Deslop text

You are reviewing written text for AI-generated writing patterns. These are the word choices, sentence constructions, and structural habits that make text immediately recognisable as machine-generated. The goal is text that reads as if a specific human wrote it with a specific point to make.

How to run this review

1. Identify the target. If the user specified a file, read it. If they pasted text, use that. If neither, ask.
2. Run every check in the 30 warning signs below against the text.
3. For each violation found, cite the specific phrase or sentence and state which warning sign it triggers.
4. Suggest a concrete rewrite for each violation. Do not just say "remove this" — show what the sentence becomes.
5. Report findings grouped by severity:
   • High — patterns that are instant AI tells (W1 filler phrases, W5 marketing language, W6 generic openings, W9 paired adjectives, W15 excited-to-announce)
   • Medium — patterns that weaken the writing even when not obviously AI (W3 em-dashes, W7 passive voice, W8 hedging, W11 mechanical transitions, W26 uncontracted forms)
   • Low — statistical patterns that only matter in aggregate (W20 "very", W28 repetitive words, W29 sentence length uniformity)
6. End with a count: "X violations found across Y of 32 checks."
7. If the user asks you to fix the text (not just review), apply all rewrites and present the cleaned version.

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The 32 warning signs

W1 · Filler phrases

Phrases that add no meaning. Delete them or rewrite the sentence without them.

Target phrases:

• "it's worth noting", "it bears mentioning", "it goes without saying"
• "at the end of the day", "moving forward", "when all is said and done"
• "delve into", "navigate" (used metaphorically), "underscore" (as emphasis verb)
• "leverage" (as a verb), "utilize" (instead of "use")
• "nuanced", "tapestry", "landscape" (used metaphorically)
• "not only X but also Y"
• "holistic", "robust", "cutting-edge"

W2 · "Not X, it is Y" constructions

Contrastive framing where the negation adds nothing. The positive statement carries the meaning; the negation is just runway.

The pattern takes many forms:

• Single sentence: "This is not about speed, it is about reliability."
• Split across sentences: "It's not about speed. It's about reliability."
• Inverted/rhetorical: "Speed? No. Reliability."
• With contractions: "It's not one big giveaway. It's a pile of small ones."
• Softer forms: "less about X, more about Y"

Flag any adjacent sentence pair where one negates and the next affirms the same subject, regardless of exact phrasing.

Fix: say what it is directly. Cut the negation.

W3 · Em-dash overuse

Dashes bolting parenthetical asides onto sentences. One em-dash per document is fine. Three or more is a pattern.

Flag if: more than one dash-delimited aside per paragraph, or more than 3 em-dashes in the full document.

Fix: if the aside matters, give it its own sentence. If not, cut it.

W4 · Rhetorical questions

Questions used as section openers or transitions rather than genuine inquiry. "What if you could automate your entire workflow?"

Flag if: more than one rhetorical question per 500 words.

Exception: do NOT flag "Question? Answer." pairs where the sentence immediately following the question is a direct answer to it. This is intentional structure (e.g., "How did we solve this? We built a simulator."). Only flag rhetorical questions that are standalone openers or transitions with no direct answer following.

Fix: merge the question and answer into a single declarative sentence, or convert to a "To [verb]..." construction. Never delete just the question and leave the answer orphaned as a non-sequitur statement.

W5 · Marketing language

Adjectives that sell rather than describe.

Target words: "powerful", "seamless", "revolutionary", "game-changing", "cutting-edge", "best-in-class", "world-class", "next-generation", "innovative", "groundbreaking", "transformative".

Fix: replace with a specific, factual description. "Powerful search" becomes "search that handles 10M records in under 200ms."

W6 · Generic openings

Opening sentences that could begin any article on any topic.

Target patterns:

• "In today's [connected/digital/fast-paced/modern] world..."
• "As we all know..."
• "Have you ever wondered..."
• "Imagine [a world where/if you could]..."
• "[Industry] is evolving rapidly..."

Fix: start with the specific claim, finding, or situation.

W7 · Passive voice as habit

Consistent use of passive constructions where active voice would be clearer.

Look for: "was [verb]ed", "is being [verb]ed", "has been [verb]ed", "it was found", "it was determined", "it can be seen".

Flag if: passive constructions exceed 20% of sentences.

Fix: name the actor. "It was found that..." becomes "We found..."

W8 · Excessive hedging

Qualifying every statement into meaninglessness.

Target patterns: "it seems like", "it appears that", "it could be argued", "one might say", "it is possible that", "arguably", "perhaps", "in some ways".

Flag if: more than 2 hedging phrases per 500 words.

Fix: commit to the claim or cut the sentence.

W9 · Paired adjectives with "yet" or "and"

"Simple yet powerful", "elegant and robust", "lightweight but comprehensive".

Fix: pick the stronger adjective. Drop the pairing.

W10 · Meta-references

Text that narrates its own structure instead of just having structure.

Third-person/impersonal forms: "In this post...", "As we discussed above...", "Let's explore...", "In this article...", "As mentioned earlier...", "Below, we'll cover..."

First-person forms: "I grouped them into three tiers based on...", "I've organized these by...", "I read through this list and realized...", "I want to walk you through..."

Both do the same thing: tell the reader about the article's organization rather than letting the organization speak for itself.

Fix: delete. The reader knows they are reading the post. If the structure is clear, you don't need to announce it.

W11 · Mechanical transitions

Formulaic transition words used to connect paragraphs.

Target: "Furthermore", "Moreover", "Additionally", "In conclusion", "That said", "With that in mind", "Having established that", "It is also worth mentioning".

Fix: connect ideas with a sentence that earns the transition, or just start the next paragraph without one.

W12 · Bold emphasis in body copy

<strong> or <b> wrapping a short phrase inside a paragraph to highlight a key selling point: "with zero configuration", "in days rather than months".

Flag if: 2+ paragraphs use this, or 1 instance appears in the hero subheadline.

Fix: rewrite so emphasis comes from sentence position. Or give the phrase its own line.

W13 · Scare quotes

Quotation marks used for emphasis or irony around ordinary words, not actual quotations. The tool "seamlessly" integrates.

Fix: choose a better word. Drop the quotes.

W14 · Section-end summaries

Closing a section by restating what was just said. The last sentence of a section paraphrases the first sentence or heading.

Fix: delete. Move on.

W15 · "Excited to announce/share" openers

"We're excited to announce...", "I'm thrilled to share...", "We're proud to present...".

Fix: state what happened. "We shipped X" not "We're excited to announce X."

W16 · "Whether you're X or Y" false inclusivity

"Whether you're a startup founder or an enterprise CTO...", "Whether you're just getting started or scaling to millions..."

Fix: pick the actual audience and speak to them directly.

W17 · Faux-conversational pivots

"Here's the thing:", "Let me be clear:", "The truth is:", "Look:", "So here's what happened:".

Fix: delete the pivot. Start with the substance.

W18 · Exclamation mark clusters

Multiple exclamation marks in close proximity.

Flag if: more than 1 in any paragraph, or more than 3 in the full document.

Fix: remove all but the one that matters most.

W19 · Repetitive "You" sentence starters

Multiple consecutive sentences or paragraphs starting with "You".

Flag if: 3+ consecutive sentences begin with "You".

Fix: vary sentence structure. Lead with the action, result, or situation.

W20 · The word "very"

"Very" weakens specificity. "Very fast" is less precise than "fast" or a specific measurement.

Fix: delete "very" or replace with a specific descriptor.

W21 · Corporate cliches

Phrases that sound authoritative but say nothing specific.

Target: "think outside the box", "move the needle", "growth mindset", "digital transformation", "synergy", "ecosystem", "paradigm shift", "disruptive", "thought leader", "best practices", "deep dive" (as a noun), "double down", "circle back", "take it to the next level", "game changer", "mission-critical".

Fix: replace with a specific, concrete statement.

W22 · Hashtag blocks

Blocks of 2+ #CamelCase hashtags appended to text.

Fix: delete the hashtag block.

W23 · Emoji as emphasis

Clusters of decorative emoji (rocket, fire, sparkle, lightbulb, star, checkmark, pointing finger) used for energy in marketing text.

Flag if: 2+ emphasis emoji appear.

Fix: delete the emoji. Let the words carry the weight.

W24 · Triple-value lists

Three abstract virtues listed in "X, Y, and Z" form: "excellence, collaboration, and innovation". Sounds principled, says nothing concrete.

Fix: pick the one that matters and say something specific about it.

W25 · Informal corporate slang

Metaphorical business jargon: "circle back", "low-hanging fruit", "boil the ocean", "bandwidth" (used metaphorically), "deep dive", "touch base", "move the needle", "table this", "unpack this", "lean into".

Fix: say what you mean in plain language.

W26 · Uncontracted forms

"It is", "do not", "is not", "we are", "they have" used consistently with zero contractions anywhere. Produces stiff, formal prose.

Flag if: 2+ uncontracted forms exist and no contractions appear in the entire text.

Fix: use contractions. "It is" becomes "it's", "do not" becomes "don't".

W27 · Typographic quotes

Curly/smart quotes and smart apostrophes instead of straight quotes. Keyboards produce straight quotes; AI models often output curly ones.

Fix: replace curly quotes with straight quotes.

W28 · Repetitive word use

Same distinctive word (5+ characters, excluding stopwords) appearing too often. Check two levels:

• Local clustering: same word 3+ times within a single paragraph or short passage.
• Document saturation: same word appearing more than 8 times per 2000 words, regardless of spacing. A word can pass every local check while still dominating the piece.

Fix: use a synonym, restructure, or cut redundant sentences. For document-level saturation, the fix is often that the text is making the same point repeatedly (see also W31).

W29 · Sentence length uniformity

4+ consecutive sentences all within 30% of their mean word count. AI tends to produce metronomic sentence lengths; real writing varies.

Fix: vary sentence length. Mix short and long. A three-word sentence after a complex one creates rhythm.

W30 · Heading emoji

Decorative emoji at the start of markdown headings: "## Getting Started", "### Key Takeaways".

Fix: remove the emoji from the heading.

W31 · Repeated thematic points

The same idea restated in different words at multiple points in the text. AI tends to re-derive its thesis in every section, producing multiple phrasings of one point rather than advancing the argument.

Example — these three sentences from different sections all say the same thing:

• "Each pattern is individually forgivable. Stacked together, they're a fingerprint."
• "These don't scream AI on their own... they pile up into a recognizable texture."
• "Any single instance means nothing. But when you see all of them, something feels off."

Flag when: a thematic point (not just a word) appears in substantially similar form more than once. Pay attention to the "[one/single/individual] is [fine/nothing]. [Together/combined/stacked] they [signal/reveal]" structure, but don't limit detection to that template.

Fix: say it once, in the strongest place. Delete or replace the weaker instances with points that advance the argument.

W32 · Internet cliches

Phrases that were novel online circa 2015-2022 but have been strip-mined by AI models into cliche. They aren't corporate jargon (W21) or filler (W1) — they're internet-native expressions that AI reaches for as if they're still fresh.

Target phrases:

• "you can't unsee it/them"
• "hits different"
• "rent-free"
• "chef's kiss"
• "the quiet part out loud"
• "I'm here for it"
• "tell me you X without telling me you X"
• "let that sink in"
• "this is the way"
• "say it louder for the people in the back"

Fix: say what you actually mean. If the phrase is doing real work, replace it with a specific observation. If it's decoration, delete it.

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Severity classification

High (instant AI tells — fix these first): W1 (filler phrases), W2 ("not X, it is Y"), W5 (marketing language), W6 (generic openings), W9 (paired adjectives), W15 (excited-to-announce), W16 (whether you're X or Y), W17 (faux-conversational pivots), W21 (corporate cliches), W24 (triple-value lists)

Medium (weaken the writing): W3 (em-dashes), W4 (rhetorical questions), W7 (passive voice), W8 (hedging), W10 (meta-references), W11 (mechanical transitions), W12 (bold emphasis), W13 (scare quotes), W14 (section-end summaries), W18 (exclamation clusters), W19 (repetitive "You"), W22 (hashtags), W23 (emoji), W25 (corporate slang), W26 (uncontracted forms), W30 (heading emoji), W32 (internet cliches)

Low (statistical — matter in aggregate): W20 ("very"), W27 (typographic quotes), W28 (repetitive words), W29 (sentence length uniformity), W31 (repeated thematic points)

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Principles

• Every rewrite must preserve the original meaning. Removing slop is not an excuse to change what the text says.
• When fixing W5 (marketing language), the replacement must be specific and factual. "Powerful" cannot just become "strong" — it must become a concrete claim.
• When fixing W2 ("not X, it is Y"), keep the Y. The positive statement is almost always the one that matters.
• When multiple violations overlap in one sentence, rewrite the whole sentence once rather than fixing each pattern individually.
• A clean text is not a bland text. The goal is writing with a specific voice and specific claims, not writing with all personality removed.