Blog · 2026-10-15 · baryreview editors

27 AI writing tells and the prompt that fixes each one

What a tell is, and what it isn’t

AI writing tells are the habits that make a reader stop and think “a tool wrote this.” Not one of them is wrong on its own. Real writers use em dashes, ask rhetorical questions and end on a summary. The tell is the pattern: the same habits, at the same density, in every paragraph, regardless of the topic.

We read AI-assisted articles for a living, and the list below is what we flag most often, grouped the way we work through a draft: words first, then sentences, then structure, then substance, then formatting. Each tell comes with a one-line example (written by us, generic on purpose) and a one-line prompt instruction you can give the tool that produced the draft. Prompt instructions work better than “sound more human,” because the model can act on a rule and cannot act on a wish.

Two cautions before the list. First, removing tells does not make an article good; it makes it less obviously generated. A paragraph with no “delve” and no triads can still be wrong. Second, we don’t suggest doing any of this to beat a detector. Detectors are unreliable in both directions and your readers are not running one. Do it because the article reads better.

Word-level tells

1. “Delve”

Example: “Let’s delve into the factors that affect cash flow.” Prompt: “Never use ‘delve.’ Say ‘look at,’ ‘cover’ or just start the sentence with the subject.”

2. “Tapestry,” “landscape,” “realm”

Example: “Today’s marketing landscape is a rich tapestry of channels.” Prompt: “Remove ‘tapestry,’ ‘landscape’ and ‘realm.’ Name the actual things instead (channels, tools, markets).”

3. “It’s important to note”

Example: “It’s important to note that invoices are due in 30 days.” Prompt: “Replace every ‘it’s important to note’ and ‘it’s worth mentioning’ with the point itself.”

4. “In today’s fast-paced world”

Example: “In today’s fast-paced digital world, customers expect quick replies.” Prompt: “Delete any opening phrase about ‘today’s world,’ ‘the digital age’ or ‘the modern landscape.’ Start with the claim.”

5. “Navigate,” “leverage,” “utilize”

Example: “Leverage these strategies to navigate the complexities of hiring.” Prompt: “Use ‘use’ for ‘leverage’ and ‘utilize.’ Replace ‘navigate’ with a concrete verb (handle, avoid, choose, plan).”

6. Adjective stacks: “robust,” “seamless,” “cutting-edge,” “comprehensive”

Example: “Our robust, comprehensive platform delivers seamless integration.” Prompt: “Cut ‘robust,’ ‘seamless,’ ‘cutting-edge,’ ‘comprehensive’ and ‘powerful.’ If a quality matters, state the specific fact that proves it.”

7. Importance inflation: “crucial,” “vital,” “essential,” “key”

Example: “Choosing the right vendor is a crucial and essential step.” Prompt: “Use ‘crucial,’ ‘vital,’ ‘essential’ or ‘key’ at most once in the article. Elsewhere, say what happens if the step is skipped.”

8. “Ensure,” “foster,” “enhance,” “streamline”

Example: “This fosters engagement and enhances the customer experience.” Prompt: “Replace ‘foster,’ ‘enhance,’ ‘streamline’ and ‘ensure’ with plain verbs that say what changes and for whom.”

Sentence-level tells

9. Tidy triads

Example: “It’s fast, reliable, and affordable.” Prompt: “Don’t group things in threes by default. Use the real number of items, even if it’s two or five.”

10. Hedge stacks

Example: “This may potentially help some businesses in certain situations.” Prompt: “Use one hedge per claim at most. If the claim is true, say it plainly; if it’s uncertain, say exactly what the uncertainty is.”

11. Rhetorical-question openers

Example: “Ever wondered why some emails get opened and others don’t?” Prompt: “Don’t open a section or paragraph with a rhetorical question. State the answer.”

12. “Not just X, but Y”

Example: “It’s not just about saving money, it’s about building trust.” Prompt: “Avoid ‘not just X but Y’ and ‘it’s not about X, it’s about Y.’ Make the point about Y directly.”

13. “Whether you’re a X or a Y”

Example: “Whether you’re a solo founder or an enterprise team, this guide has you covered.” Prompt: “Remove ‘whether you’re a… or a…’ constructions. Write for the one reader the page is actually for.”

14. Empty transitions

Example: “Furthermore, moreover, it is also worth considering that…” Prompt: “Delete ‘furthermore,’ ‘moreover,’ ‘additionally’ and ‘in addition’ at the start of sentences. If the connection isn’t obvious without them, fix the order of the sentences.”

15. Sentences that restate the previous sentence

Example: “Pricing matters. In other words, the price you set is important.” Prompt: “After each sentence, ask whether it adds a fact, a reason or a step. If not, delete it.”

Structure-level tells

16. The summary intro

Example: “In this article, we’ll explore what cash flow is, why it matters, and how to improve it.” Prompt: “Don’t open with a preview of the article. Open with the most useful or surprising thing you have to say.”

17. “In conclusion”

Example: “In conclusion, cash flow management is essential for every business.” Prompt: “No ‘in conclusion,’ ‘to sum up’ or ‘in summary.’ End with a specific next step, a decision or a concrete example.”

18. Bullet avalanches

Example: Six consecutive bulleted lists, each item a bolded phrase and a colon. Prompt: “Use bullets only for lists of parallel items. Explanations, arguments and sequences go in paragraphs.”

19. Headings that restate the H1

Example: H1 “How to price a consulting project”; H2s “Understanding consulting pricing,” “Why pricing matters,” “Pricing strategies.” Prompt: “Each heading must say something specific a reader could act on, and no heading may repeat the title’s words.”

20. Uniform paragraph rhythm

Example: Every paragraph is three sentences; every section is four paragraphs; every section ends with a one-line summary. Prompt: “Vary paragraph length. Let an important point stand alone in one sentence; let a complicated one run long.”

Substance-level tells

21. No specifics

Example: “Many businesses have seen significant improvements by adopting these practices.” Prompt: “Replace every ‘many,’ ‘significant,’ ‘various’ and ‘numerous’ with a number, a name or a concrete example, or cut the sentence.”

22. No opinion

Example: “There are several approaches, and the best one depends on your needs.” Prompt: “Where the author would have a view, state it: which option is better for which reader, and why.”

23. Fake balance

Example: “While there are pros and cons to each option, both have their merits.” Prompt: “Don’t present a question as balanced unless it actually is. If one option is better for this reader, say so.”

24. “Studies show” with no study

Example: “Research shows that 70% of customers prefer live chat.” Prompt: “Every statistic needs a named source and a link. If you don’t have one, remove the number and make the point without it.”

Formatting tells

25. Em-dash overuse

Example: “Pricing — the hardest part of any launch — is also the most ignored — and the most costly.” Prompt: “Use at most one em dash per 300 words. Replace the rest with commas, periods or parentheses.”

26. Bold-everything

Example: “Set a budget. Track spending. Review monthly. These are the key habits.” Prompt: “Bold at most one phrase per section, and only where a skimming reader needs to find it.”

27. Emoji headers and decorative symbols

Example: A rocket emoji before “Getting started,” a check mark before every list item. Prompt: “No emoji in headings or body text. No decorative symbols.”

A before-and-after

Here is a fictional passage written to show how the tells stack up, and what the same paragraph looks like once the prompt rules have been applied.

Seven sentences, at least twelve tells. Here is the same paragraph after the rules.

The second version is shorter, has one concrete instruction, takes a position, and contains no claim it can’t support. It also sounds like a person who has done the thing.

The combined prompt

Paste this into the AI that produced the draft, along with the article text. It bundles all 27 instructions. Adjust the em-dash and bold limits to taste.

Revise the article below according to these rules. Keep the meaning, the facts and the author's voice. Do not add new claims or statistics.

WORDS
- Never use "delve," "tapestry," "landscape," "realm," "leverage," "utilize," "foster," "enhance," "streamline."
- Delete "it's important to note," "it's worth mentioning" and similar phrases; state the point itself.
- Delete any opening phrase about "today's world," "the digital age" or "the modern landscape."
- Cut "robust," "seamless," "cutting-edge," "comprehensive," "powerful." If a quality matters, state the specific fact that proves it.
- Use "crucial," "vital," "essential" or "key" at most once in the whole article.

SENTENCES
- Do not group items in threes by default; use the real number of items.
- At most one hedge per claim. If a claim is true, state it plainly.
- Do not open a paragraph or section with a rhetorical question.
- Avoid "not just X but Y" and "it's not about X, it's about Y."
- Remove "whether you're a... or a..." constructions; write for one reader.
- Delete "furthermore," "moreover," "additionally," "in addition" at sentence starts.
- Delete any sentence that only restates the previous sentence.

STRUCTURE
- Do not open with a preview of the article. Open with the most useful thing you have to say.
- Do not end with "in conclusion," "to sum up" or "in summary." End with a specific next step or example.
- Use bullets only for lists of parallel items; put explanations and arguments in paragraphs.
- Every heading must say something specific; no heading may repeat the title's words.
- Vary paragraph length.

SUBSTANCE
- Replace "many," "significant," "various," "numerous" with a number, a name or a concrete example, or cut the sentence.
- Where the author would have a view, state it: which option is better for which reader, and why.
- Do not present a question as balanced unless it is.
- Every statistic must have a named source and a link already present in the text. If a number has no source, remove the number and make the point without it.

FORMATTING
- At most one em dash per 300 words.
- Bold at most one phrase per section.
- No emoji, no decorative symbols.

After revising, list every statistic, quote or named source that remains in the article so the author can verify each one.

The last line matters. The prompt removes the tells; it cannot verify the facts. That list is what you check before publishing, and if you want a second pair of eyes on both the tells and the facts, a human review sends back exactly this kind of instruction, written for your specific article.

The takeaway

Tells are patterns, not individual words, and a prompt with explicit rules fixes them better than “make it sound human.” Run the combined prompt once, then read the result for what the rules can’t catch: whether the article says anything specific, takes a position, and gets its facts right. That last part is still your job.