Words and Phrases That Make Writing Sound Like AI
The words, phrases and formatting habits that give away AI writing in 2026, what recent research found, and the one test that catches the rest.
"Delve" used to be the giveaway. Now most people know to cut it, and the AI models changed too. The words that make writing sound like AI keep moving. The habits underneath them don't.
What the research says
- AI-sounding posts got less engagement. LigoSocial looked at 134,522 LinkedIn posts (September 2026) and found posts that read as AI got 21% less engagement than the same person's other posts. Two caveats: LigoSocial sells an AI writing tool, and an AI decided which posts "read as AI."
- The tells changed. Graphite's "AI Tells" update (October 2026) found the newest Claude model uses 99% fewer em dashes, but writes "this matters" 116 times more often than people do.
- Word lists miss most of it. In October 2026, one tester at Arize flagged 153 AI-sounding lines by hand in 40 AI-written blog posts. His banned-word list caught 9 of them.
So a list of words helps a little. Cutting the habits helps a lot more.
Phrases to cut
Lines that announce importance
"This matters," "why X matters," "it's worth noting," "just as important."
Contrast setups
"It's not X, it's Y," "not just," "not simply," "not only... but also," "rather than," "more than a ___, it's..."
Teasers
"Here's why," "Here's the thing," "Here's the part most people miss," "The trap is," "Looking ahead."
Verdicts
"The honest answer," "the whole point," "the truth is," "ultimately," "at its core."
Words to cut
- Rating words: crucial, powerful, profound, remarkable, meaningful, seamless, robust, dependable
- Old AI words: delve, landscape, testament, interplay, leverage, unlock, elevate, streamline, game-changer
- Stacked hedges: perhaps, arguably, may, not necessarily (one hedge is fine when you're really unsure)
Formatting habits
- Em dashes everywhere
- Lists of exactly three, out of habit
- Bold lead-ins on every bullet
- A "Conclusion" heading, or a last line that sums up the lesson
The one test that catches the rest
Read each sentence and ask: if I delete this, does the reader lose a fact, a number, a step or part of the story? If not, delete it. Most AI filler fails this test.
Better still, give the AI real material to work with. How to make ChatGPT sound like you walks through it, and the free Sound Like You prompt builds all of these rules in.
Sources: LigoSocial (September 2026), Graphite "AI Tells" (October 2026), Arize (October 2026).