1# AI Writing Detection
2 
3Words, phrases, and punctuation patterns commonly associated with AI-generated text. Avoid these to ensure writing sounds natural and human.
4 
5Sources: Grammarly (2025), Microsoft 365 Life Hacks (2025), GPTHuman (2025), Walter Writes (2025), Textero (2025), Plagiarism Today (2025), Rolling Stone (2025), MDPI Blog (2025)
6 
7---
8 
9## Contents
10- Em Dashes: The Primary AI Tell
11- Overused Verbs
12- Overused Adjectives
13- Overused Transitions and Connectors
14- Phrases That Signal AI Writing (Opening Phrases, Transitional Phrases, Concluding Phrases, Structural Patterns)
15- Filler Words and Empty Intensifiers
16- Academic-Specific AI Tells
17- How to Self-Check
18 
19## Em Dashes: The Primary AI Tell
20 
21**The em dash (—) has become one of the most reliable markers of AI-generated content.**
22 
23Em dashes are longer than hyphens (-) and are used for emphasis, interruptions, or parenthetical information. While they have legitimate uses in writing, AI models drastically overuse them.
24 
25### Why Em Dashes Signal AI Writing
26- AI models were trained on edited books, academic papers, and style guides where em dashes appear frequently
27- AI uses em dashes as a shortcut for sentence variety instead of commas, colons, or parentheses
28- Most human writers rarely use em dashes because they don't exist as a standard keyboard key
29- The overuse is so consistent that it has become the unofficial signature of ChatGPT writing
30 
31### What To Do Instead
32| Instead of | Use |
33|------------|-----|
34| The results—which were surprising—showed... | The results, which were surprising, showed... |
35| This approach—unlike traditional methods—allows... | This approach, unlike traditional methods, allows... |
36| The study found—as expected—that... | The study found, as expected, that... |
37| Communication skills—both written and verbal—are essential | Communication skills (both written and verbal) are essential |
38 
39### Guidelines
40- Use commas for most parenthetical information
41- Use colons to introduce explanations or lists
42- Use parentheses for supplementary information
43- Reserve em dashes for rare, deliberate emphasis only
44- If you find yourself using more than one em dash per page, revise
45 
46---
47 
48## Overused Verbs
49 
50| Avoid | Use Instead |
51|-------|-------------|
52| delve (into) | explore, examine, investigate, look at |
53| leverage | use, apply, draw on |
54| optimise | improve, refine, enhance |
55| utilise | use |
56| facilitate | help, enable, support |
57| foster | encourage, support, develop, nurture |
58| bolster | strengthen, support, reinforce |
59| underscore | emphasise, highlight, stress |
60| unveil | reveal, show, introduce, present |
61| navigate | manage, handle, work through |
62| streamline | simplify, make more efficient |
63| enhance | improve, strengthen |
64| endeavour | try, attempt, effort |
65| ascertain | find out, determine, establish |
66| elucidate | explain, clarify, make clear |
67 
68---
69 
70## Overused Adjectives
71 
72| Avoid | Use Instead |
73|-------|-------------|
74| robust | strong, reliable, thorough, solid |
75| comprehensive | complete, thorough, full, detailed |
76| pivotal | key, critical, central, important |
77| crucial | important, key, essential, critical |
78| vital | important, essential, necessary |
79| transformative | significant, important, major |
80| cutting-edge | new, advanced, recent, modern |
81| groundbreaking | new, original, significant |
82| innovative | new, original, creative |
83| seamless | smooth, easy, effortless |
84| intricate | complex, detailed, complicated |
85| nuanced | subtle, complex, detailed |
86| multifaceted | complex, varied, diverse |
87| holistic | complete, whole, comprehensive |
88 
89---
90 
91## Overused Transitions and Connectors
92 
93| Avoid | Use Instead |
94|-------|-------------|
95| furthermore | also, in addition, and |
96| moreover | also, and, besides |
97| notwithstanding | despite, even so, still |
98| that being said | however, but, still |
99| at its core | essentially, fundamentally, basically |
100| to put it simply | in short, simply put |
101| it is worth noting that | note that, importantly |
102| in the realm of | in, within, regarding |
103| in the landscape of | in, within |
104| in today's [anything] | currently, now, today |
105 
106---
107 
108## Phrases That Signal AI Writing
109 
110### Opening Phrases to Avoid
111- "In today's fast-paced world..."
112- "In today's digital age..."
113- "In an era of..."
114- "In the ever-evolving landscape of..."
115- "In the realm of..."
116- "It's important to note that..."
117- "Let's delve into..."
118- "Imagine a world where..."
119 
120### Transitional Phrases to Avoid
121- "That being said..."
122- "With that in mind..."
123- "It's worth mentioning that..."
124- "At its core..."
125- "To put it simply..."
126- "In essence..."
127- "This begs the question..."
128 
129### Concluding Phrases to Avoid
130- "In conclusion..."
131- "To sum up..."
132- "By [doing X], you can [achieve Y]..."
133- "In the final analysis..."
134- "All things considered..."
135- "At the end of the day..."
136 
137### Structural Patterns to Avoid
138- "Whether you're a [X], [Y], or [Z]..." (listing three examples after "whether")
139- "It's not just [X], it's also [Y]..."
140- "Think of [X] as [elaborate metaphor]..."
141- Starting sentences with "By" followed by a gerund: "By understanding X, you can Y..."
142 
143---
144 
145## Filler Words and Empty Intensifiers
146 
147These words often add nothing to meaning. Remove them or find specific alternatives:
148 
149- absolutely
150- actually
151- basically
152- certainly
153- clearly
154- definitely
155- essentially
156- extremely
157- fundamentally
158- incredibly
159- interestingly
160- naturally
161- obviously
162- quite
163- really
164- significantly
165- simply
166- surely
167- truly
168- ultimately
169- undoubtedly
170- very
171 
172---
173 
174## Academic-Specific AI Tells
175 
176| Avoid | Use Instead |
177|-------|-------------|
178| shed light on | clarify, explain, reveal |
179| pave the way for | enable, allow, make possible |
180| a myriad of | many, numerous, various |
181| a plethora of | many, numerous, several |
182| paramount | very important, essential, critical |
183| pertaining to | about, regarding, concerning |
184| prior to | before |
185| subsequent to | after |
186| in light of | because of, given, considering |
187| with respect to | about, regarding, for |
188| in terms of | regarding, for, about |
189| the fact that | that (or rewrite sentence) |
190 
191---
192 
193## How to Self-Check
194 
1951. Read your text aloud. If phrases sound unnatural in speech, revise them
1962. Ask: "Would I say this in a conversation with a colleague?"
1973. Check for repetitive sentence structures
1984. Look for clusters of the words listed above
1995. Ensure varied sentence lengths (not all similar length)
2006. Verify each intensifier adds genuine meaning
201