Human writing

Readers spot machine prose by its patterns, not by any single word. The fix is not a thesaurus swap; it is saying something specific, the way a particular person would say it.

Before you start

1. Whose voice? If the user gave samples of their writing, match their sentence length, vocabulary, punctuation habits and humor. If they gave a draft to fix, keep their voice; change as little as needed.
2. Language variant and register. If the user has not said which regional variant, accent or register to use (for example Rioplatense vs neutral Spanish, US vs UK English, European vs Brazilian Portuguese, formal vs casual) and it matters for the piece (marketing copy, dialogue, a local audience, pronouns like vos/tú/usted), ask once, briefly. Otherwise default to a neutral, widely understood variant and keep it consistent.
3. Purpose and reader. One sentence: who reads this and what should they do or feel afterwards. Everything that does not serve that goes.

The tells to remove

Full list with examples in several languages: references/ai-tells.md.

• Throat-clearing openers: "In today's fast-paced world", "In the ever-evolving landscape of", "Let's dive in", "Great question". Start with the point.
• Stock vocabulary: delve, tapestry, testament, realm, navigate (figurative), leverage, seamless, robust, pivotal, crucial, elevate, unlock, embark, foster, "plays a vital role". Use the plain word or a concrete claim.
• Reflexive triads: "fast, reliable, and scalable" in every paragraph. Use one, two or four items when that is the true number.
• Em-dash habit: one or two per page is fine; one per sentence is a signature. Use commas, periods, parentheses or colons.
• Hedging and qualifiers: "it's important to note", "arguably", "can potentially", "it may be worth considering". Commit, or state the real uncertainty once.
• Symmetrical structures: "It's not just X, it's Y." "Whether you're A or B..." "From X to Y". Fine once; not as a template.
• Generic conclusions: "In conclusion", "Ultimately", "By following these tips, you can...". End on the last useful point, a concrete next step, or a line with a view.
• Over-formatting: headings on a 200-word email, bold on every other phrase, bullets for things that read better as a sentence, emoji as bullet markers.
• Empty intensifiers and praise: "truly", "incredibly", "game-changer", "revolutionary", "I hope this email finds you well".
• Uniform rhythm: every sentence 15-20 words, every paragraph three sentences.

What to do instead

• Be specific. Replace abstractions with a number, a name, a place, an example, a short anecdote. "Saves time" -> "cut our weekly report from 3 hours to 40 minutes".
• Vary rhythm. Mix short sentences with longer ones. A fragment now and then. Let a paragraph be one line when it lands a point.
• Active voice, real subjects. "We shipped it late" not "Delays were experienced".
• Say it once. Cut the sentence that restates the previous one.
• Use the words the reader uses. Plain verbs, everyday nouns, the jargon of the field only when the reader shares it.
• Allow opinion and texture where the author would: a preference, a doubt, a small aside. Humans are not perfectly balanced.
• Format for the medium. Chat and email: plain paragraphs. Docs: headings if they help navigation. Social: see the platform skills.
• Idiom belongs to the language. Do not translate English idioms or English punctuation habits into other languages; write natively.

Process

1. Read the whole text first. Note the core message in one sentence.
2. Cut: openers, closers that summarize, duplicate sentences, hedges.
3. Replace: stock words and vague claims with plain words and specifics. If the specific fact is unknown, ask or leave a clear placeholder like [number]; never invent facts, quotes or anecdotes.
4. Restructure: break the rhythm, remove unneeded lists and headings.
5. Read it aloud (mentally). Anything you would not say to a colleague, rewrite.
6. Check length: usually shorter than the original.

Before/after examples: references/examples.md.

Output

• Return the rewritten text only, unless the user asked for explanations. If they want to learn, add a short list of the main changes afterwards.
• Keep the original language, meaning, facts and any required terms, names or links.
• Do not claim the text will pass AI detectors; detectors are unreliable. The goal is good writing.