July 8, 2026 · 6 min read

27 Words & Phrases That Make Your Writing Sound Like ChatGPT

"Delve", "tapestry", "it's important to note" — the words that instantly out AI writing. The full list, plus a free tool to catch them in your own text.

AI writing has a smell, and once you notice it you can't unsmell it. Certain words and phrases show up in LLM prose far more than in natural human writing — so when a teacher, editor, or client sees them stacked up, they start to wonder. Here are the biggest offenders, and how to catch them in your own text.

The words that give it away

• delve / delving into
• tapestry / rich tapestry
• it's important to note / it's worth noting
• plays a crucial role / pivotal role
• navigating the complexities
• in today's world / in the digital age
• a testament to
• underscore / underscores the importance
• harness the power / unlock the potential
• seamless / seamless integration
• furthermore / moreover / additionally (stacked)
• in conclusion / in summary
• multifaceted / holistic approach
• meticulous / meticulously
• elevate / empower / embark on

Two more dead giveaways

• Em-dashes everywhere — LLMs love them far more than most people do.
• Assistant emojis: ✨ 🚀 ✅ 🎯 sprinkled through a formal text almost never come from a human writing an essay.

How to catch them automatically

Reading for these by hand is hard when it's your own writing. Paste your text into a free AI content detector and it highlights the exact phrases and patterns pulling your score up — so you know precisely what to rewrite in your own voice.

The goal isn't to trick anyone

If you wrote something yourself, removing these tics just makes it read better and more like you. If an AI drafted it, rewriting it in your own words is how you actually learn and own the work. Either way, clearer, less robotic writing wins.