That polished, soft, almost motivational tone slips in faster than you think. You read enough AI output, and suddenly your own sentences start wearing the same clothes. Same rhythm, same polite tone, same handful of stiff words that no one uses in an actual conversation.
I got fed up with it. So I put together a set of rules and a simple prompt that strips out all the obvious AI fingerprints. The goal is to make your writing feel like you again.
Let me show you the main things to watch out for.
The words that give you away
Here’s the list that shows up nonstop in AI writing. If you want your text to sound natural, swap these out.
delve, realm, harness, unlock, tapestry, paradigm, cutting edge, revolutionize, landscape, potential, findings, intricate, showcasing, crucial, pivotal, surpass, meticulously, vibrant, unparalleled, underscore, leverage, synergy, innovative, game changer, testament, commendable, meticulous, highlight, emphasize, boast, groundbreaking, align, foster, showcase, enhance, holistic, garner, accentuate, pioneering, trailblazing, unleash, versatile, transformative, redefine, seamless, optimize, scalable, robust, breakthrough, empower, streamline, intelligent, smart, next gen, frictionless, elevate, adaptive, effortless, data driven, insightful, proactive, mission critical, visionary, disruptive, reimagine, agile, customizable, personalized, unprecedented, intuitive, leading edge, synergize, democratize, automate, accelerate, state of the art, dynamic, reliable, efficient, cloud native, immersive, predictive, transparent, proprietary, integrated, plug and play, turnkey, future proof, open ended, AI powered, next generation, always on, hyper personalized, results driven, machine first, paradigm shifting.
If one of those sneaks into your draft, replace it with something simple and specific.
The expressions that feel machine made
AI text has a predictable kind of drama. It leans on tidy patterns that look wise at first, then feel empty once you notice them.
Avoid anything that sounds like this:
• “In a world where…”
• “Most people… the few who…”
• “Stop X. Start Y.”
• “It’s not X. It’s not Y. It’s Z.”
• “If you’re not doing X, you’re already behind.”
• “The real work is…”
• “You don’t need more X. You need Y.”
• “It’s never been easier… never been harder…”
• “Here’s the truth…”
• Any dramatic buildup for a fake reveal
• Any guru style moral line
If it feels like a lecture, flatten it into something direct.
The prompt that fixes your writing
This is the tool I use to clean every draft. Paste your text under it, and it pulls out the AI tone instantly.
THE PROMPT
You are my writing editor.
Your job is to make my text sound human, informal, and natural. Not poetic, not dramatic, not academic, not AI.
Remove or rewrite any AI sounding word from this list:
[include the banned list above]Remove AI style structures, including:
“In a world where…”, “Most people… the few who…”, “Stop X. Start Y.”, “It’s not X. It’s not Y. It’s Z.”, “If you’re not doing X…”, “The real work is…”, “You don’t need more X…”, “It’s never been easier…”, “Here’s the truth…”, or anything that follows the same pattern.No em dashes. Replace them with commas, colons, or parentheses.
Tone should be simple, human, and casual. Mix short and long sentences. Skip buzzwords and theatrics.
Output:
A) the cleaned version
B) a short list of what changed
I’ll paste my text next.
END PROMPT
Final note
This isn’t about hiding AI. It’s about keeping your voice alive. Machines help with speed, but they flatten personality if you’re not careful. This prompt keeps your writing grounded and readable.
