AI tells: the kill list

Tier 1

Never

Mechanical. A hit fails the tool call, so the fix happens before the text exists anywhere. Narrowed 16 Aug after an audit that fed the rules 42 legitimate sentences: literal uses now pass, so an underscore is still a character, a workshop is still facilitated, and a room still resonates.

Words

delvetapestrya testament tomyriadplethorapivotaltreasure trovehustle and bustleever-evolvingfast-pacedseamlesscutting-edgegame-changingrevolutionizetransformativebest-in-classworld-classstate-of-the-artsynergyparadigmholisticspearheadpassionatethrilleddelightedexcited tounleashsuperchargeembarkbolsterilluminateshed light onutilizeleverageunderscores themeticulousintricatemultifacetedboasts anestledbespokefoster a sense ofempower

Phrases

in the realm ofat its corethat being saidit's worth notingit's important to noteneedless to saywhen it comes toin today's ...the digital agein a world whereimagine a worldin conclusionto sum upin summaryat the end of the daylet's dive inlet's unpacklet's break it downlet's explorehere's the thinghere's the kickerthink of it asthe truth isthe real question iswhat if I told youlet that sink inbuckle upplot twistlook no furtherwithout further adorest assuredI hope this email finds you wellmore than justit's not just aboutsimply putin essencedeep divedive intoactionable insightskey takeawayto the next levelplays a crucial rolestands as aunlock the potentialharness the powernavigate the complexitiesexperts saystudies showresearch suggestsgreat questionfeel free to reach outlet me know if you have any questions

Sentence openers

Notably,Importantly,Interestingly,Crucially,Essentially,Ultimately,Fundamentally,Significantly,

— –

Em dash and en dash, anywhere, including the escaped —. Use a comma, a colon, a semicolon, or restructure. A dash between digits is a range and is fine: 2019-2024, 5-10 users.

Tier 1

Shapes

The expensive ones. A clean word list does not save a sentence built in one of these shapes, and this is what a reader who sees AI writing daily actually notices.

Negative parallelism the worst one

×It's not a redesign, it's a rethink.

✓It's a rethink.

Not just X, but Y same tell

×Not just a visual pass, but a structural one.

✓A structural pass, not a visual one.

Split reframe with a full stop

×The fix was not cosmetic. It's architectural.

✓The fix was architectural.

Triple negation

×Not a tool. Not a toy. A system.

✓A system.

Question, then answer

×The result? A 53% lift in conversion.

✓Conversion rose 53%.

Trailing significance clause

×Retention rose, underscoring the value of the change.

✓Retention rose.

Not only X but also Y

×It not only shipped but also scaled.

✓It shipped, then scaled to 112k users.

Vague attribution also a truth rule

×Experts say design systems cut build time.

✓Name the source, or drop the claim.

Assistant voice

×Great question. Happy to help with that.

✓Answer it.

Tier 2

Look twice

Real words that are also tells. Reported, never blocking. Treat each one as a question: is this the precise word, or the reflexive one?

robustfacilitatevibrantresonateamplifyserves as ahappy to helplandscapeecosystemjourneycuratedcomprehensiveensureenhancestreamlineharnesscrucialvitalquietlydeeplyprofoundlyremarkablyarguablyfundamentallyinnovativeimpactfulhigh-impactuser-centricpixel-perfectscalabledynamicelevatea wide range ofa variety ofmoreoverfurthermorein order toit's like afrom strategy to pixels,low-hanging fruitmove the needlecircle backdouble-edged swordsilver bulletnorth star

user journey is a real design term and passes. A bare journey is a tell.

Tier 3

Judgment

No regex catches these, so they survive a clean lint. Read anything outward-facing against this list before it goes.

Rule of three everywhere. Three adjectives, three clauses, three bullets, every time. Real writing is lopsided.
Anaphora. Three sentences opening on the same word or shape.
Fractal summaries. An intro that says what follows, a recap that says what came, a close that says it again.
Preamble. Announcing the answer instead of giving it.
The tie-back. Closing by restating the opening. Stop at the last real point.
Premise stacking. Two sentences of setup nobody disputes, before the claim.
One-point dilution. The same argument restated four ways.
Grandiose stakes. A checkout tweak framed as reshaping an industry.
Invented concept labels. "The supervision paradox." Naming a thing does not establish it.
Compulsive counting. "Here are the four reasons" before the four reasons.
Synonym cycling. The dashboard becomes the interface becomes the surface. Repeat the noun.
Forced figurative language. A simile doing the work evidence should do.
Dead metaphor. One metaphor stretched until it means nothing.
Quotable one-liners. Sounds profound, carries no information.
Fragments as a default rhythm. Every thought on its own line for drama.
False vulnerability. Performed self-awareness. "I'll be honest with you."
Reasoning leak. Narrating the writing's own decisions inside the writing.
Belaboring the uncontroversial. Defending a point nobody disputes.
Uniform paragraphs. Every one exactly three sentences.
Title Case Headings on prose. Sentence case reads human.
Bold-first bullets everywhere. Right on a resume, a tell in an email.
Emoji section markers in prose.
Forced parallel structure across items that are not parallel.
Hedging stack. "generally", "typically", "tends to", "to some extent". Commit, or say you do not know.
Placeholder people. Invented names, invented case studies, invented quotes. Never.