The words that give away AI writing

The vocabulary that appears far more in model prose than human writing, why it clusters, and what to do about it.

Stylistic markers · 2 min read

Unlike hidden characters, vocabulary cannot be stripped. It can only be rewritten. But it is worth knowing precisely what to look for, because the tell is less about individual words than about how they cluster.

The verbs

delve, leverage, underscore, harness, foster, elucidate, utilize.

delve is the standout. It is a perfectly good word that appears in ordinary writing at a low rate, and in model prose at a conspicuously higher one. utilize where use would do is a related tell — the longer Latinate option chosen over the plain one.

The adjectives

robust, seamless, meticulous, pivotal, multifaceted, comprehensive, invaluable, nuanced, intricate, profound.

These are register inflation. They sound substantive while adding little. Note that they are not banned words: robust is a precise technical term in statistics, and nuanced can be doing real work. The tell is robust as a synonym for "good", used as filler.

The nouns

tapestry, landscape, realm, paradigm, testament, cornerstone, beacon, myriad, plethora, interplay.

Metaphor nouns that recur almost regardless of subject matter. A "rich tapestry" of anything is a reliable flag.

The scaffolding

This is the most diagnostic category, because it is structural rather than lexical:

• Sentence-opening connectives: Moreover, Furthermore, Additionally, Consequently, In conclusion, Ultimately
• Empty hedges: it is important to note that, it is worth remembering, one must consider
• Stock clauses: in today's fast-paced world, navigate the complexities of, plays a crucial role in, a double-edged sword, embark on a journey
• The not only X but also Y frame, used to pad a sentence into balance

Why clustering matters more than any single word

Any one of these appears in human writing. What is unusual is density — five inflated adjectives and two scaffolding connectives in a single paragraph. Human writing that reaches for pivotal usually does not also reach for seamless and multifaceted in the same breath.

So a useful scan counts occurrences rather than flagging words as forbidden. Two hits in a long article means nothing. Twelve in three paragraphs means something.

The structural tells

Beyond vocabulary:

• Uniform sentence length. Model prose runs sentence after sentence of similar length. Human writing varies more, sometimes sharply.
• Three-part lists. Three parallel items appearing for rhythm rather than because there are exactly three things.
• Repeated sentence openings. Several consecutive sentences starting the same way.

What to actually do

Substitute the plain word. Delete the scaffolding — the claim underneath survives without it. Vary rhythm by splitting one long sentence or joining two short ones.

The important discipline is changing as little as possible. A rewrite that replaces your writing with different writing has not removed a marker, it has removed your voice. Sentences carrying no marker should come back untouched.

Scan your text to see which of these appear in your document and how often.

Related: why AI text is full of em dashes · how AI detectors work