machine text against several hundred thousand words that people wrote in forums and email threads. The exact rules and their limits are on the how it works page.
Next: does my writing sound like AI · seven edits that fix it