AI writing has a vocabulary. Once you notice it, you can't unsee it — the same handful of words and phrases turn up again and again. Avoiding them is one of the fastest ways to make text sound like a person wrote it. Here's the hit list, and what to use instead.
Overused AI words
These aren't bad words by themselves — they're just wildly overrepresented in AI text, so they read as machine-made:
- Delve → "look at," "dig into," "explore"
- Tapestry (as in "rich tapestry of") → just describe the thing
- Utilize → "use"
- Leverage → "use," "rely on"
- Facilitate → "help," "make easier"
- Robust → "strong," "solid"
- Realm → "area," "field"
- Showcase → "show," "highlight"
- Foster → "build," "encourage"
- Seamless / seamlessly → "smooth," or just cut it
- Multifaceted → "complex," or be specific
Stock AI phrases (the real giveaways)
Phrases are more telling than single words. These scream "AI wrote this":
- "In today's fast-paced world…"
- "In the ever-evolving landscape of…"
- "It's important to note that…"
- "When it comes to…"
- "Navigating the complexities of…"
- "Plays a crucial/pivotal role in…"
- "A testament to…"
- "Whether you're a beginner or an expert…"
- "In conclusion, …"
- "Unlock the potential of…"
Most of these add nothing. Delete them and the sentence usually gets stronger.
Filler transitions to cut
AI loves announcing every turn. Cut most of these and let ideas connect naturally:
- Furthermore, Moreover, Additionally
- However (when overused), Nevertheless
- Therefore, Thus, Hence
- Firstly, Secondly, Lastly
You don't need to ban them — just notice when every paragraph starts with one. That pattern is the tell.
Formatting tells (not just words)
Word choice is only half of it. The way AI text is laid out on the page has its own tells, and they're often easier to spot than any single word:
- Em dash overload — one or two em dashes in an essay is normal. A dash in nearly every paragraph, used as the default way to connect any two clauses, reads as a rhythm crutch rather than a real punctuation choice.
- Everything turned into a bulleted list — AI defaults to tidy 3-to-5-item lists even where a couple of plain sentences would read more naturally. If a paragraph got chopped into bullets for no real reason, that's a tell.
- Random mid-sentence bolding — bolding a phrase that doesn't need emphasis, seemingly to make the output "scannable," is a habit lifted straight from chatbot formatting defaults.
- Suspiciously parallel structure — every list item following the identical "X: description" template, or every section ending on the same kind of wrap-up sentence, reads as templated rather than written.
- The rule of three — AI loves grouping things in exactly three ("fast, flexible, and free"). Real writing is messier — sometimes two examples, sometimes five.
These formatting habits are part of why detectors can flag AI text even when the vocabulary looks fine — they're picking up on structural patterns like uniform rhythm and sentence-length variety, not individual words. See how AI detectors actually work for what's really being measured under the hood.
The deeper fixes (beyond word-swapping)
Swapping words helps, but the biggest tells are structural:
- Uniform sentence length — vary it. Long, then short. (More in how to make AI text sound human.)
- No specifics — add a real example, number or detail.
- Everything hedged and neutral — take a clear position; have a voice.
The fast way to clean it up
Editing all of this by hand is doable but slow. Grade A Humanizer rewrites text to strip the stock phrases, swap over-formal words for plain ones, and vary the rhythm — handling the mechanical cleanup in one pass. Then you add your specifics and check it sounds like you. Tool for the grunt work, you for the voice.
If the writing is coursework, check what your institution's AI policy allows before running a graded submission through any tool. Rules vary by school and often by individual assignment, and following the one that applies to you is your responsibility — our acceptable use policy sets out what this service is for.
The bottom line
AI text gives itself away with a predictable vocabulary. Cut the stock phrases, prefer plain words, drop the filler, and vary your sentences — and your writing stops sounding like a machine and starts sounding like you.
Questions people ask
Will using a word like "delve" or "leverage" actually get my writing flagged as AI?
Not on its own. Detectors don't work off a banned-word list — they score statistical patterns in the text, like how varied the sentence lengths and word choices are. A stray "delve" won't trip anything. These words are more of a human eyeball tell: readers (and teachers) have learned to notice them, even if a detector doesn't specifically key on them.
Are em dashes automatically an AI tell?
No. Plenty of human writers use em dashes. What reads as mechanical is the same punctuation crutch showing up over and over in one piece — every other sentence leaning on a dash instead of varied punctuation. One or two em dashes in an essay is normal writing, not a red flag.
If I remove all these words and phrases, will my writing still read as machine-made?
Possibly, because word choice is only the surface. The deeper qualities that make prose feel generated are structural: uniform sentence length, no specific detail, and a hedge on every claim. Cleaning up vocabulary is worth doing, but varying your rhythm and adding real substance matters more.