Comprehensive Guide to Spotting AI Writing Patterns

Words and Phrases

AI overuses certain words and phrases much more than others. Here is a non-exhaustive, but large list of words that frequently appear in AI-generated text that do not appear in human text.

Nouns

aim; aims; aspect; challenges; change; climate; community; compel; compelling; compels; complexities; complexity; component; comprehensive; confront; confrontation; confrontational; confrontations; confronts; deep; deepens; deeper; deepest; deeply; delve; delve/dive; delves; depth; development; diverse; draw; drawn; draws; dreams; dynamics; elegant; elevate; elevates; elucidate; elucidates; elucidatory; elusiveness; embark; embarks; embodies; embodiment; embodiments; embody; embrace; embraces; empower; emulate; emulates; enact; endeavor; endeavors; endurance; endure; engage; enhance; enlightenment; enlightenments; enlightens; entwine; entwines; environment; era; eras; espouse; espouses; evoke; evokes; exacerbate; exacerbates; exemplifies; exploration; explorations; exploratory; explore; explores; facet; facets; foster; fosters; grapple; grapples; groundwork; harness; health; hidden; highlight; highlights; illuminate; illuminates; illumination; imperative; imperatives; importance; innovate; innovates; innovation; innovator; innovators; insight; insightful; insights; insignificant; inspiration; inspirations; inspire; inspires; integrate; interplay; interplayed; interplays; intertwine; intertwines; intricacies; intricate; jeopardizing; journey; kaleidoscope; kaleidoscopes; key; landscape; landscapes; lens; life; manifold; meaningful; meticulousness; moreover; navigate; navigates; notes; nuance; nuances; offering; paramount; pivot; pivotal; pivots; poignancy; poignant; possibilities; potent; profound; quest; quirky; readers; realm; realms; reimagine; reimagines; relentless; relentlessness; resonance; resonate; resonates; reveal; reveals; reverberate; reverberates; revolution; revolutionizes; roadmap; robust; role; scheme; seamless; seamlessness; seek; seeks; shape; showcase; showcases; significance; straightforward; strive; strives; support; symphony; tailor; tapestries; tapestry; tempest; testament; testaments; timeless; timelessness; tireless; toolkit; transcend; transcendence; transcendent; transcends; transformative; underlies; underline; underlines; undermine; undermines; underpin; underscore; underscores; undervalues; unleash; unleashes; unlock; unlocks; unravel; unravels; value; values; vast; versatile; versatility; vibrant; vital; vitalize; vivid; weave; whimsy; wove

Verbs

aimed; aiming; capturing; confronted; confronting; consider; crafted; curated; deepen; deepened; deepening; delved; delving; drawing; elevated; elevating; elucidated; elucidating; embarked; embarking; embodied; embodying; embraced; embracing; emulated; endeavored; endeavoring; endured; enduring; enhanced; enhancing; enlighten; enlightened; enlightening; ensure; entwined; entwining; espoused; espousing; esteemed; evoked; evoking; evolving; exacerbated; exacerbating; exemplify; exemplifying; explored; exploring; faceted; fostered; fostering; grappled; grappling; groundbreaking; guiding; highlighted; highlighting; illuminated; illuminating; improve; innovated; innovating; inspired; inspiring; interplaying; intertwined; intertwining; multifaceted; navigated; navigating; partaking; pivoted; pivoting; reimagined; reimagining; resonating; revealed; revealing; reverberated; reverberating; revitalize; revolutionize; revolutionized; revolutionizing; seeking; showcased; showcasing; strived; striving; structured; transcended; transcending; underlining; underlying; undermining; underpinning; underscoring; understanding; undervalued; undervaluing; uninspiring; unleashing; unlocking; unraveling; valued; valuing; weaving

Adjectives

aimless; authentic; commendable; complex; creative; critical; crucial; dynamic; elucidative; elusive; endurable; essential; exemplary; explorational; explorative; grand; indelible; innovative; inspirational; invaluable; meticulous; nonconfrontational; notable; nuanced; powerful; professional; rich; significant; sustainable; underlined; undermined; underpinned; underscored; undervalue; uninspired; unleashed; unlocked; unraveled; valuable; whimsical

Adverbs

additionally; aimlessly; aptly; creatively; critically; crucially; dynamically; elusively; embracingly; endurably; enduringly; indelibly; insightfully; insignificantly; intricately; invaluably; mere; merely; meticulously; notably; pivotally; poignantly; powerfully; profoundly; relentlessly; seamlessly; significantly; successfully; timelessly; tirelessly; underly; vibrantly; vividly; woven

Phrases

about the potential; additionally , we; advancements; adversity; advocate for; ai language; ai language model; amidst; any potential; anyone looking; anyone looking for; anyone with information; appreciation for; are committed; are committed to; are urging; as a reminder; as an ai; as the days; as we verb the topic; been met; been met with; best regards; bustling; can help to; can vary; captivating; cautionary tale; challenges; commitment to; complexities; connect with; consult with; could n't help; could n't shake; crucial for; crucial role; crucial role in; dedication; dedication to; deeper understanding; despite these; email finds; email finds you; emphasizing; enduring; enigmatic; explores; expressed his; expressed their; expressing their; factors , including; feel a sense; felt a sense; financial advisor; findings suggest; finds you; finds you well; for greater; for individuals; for understanding; from that day; further research; future generations; generations to; genetic disorder; glimpse into; grateful for; gratitude for; groundbreaking; has expressed; has shaped the; has sparked; have expressed; have important; heart pounding; help but feel; help but wonder; here are some; high-quality; highlights the importance; his legacy; hope this email; human spirit; i hope this; implications; implications for; important implications; important implications for; important to note; in a world of/where; in conclusion; in shaping; in summary; incident has; individuals to; insights; insights into; interplay between; intricate; is a complex; is a draft; is a reminder; is a testament; is crucial for; is sure to; it 's important; it is essential; it remains to; its potential; it’s crucial to; it’s important to note; it’s not about ___ it’s about ___; knew that he; knew that i; knew that she; knew that they; known for his; known for its; language model; lay ahead; manage topic issues/problems; meticulously; model , i; n't shake; natural world; navigate; nestled; new insights; new insights into; newfound; news article; not only ___ but also; our findings; our understanding; overall , i; overall , this; packs a punch/brings a punch; paper presents; paragraph; paragraph 1; paragraph 2; paving the way; perseverance; personal growth; personalized; potential applications; pounding in; prioritize; provide valuable; provide valuable insights; quality of life; raised concerns about; rare genetic; relentless; remember that; reminder; resilience; results provide; rich history; said , his; sense of peace; sense of purpose; serves as; several reasons; shake the feeling; shaping; shed light; shed light on; showcasing; significant impact; significant impact on; significant role; significant role in; simple yet ___; societal; solace; solace in; standout; stark reminder; step-by-step; storytelling; stumbled upon; such as; sustainability; tapestry; testament; testament to; the effects of; the rise of; their understanding of; these challenges; they idenified patterns; thick with; this email; this email finds; this paper presents; thought-provoking; timeless; tirelessly; tirelessly to; title : ``; to anyone looking; to consult; to consult with; to form the; to inspire; to mitigate the risk; to navigate; to the power; turn of events; underscores; unease; unwavering; unyielding; valuable insights; valuable insights into; vibrant; was known for; wash over; weaving; well-being; when it comes to topic; which can lead; with a sense; world around; you well

Phrasing Patterns

Lots of complex clauses, sentences are monotonous and do not vary much in length or style, rather than human text, which uses a variety of different phrasing patterns
Human writing uses a mix of simple and complex sentences, and even expert-level writers will sometimes use grammatical patterns that aren’t “by the book perfect” or mess up a tense or preposition here and there.
AI uses em dashes — often as a way to add explanatory clauses or dramatic pauses
AI does not often use semicolons, parentheses

Spelling and Grammar

AI uses American English spelling
It is very rare for AI to make spelling errors, unless it is directly prompted to do so
Rarely uses contractions like "we've"
"Perfect" grammar: avoids fragment, run-ons, starting sentences with "And" or "But"
AI uses Oxford commas

Organization and Structure

AI writing generally likes to use very organized paragraphs that are all about the same length and list-like structures. Sometimes bullet point lists show up in the middle of the essay which rarely happens in formal human writing. AI-generated essays usually have a very neat introduction and conclusion, and the conclusion is often very long, starts with “Overall,” or “In Conclusion”, or “In summary”, and repeats most of what was already written.
Human writing contains a variety of structures and organizations and paragraph length is more varied. Conclusions tend to be shorter.

Purpose and Intent

Because AI is trained to be assistive and people-pleasing, AI tends to write essays that could fit a wide variety of possible prompts and instructions, to avoid being irrelevant or off-topic. As a result, the writing is usually very vague and full of generalities.
Human writing is generally more aligned to the particular assignment or prompt that is given to them.

Tone

AI generated text writes in an extremely formal tone unless it instructed not to. It also tends to be overly positive, and avoid criticizing particular viewpoints or opinions.
AI often exhibits earnestness, specifically pointing out evidence that it is being helpful.

Creativity and Originality

Because AI merely replicates patterns in its training set, AI is unable to produce any creative or original thoughts. It simply parrots thoughts that it has already been exposed to during its training process.
AI also reflects the political views and biases of its creators.
On the other hand, on many topics, the AI aggregates so many sources of text and information that it has no clear perspective or point of view: it aggregates so many perspectives that it has none itself.

Specificity

AI does not create specific details when writing creatively, and tries extremely hard to avoid proper nouns
When forced to say a proper noun, AI will default to the most generic, common proper noun possible
“AI Names” are a thing: 60-70% of names in AI-generated articles from ChatGPT and Claude are either “Emily” or “Sarah”

Reflection and Metacognition

AI is very bad at reflecting and relating the writing to personal experiences… because it has no personal experiences that it can relate to!
AI can also not reflect upon its own writing process because it simply is a machine: there is no equivalent “writing process” that it follows
Human writing (can) show the unique voice and personal experience of its author.

Repetition

AI often repeats itself, especially in the conclusions
AI will often repeat the prompt back to the user, to make sure it is following instructions

Abrupt shifts in style and tone

In cases where human writing is mixed with AI writing, there are often abrupt shifts in the style and the tone where the human text becomes AI or vice versa.