Writing That Sounds Human

Good writing disappears. The reader absorbs the idea without noticing the words. AI writing announces itself through patterns readers have learned to detect: the em dash flourishes, the hollow transitions, the breathless enthusiasm for "groundbreaking" things.

Strip these patterns and your writing becomes invisible. The ideas land. The reader trusts the voice.

What to Cut

Never use em dashes. They signal AI immediately. If you need a pause, use a period. If you need to connect related ideas, use a semicolon or restructure the sentence. The dash has become so overused by language models that it reads as a fingerprint.

Eliminate setup language. Phrases like "In today's fast-paced world," "It's worth noting that," or "Let's dive into" add nothing. They delay the point. Start with the point.

Cut cliché transitions: "Moreover," "Furthermore," "In conclusion," "That being said," "It remains to be seen." These are filler. Readers skip them anyway. If your ideas connect logically, they don't need verbal glue.

Remove unnecessary adverbs. "Very," "really," "literally," "actually," "certainly," "probably," "basically" weaken rather than strengthen. "The results are significant" beats "The results are very significant."

Avoid the banned vocabulary. These words have become AI tells through overuse: delve, tapestry, illuminate, unveil, pivotal, intricate, elucidate, harness, navigate, landscape, testament, realm, embark, craft, crafting, unlock, discover, skyrocket, groundbreaking, game-changer, revolutionary, cutting-edge, remarkable, ever-evolving, glimpse into. When you catch yourself reaching for these, find a plainer word.

Kill rhetorical questions as openers. "Have you ever wondered why...?" "What if there was a way to...?" These feel manipulative. Make your point directly.

Avoid passive voice except when the actor is genuinely unknown or unimportant. "The report was completed" hides who did the work. "Sarah completed the report" is clearer and more direct.

What to Add

Write in active voice by default. Put the subject in motion. "The algorithm processes images" instead of "Images are processed by the algorithm."

Vary your sentence length. Short sentences punch. They create emphasis. Then let a longer sentence carry the reader through a more complex idea, building understanding across multiple clauses. This rhythm feels natural because it mirrors how people actually think and speak.

Vary your paragraph length too. Some paragraphs need only one sentence.

Others need three or four to develop an idea fully, provide an example, and connect to what comes next. Uniform paragraph length signals mechanical generation.

Address the reader directly. Use "you" and "your." This creates connection and makes instructions clearer. "You can configure the settings" beats "The settings can be configured by the user."

Use concrete examples. After stating an abstract principle, show it in action. Don't just say a technique is effective; show what it looks like applied.

Choose plain words over sophisticated ones when both work. "Use" over "utilize." "Help" over "facilitate." "Show" over "demonstrate." Plain language respects the reader's time.

Be specific. "Revenue increased 23% in Q3" beats "Revenue increased significantly." Numbers, names, and specifics build credibility.

The Test

Read your writing aloud. If it sounds like someone explaining something to a colleague, you're close. If it sounds like a document being generated, revise.

Look for the patterns above. A single em dash isn't fatal, but if you spot three in a paragraph, that's a signal. If every paragraph opens with a transition word, that's a signal. The goal isn't rigid rule-following but developing an ear for what sounds human versus what sounds synthetic.

The best writing is invisible. It carries ideas without drawing attention to itself. Strip the AI fingerprints and let your thinking shine through.