Humanizer SkillThe 26 signs of AI writing the Humanizer skill fixes
Each pattern below comes from Wikipedia's Signs of AI writing guide, as organized in the Humanizer skill v3.1.0. They are numbered by strength: 1 to 5 justify an edit on sight, and patterns marked weak alone count only when other tells appear nearby.
Want to test your own draft? The AI writing checker scans for many of these automatically.
A. Staging instead of stating
The strongest tells in current model prose. One sighting is enough to edit.
01Not X but Y
Watch for: not just X but Y; it's not X, it's Y; X rather than Y; "This doesn't mean X. It means Y."; a clipped tail like ", no guessing"
The negative half names something nobody claimed so the positive half sounds bigger. Say the point directly, unless the reader really believes the thing being denied.
It's not merely a song, it's a statement.
The heavy beat adds to the song's aggressive tone.
02One-line closers and dramatic fragments
Watch for: Let that sink in. Read that again. That is the real win. That distinction matters. "No prior. No nostalgia." every. single. day.
A short paragraph asks the reader to pause on a claim instead of adding to it. Cut a closer that repeats or explains the example just given; merge fragments into one specific sentence.
Caching cuts repeat work. That is the real win.
Caching cuts repeat work.
03Sayings that sound deep
Watch for: at its core, the real question is, what really matters, the heart of the matter, X is the language of Y, X becomes a trap
An ordinary point is dressed up as an aphorism. Replace the saying with the specific claim underneath.
Symmetry is the language of trust.
Symmetric layouts often feel more predictable to users.
04Staged run-up before the point
Watch for: Let's dive in, let's break this down, here's what you need to know, without further ado, Honestly?, Here's the thing, Real talk
The writer announces the point or performs candor before making it. Remove the run-up and start with the point.
Is it worth the price? Honestly? It depends on how often you'll use it.
Whether it's worth the price depends on how often you'll use it.
05Arguing with no one
Watch for: I'm not saying, To be clear, Don't get me wrong, This isn't about, A tempting approach would be, You might think... but
The text rebuts an objection or rejects an option nobody raised, usually left over from an earlier draft. Keep only the real claim.
This isn't mainly about prompt length. The issue is whether the agent can use the instruction.
The issue is whether the agent can use the instruction when it acts.
B. Rhythm by rule
Shapes and punctuation used everywhere, whether or not the meaning needs them.
06Forced triads
Watch for: innovation, inspiration, and insights; three parallel examples followed by a lesson
Ideas arrive in threes because three sounds complete. Use as many items as the meaning has.
Attendees can expect innovation, inspiration, and industry insights.
The event includes talks and panels, with time for networking between sessions.
07Repeated sentence openings
Watch for: She noted... She noted... She filed...
Several sentences in a row start with the same subject. Merge them or lead with the action. Deliberate repetition for rhythm is fine.
She noted the door. She noted the lock on it. She filed both away.
She noted the door and its lock, then filed both away.
08Dashes as the universal connector weak alone
Watch for: em dashes (—), en dashes (–) and double hyphens (--) joining clauses
A dash lets the writer skip deciding how two clauses relate. The rewrite uses periods, commas, colons or parentheses, unless your own writing sample uses dashes.
The new policy — announced without warning — affects thousands of workers.
The new policy, announced without warning, affects thousands of workers.
09Stacked qualifiers weak alone
Watch for: could potentially, might arguably, it's also possible, to be fair
Qualifier piled on qualifier until nothing is claimed. Keep only the hedges the source supports.
It could potentially possibly be argued that the policy might have some effect.
The policy may affect outcomes.
10Hyphenated pairs everywhere weak alone
Watch for: high-quality, well-known, long-term, real-time placed after the noun
Compound modifiers take a hyphen before a noun, not after it. Dictionary compounds like third-party keep theirs.
The report is high-quality and the plan is long-term.
The report is high quality and the plan is long term.
11Passive voice and missing subjects weak alone
Watch for: No configuration file needed. The results are preserved automatically.
The text hides who does what. Name the actor when that makes it clearer.
No configuration file needed.
You do not need a configuration file.
C. Inflation and borrowed authority
The fact underneath is usually fine. Keep it and remove the dressing.
12Overused AI words
Watch for: additionally, crucial, delve, enhance, garner, intricate, key (adj.), landscape, meticulous, pivotal, robust, showcase, tapestry, testament, underscore, vibrant
Models use these words far more often than people do, especially in clusters. Use plain words.
An enduring testament to Italian influence is the adoption of pasta in the local culinary landscape.
Pasta dishes, introduced during Italian colonization, remain common.
13Inflated significance
Watch for: marking a pivotal moment, plays a key role, enduring legacy, setting the stage for, the future looks bright, Despite these challenges... continues to thrive
An ordinary fact is said to mark an era or promise a future. Keep the fact and end on the last concrete one.
Established in 1989, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of regional statistics.
The institute was established in 1989.
14Vague connection or association
Watch for: associated with, in connection with, linked to, tied to
Two things are said to be connected without saying how. State the relationship the source gives, or leave the wording vague rather than invent one.
He is associated with the Rajhans Orchestra, which he founded.
He founded and conducts the Rajhans Orchestra.
15Shallow -ing riders
Watch for: highlighting, underscoring, reflecting, symbolizing, fostering, showcasing
An -ing phrase bolted onto a fact to make it sound deeper. Keep it only when the source backs it.
The colors resonate with the region, symbolizing its landscapes and reflecting the community's deep connection to the land.
The temple is painted blue, green, and gold, colors meant to evoke Texas bluebonnets and the Gulf of Mexico.
16Sales language
Watch for: nestled, in the heart of, breathtaking, stunning, renowned, must-visit, rich heritage, diverse array
Descriptions read like an advertisement. State what the thing is.
Nestled within the breathtaking region of Gonder, Alamata stands as a vibrant town.
Alamata is a town in the Gonder region of Ethiopia.
17Borrowed authority
Watch for: experts believe, observers have noted, industry reports, cited in [list of outlets]
An unnamed authority or a list of prestige outlets stands in for evidence. Name the real source or cut the claim.
Experts believe it plays a crucial role in the regional ecosystem.
Researchers study the river for its unusual characteristics.
18Avoiding is, are and has
Watch for: serves as, stands as, functions as, boasts, features, offers
Simple verbs are replaced with longer phrases. Use is, are and has.
The gallery serves as an exhibition space and boasts over 3,000 square feet.
The gallery is an exhibition space with 3,000 square feet.
D. Formatting by rule
Decoration applied to every item instead of where it helps.
19Bold as decoration
Watch for: bold terms scattered through prose; lists where every item starts with a bold label and colon
Bold loses meaning when everything has it. Remove it, and turn labeled lists into prose when the labels add nothing.
- **Performance:** Performance has been enhanced.
The update speeds up load times.
20Decorative headings
Watch for: Title Case Headings, emoji or arrow bullets, a rule between every section, headings written for effect
Use sentence case, drop the decoration, and name what the section holds.
## 🚀 Strategic Negotiations And Global Partnerships
## Strategic negotiations and global partnerships
21Curly quotation marks weak alone
Watch for: “...” where the format uses straight quotes
Curly quotes in plain text or Markdown can signal pasted model output. Many editors curl quotes on their own, so this counts only alongside other tells.
He said “the project is on track.”
He said "the project is on track."
E. Leftovers from the chat and the draft
Remove these outright.
22Chatbot residue
Watch for: Great question! Certainly! I hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like... Would you like me to...
The chatbot's greeting or sign-off survived into text that should stand alone. It is the surest tell on the list.
Great question! The French Revolution began in 1789. I hope this helps!
The French Revolution began in 1789.
23Knowledge-limit disclaimers and guesses
Watch for: as of my last update, based on available information, not publicly available, likely grew up, it is believed that
The text admits it has no source and then fills the gap with a plausible guess. State what is not documented, or cut it.
Details are limited, but she likely grew up in a middle-class household.
Her early life is not documented in the available sources.
24A heading repeated in the first sentence
Watch for: ## Performance followed by "Speed matters."
The first line restates the heading before the content starts. Delete it.
## Performance / Speed matters. / When users hit a slow page, they leave.
## Performance / When users hit a slow page, they leave.
25Writing about the document instead of its subject weak alone
Watch for: was added to replace, compiled from, the table below compares, this section is organized by
The text narrates how it was made or what the reader can already see. Describe the subject instead.
This function was added to replace the previous approach of iterating through all items.
This function uses a hash map for O(1) lookups instead of scanning every item.
F. Writing for the wrong reader
Applies to replies, where the reader already has the context.
26Re-explaining what the reader knows
Watch for: a short reply that restates the problem, walks the diagnosis and proves the plan before reaching the decision
In a thread the reader already knows the background, so rebuilding it buries the answer. Lead with the decision and keep only the fact they are missing.
(Four sentences of diagnosis, then:) I'd rather open a separate ticket.
Agreed, this is a workaround. I'd rather fix MergeService in a separate ticket since it is shared code.
When a pattern is not a tell
People make every one of these choices on purpose sometimes. The skill leaves a watched phrase alone inside a quotation, a title or a proper name, and when a passage is discussing the phrase rather than using it. Text written before November 30, 2022 is not AI-written. Because readers who judge by feel do little better than chance, the skill looks for several tells together before it rewrites.
It also keeps what gives writing a voice: a specific odd detail, mixed feelings, era-bound slang, a first-person choice the writer can explain, and genuine asides.