The tells¶

AI writing gives itself away with the same characters, stock phrases, and buzzwords, over and over. If you have wondered why ChatGPT sounds robotic, or which words and phrases give AI writing away, this is the list. It covers every tell the default profile acts on, generated straight from the profile the engine compiles, so what you read here is exactly what gets chopped. Rebuild it any time with slop-chop tells --markdown.

Character swaps (12)¶

Rewritten in place. The usual suspects: the em-dash, smart quotes, the ellipsis.

From	To

	dropped
`–`	`-`
`—`	`,`
`‘`	`'`
`’`	`'`
`“`	`"`
`”`	`"`
`…`	`...`

`⁠`	dropped
	dropped

Stock phrases (33)¶

Openers and filler that add words but no meaning. Each is dropped with its trailing comma and space, and when it opened the sentence the next word gets its capital back.

Phrase	Fate
`additionally,`	dropped
`at its core,`	dropped
`at the end of the day,`	dropped
`consequently,`	dropped
`first and foremost,`	dropped
`furthermore,`	dropped
`giving it to you honestly,`	dropped
`importantly,`	dropped
`in a nutshell,`	dropped
`in conclusion,`	dropped
`in essence,`	dropped
`in summary,`	dropped
`in today's digital age,`	dropped
`in today's fast-paced world,`	dropped
`it goes without saying that`	dropped
`it is important to note that`	dropped
`it is worth noting that`	dropped
`it's important to note that`	dropped
`it's worth noting that`	dropped
`last but not least,`	dropped
`more importantly,`	dropped
`moreover,`	dropped
`needless to say,`	dropped
`notably,`	dropped
`overall,`	dropped
`rest assured,`	dropped
`simply put,`	dropped
`that being said,`	dropped
`to be honest,`	dropped
`to put it simply,`	dropped
`to recap,`	dropped
`with that said,`	dropped
`without further ado,`	dropped

Buzzwords (77)¶

Flagged wherever they appear, never rewritten, because the right replacement depends on the sentence. The cleaver preset swaps the common ones for plain words when you want that done for you.

best-in-class blast radius comprehensive cutting edge cutting-edge delve delved delves delving effortless effortlessly elegant empower empowering empowers ever-evolving facilitate facilitates facilitating fast-paced frictionless game-changer game-changing groundbreaking harness the power holistic in the realm of innovative invaluable leverage leveraged leverages leveraging meticulous meticulously myriad paradigm shift pivotal plethora powerful revolutionize revolutionized revolutionizes revolutionizing robust seamless seamlessly showcase showcased showcases showcasing state-of-the-art streamline streamlined streamlines streamlining substrate supercharge supercharged synergies synergy tapestry testament to top-notch transformative unleash unleashed unleashes unleashing unlock the full potential unlock the potential unparalleled utilize utilized utilizes utilizing world-class

Structural patterns (8)¶

Sentence shapes a word list cannot catch, like the setup-and-reveal cadence. Flag only: the fix depends on the whole sentence, so it is left to you or the rewrite pass.

Name	Pattern
`assistant-opener`	`(?im)^\s{0,3}(?:certainly\\|absolutely\\|great question\\|i'?d be happy to\\|happy to help\\|i hope this helps)\b`
`hedge-stack`	`(?i)\b(?:may\\|might\\|could\\|possibly\\|perhaps\\|arguably\\|generally\\|potentially\\|somewhat\\|seemingly\\|presumably\\|conceivably)\b[^.!?\n]{1,50}\b(?:may\\|might\\|could\\|possibly\\|perhaps\\|arguably\\|generally\\|potentially\\|somewhat\\|seemingly\\|presumably\\|conceivably)\b`
`heres-the-thing`	`(?i)\bhere'?s the (thing\\|kicker\\|deal\\|catch\\|secret\\|problem)\b`
`its-not-x-its-y`	`(?i)\b(?:it\\|this\\|that)(?:'?s\\|\s+(?:is\\|was\\|are\\|were))(?:\s+not\\|n'?t)\b[^.!?\n]{1,40}[,;]\s*it'?s\b`
`lets-dive-in`	`(?i)\blet'?s (dive\\|delve\\|jump) in(to)?\b`
`lets-take-a-look`	`(?i)\blet'?s (?:take a (?:closer )?look\\|explore\\|unpack\\|break (?:it\\|this) down)\b`
`not-just-but-also`	`(?i)\bnot (just\\|only)\b[^.!?\n]{1,60}\bbut\b[^.!?\n]{0,25}\balso\b`
`thats-where-comes-in`	`(?i)\bthat'?s where\b[^.!?\n]{1,30}\bcomes? in\b`

Cleanup passes¶

Pass	Default	Does
Semicolon split	on	Turns `; it` into `. It` when the semicolon joins two clauses.
Space cleanup	on	Collapses doubled spaces and pulls spaces off punctuation.
Spelling dialect	off	With `--dialect`, rewrites the other dialect's spellings.

Presets¶

Optional packs merged on top of your profile with --preset. Your profile wins on any conflict. The web app ships with the cleaver preset switched on.

academic¶

Word swaps (13)¶

From	To
`aforementioned`	`earlier`
`ascertain`	`find out`
`commence`	`start`
`demonstrate`	`show`
`elucidate`	`explain`
`endeavor`	`try`
`facilitate`	`help`
`furthermore`	`also`
`heretofore`	`until now`
`methodology`	`method`
`moreover`	`also`
`terminate`	`end`
`utilize`	`use`

Phrase swaps (14)¶

From	To
`a number of`	`several`
`a wide range of`	`many`
`as can be seen,`	dropped
`as previously mentioned,`	dropped
`due to the fact that`	`because`
`in light of the fact that`	`because`
`in order to`	`to`
`in the context of`	`in`
`it is important to note that`	dropped
`it is worth mentioning that`	dropped
`it should be noted that`	dropped
`the current paper`	`this paper`
`the present study`	`this study`
`with regard to`	`about`

Adds 8 buzzwords: comprehensive analysis future research directions novel approach paradigm robustly seminal significant implications to the best of our knowledge

cleaver¶

Word swaps (81)¶

From	To
`best-in-class`	`top`
`bolster`	`strengthen`
`bolstered`	`strengthened`
`bolstering`	`strengthening`
`bolsters`	`strengthens`
`comprehensive`	`thorough`
`comprehensively`	`thoroughly`
`cutting-edge`	`modern`
`delve`	`dig`
`delved`	`dug`
`delves`	`digs`
`delving`	`digging`
`effortless`	`easy`
`effortlessly`	`easily`
`empower`	`help`
`empowered`	`helped`
`empowering`	`helping`
`empowers`	`helps`
`ever-evolving`	`changing`
`facilitate`	`help`
`facilitated`	`helped`
`facilitates`	`helps`
`facilitating`	`helping`
`forward-thinking`	`modern`
`frictionless`	`smooth`
`future-proof`	`lasting`
`game-changer`	`breakthrough`
`game-changing`	`major`
`groundbreaking`	`new`
`holistic`	`complete`
`hyper-personalized`	`tailored`
`innovative`	`new`
`leverage`	`use`
`leveraged`	`used`
`leverages`	`uses`
`leveraging`	`using`
`meticulous`	`careful`
`meticulously`	`carefully`
`myriad`	`many`
`next-generation`	`new`
`operationalize`	`apply`
`operationalized`	`applied`
`operationalizes`	`applies`
`operationalizing`	`applying`
`optimal`	`best`
`paramount`	`critical`
`pivotal`	`key`
`plethora`	`plenty`
`powerful`	`strong`
`powerfully`	`strongly`
`revolutionize`	`change`
`revolutionized`	`changed`
`revolutionizes`	`changes`
`revolutionizing`	`changing`
`robust`	`solid`
`seamless`	`smooth`
`seamlessly`	dropped
`showcase`	`show`
`showcased`	`showed`
`showcases`	`shows`
`showcasing`	`showing`
`spearhead`	`lead`
`spearheaded`	`led`
`spearheading`	`leading`
`spearheads`	`leads`
`state-of-the-art`	`modern`
`streamline`	`simplify`
`streamlined`	`simplified`
`streamlines`	`simplifies`
`streamlining`	`simplifying`
`supercharge`	`boost`
`supercharged`	`boosted`
`top-notch`	`top`
`transformative`	`major`
`unparalleled`	`unmatched`
`utilize`	`use`
`utilized`	`used`
`utilizes`	`uses`
`utilizing`	`using`
`value-added`	`useful`
`world-class`	`top`

Phrase swaps (42)¶

From	To
`a myriad of`	`many`
`a variety of`	`several`
`a wide range of`	`many`
`a wide variety of`	`many`
`actionable insights`	`useful findings`
`at the end of the day,`	dropped
`core competencies`	`strengths`
`core competency`	`strength`
`curated collection`	`selected collection`
`curated list`	`selected list`
`deep dive into`	`dig into`
`deep-dive into`	`dig into`
`elevate your`	`improve your`
`embark on`	`start`
`empowered to`	`able to`
`harness the power of`	`use`
`harnesses the power of`	`uses`
`harnessing the power of`	`using`
`in order to`	`to`
`in the realm of`	`in`
`in today's digital-first landscape,`	dropped
`in today's ever-evolving landscape,`	dropped
`in today's fast-paced, digital-first landscape,`	dropped
`in today's landscape,`	dropped
`is a testament to`	`shows`
`move the needle`	`make a difference`
`moves the needle`	`makes a difference`
`navigate the complexities of`	`handle`
`paradigm shift`	`big change`
`plays a crucial role in`	`is key to`
`plays a vital role in`	`is key to`
`resonate with`	`connect with`
`resonates with`	`connects with`
`stands as a testament to`	`shows`
`ultimately,`	dropped
`underscores how`	`shows how`
`underscores that`	`shows that`
`underscores the`	`shows the`
`unlock the full potential of`	`get the most from`
`unlocking the full potential of`	`getting the most from`
`unlocks the full potential of`	`gets the most from`
`when it comes to`	`for`

Adds 5 buzzwords: ai-driven digital-first paradigm-shifting proactively ultra-efficient

corporate¶

Word swaps (10)¶

From	To
`actionable`	`usable`
`bandwidth`	`time`
`deliverables`	`results`
`ideate`	`brainstorm`
`incentivize`	`encourage`
`learnings`	`lessons`
`leverage`	`use`
`operationalize`	`put in place`
`synergize`	`combine`
`utilize`	`use`

Phrase swaps (18)¶

From	To
`at the end of the day`	dropped
`at this point in time`	`now`
`boil the ocean`	`do too much`
`circle back`	`follow up`
`drink from the firehose`	`take in a lot`
`for all intents and purposes`	dropped
`going forward`	dropped
`in order to`	`to`
`low-hanging fruit`	`easy wins`
`move the needle`	`make a difference`
`moving forward`	dropped
`on a go-forward basis`	dropped
`open the kimono`	`share the details`
`peel the onion`	`look closer`
`reach out to`	`ask`
`run it up the flagpole`	`get sign-off`
`take this offline`	`discuss later`
`touch base`	`talk`

Adds 12 buzzwords: best practice core competency deep dive double-click mission-critical north star paradigm stakeholder alignment table stakes thought leadership value-add win-win

marketing¶

Word swaps (7)¶

From	To
`artisanal`	`handmade`
`bespoke`	`custom`
`best-in-class`	`leading`
`curated`	`chosen`
`elevate`	`improve`
`next-generation`	`new`
`turnkey`	`ready to use`

Phrase swaps (11)¶

From	To
`everything you need to know about`	dropped
`in today's fast-paced world`	dropped
`join the thousands of`	dropped
`look no further`	dropped
`revolutionize the way you`	`change how you`
`say goodbye to`	`no more`
`supercharge your`	`improve your`
`take it to the next level`	`improve it`
`the ultimate guide to`	`how to`
`trusted by industry leaders`	dropped
`unlock the full potential of`	dropped

Adds 16 buzzwords: effortless game-changer guru hassle-free hidden gem level up must-have ninja no-brainer one-stop shop power user rockstar second to none secret weapon unmatched unrivaled

plain¶

Word swaps (24)¶

From	To
`additional`	`more`
`approximately`	`about`
`ascertain`	`find out`
`assistance`	`help`
`attempt`	`try`
`commence`	`start`
`demonstrate`	`show`
`endeavor`	`try`
`endeavour`	`try`
`facilitate`	`help`
`individuals`	`people`
`initiate`	`start`
`leverage`	`use`
`modify`	`change`
`numerous`	`many`
`obtain`	`get`
`purchase`	`buy`
`regarding`	`about`
`require`	`need`
`sufficient`	`enough`
`terminate`	`end`
`utilise`	`use`
`utilization`	`use`
`utilize`	`use`

Phrase swaps (19)¶

From	To
`a large number of`	`many`
`a majority of`	`most`
`a number of`	`several`
`at the present time`	`now`
`at this point in time`	`now`
`due to the fact that`	`because`
`for the purpose of`	`to`
`has the ability to`	`can`
`in order to`	`to`
`in spite of the fact that`	`although`
`in the event that`	`if`
`in the near future`	`soon`
`is able to`	`can`
`on a daily basis`	`daily`
`prior to`	`before`
`subsequent to`	`after`
`the majority of`	`most`
`with reference to`	`about`
`with regard to`	`about`

Adds 25 buzzwords: actionable bandwidth best practice boil the ocean circle back core competency deep dive deliverable deliverables double-click ideate learnings low-hanging fruit mission-critical move the needle north star operationalize paradigm synergies synergy table stakes thought leadership touch base value-add win-win