What are AI slop words?

Words and phrases that appear far more often in AI-generated text than in normal human writing, making them reliable tells: delve, leverage, unlock, unleash, transformative, game-changer, tapestry, testament, elevate, empower, seamless, robust, 'in today's fast-paced world', 'thrilled to announce', 'let's dive in', and similar. No single word proves AI authorship, but several together form a recognizable fingerprint.

Does using the word 'delve' mean text is AI-written?

Not by itself — every word on the list appears in human writing too. The signal is density: several tell-words in one short piece, combined with structural patterns like heavy em-dash use, three-item lists, and negative parallelisms ('it's not just X, it's Y'). One tell is a coincidence; five in a paragraph is a fingerprint.

What are the structural AI writing patterns beyond specific words?

The main ones: em dashes several times per paragraph, the rule of three (forced three-item lists), negative parallelism ('this isn't just a product, it's a movement'), rhetorical-question openers, announcement openers, motivational endings, uniform paragraph lengths, and hashtag or emoji spam. These persist even when the tell-words are removed.

How do I remove AI slop from my writing?

Swap each tell-word for its plain equivalent (leverage → use, delve into → dig into, transformative → real), break the structural patterns (replace em dashes, cut forced triplets, delete the motivational ending), and add one specific detail only you could know. Free tools can automate the mechanical pass.

The AI Slop Words and Phrases List (2026)

AI slop words are the words and phrases that appear far more often in AI-generated text than in normal human writing — which makes them reliable tells. No single word proves anything; the signal is density. Below is the working list we maintain for EnhancePost's detector: the vocabulary, the phrases, and the structural patterns, each with a plain replacement.

Tell-words: verbs and adjectives

Slop word	Why it's a tell	Say instead
delve (into)	The most famous AI word; rare in casual human prose	dig into, look at
leverage	Corporate verb AI applies to everything	use
unlock	Everything "unlocks potential" in AI text	open up, enable, or just state the result
unleash	Marketing register AI defaults to	set loose, release
elevate	Vague upgrade verb	improve, raise
empower	Abstract benefit with no mechanism	let, help
foster	Formal register, rare in speech	build, encourage
harness	"Harness the power of…"	use
streamline	Process-speak default	simplify, speed up
revolutionize	Inflation — few things revolutionize anything	change
transformative	Same inflation, adjective form	real, big — or give the number
game-changer / game changing	Cliché AI reaches for constantly	big shift — or say what changed
seamless	Every integration is "seamless" in AI copy	smooth — or describe the actual steps saved
robust	Filler adjective for anything technical	reliable, tested
cutting-edge	Marketing filler	new — or name the technique
pivotal / crucial / vital	Importance inflation in every paragraph	important — or cut it
meticulous(ly)	AI's favorite way to praise effort	careful(ly)
boast(s)	"The tool boasts 40 features"	has

Tell-words: nouns and imagery

Slop word	Why it's a tell	Say instead
tapestry	"A rich tapestry of…" — near-exclusive to AI prose	mix, range — or cut
testament (a testament to)	Formal flourish AI adds to praise	shows, proves
journey	Everything is a journey in AI text	the specific thing: career, project, year
landscape	"The evolving AI landscape"	market, field — or name it
realm	"In the realm of marketing…"	in marketing
synergy	Legacy corporate slop AI inherited	say what combines with what
beacon	"A beacon of innovation"	example
treasure trove	Stock AI imagery	a lot of
paradigm shift	Importance inflation	change
key takeaways	Listicle scaffolding AI adds unprompted	what I learned

Tell-phrases

Slop phrase	Fix
Thrilled to announce / Excited to share	Open with the news itself
Humbled and honored	Say thank you to a specific person
In today's fast-paced world / digital age	Delete the sentence — it says nothing
In the ever-evolving landscape of…	Delete, start at your point
Let's dive in / Let's delve into	Just start
The power of X	Say what X did, with a number
It's important to note that…	Delete the frame, keep the note
At the end of the day	Delete
Take it to the next level	Say which level: what improves, by how much
Here's the kicker / Here's the thing	Delete, the next sentence should carry itself
Let that sink in / Read that again	Delete — if it's striking, it doesn't need a command
The future is bright / Let's build it together	End on your last real point instead
Agree? / Thoughts?	Ask a specific question you actually want answered

Structural patterns (they survive word swaps)

Em dashes — several per paragraph — the single most cited tell. Replace with commas and periods.

The rule of three. "Innovation, inspiration, and impact." Forced triplets where you had two real points. Write the true number of points.

Negative parallelism. "It's not just a product — it's a movement." / "This isn't about tools, it's about people." Say the actual claim.

Rhetorical-question openers. "Ever wondered why…?" Open with a claim or a number instead.

Uniform paragraph rhythm. Every paragraph 1–2 sentences of near-equal length. Vary it.

Hashtag and emoji spam. Five hashtags and a rocket emoji the author never typed.

Padding and restatement. Transitions and summaries of the previous sentence. Cutting a third of an AI draft usually improves it.

For worked before/after rewrites of each structural pattern, see how to make AI-written posts not sound like AI.

How to use this list

Don't police single words — every entry above appears in good human writing. Scan for density: three or more tells in a short post is a fingerprint, and readers now recognize it (here's what they check first). If you're editing a ChatGPT draft, follow the five-step fix. Or paste your draft into EnhancePost — this exact list powers its live detector, each hit gets underlined with a one-click plain-English replacement, and the "just de-slop" goal rewrites without inventing facts. Free, no signup.

Check your draft against this list automatically

Open beta · No signup · This list, as a live detector

Open the enhancer →

The AI slop words and phrases list (2026)