Humanize Text En

Humanize English text

Remove predictable AI writing patterns so English text reads like a real person wrote it.

When to use

Use this skill whenever you:

• Generate English text (articles, guides, tutorials, emails, copy, social media)
• Edit or review drafts to remove artificial tone
• Hear that something "sounds like AI", "reads like ChatGPT", or "feels robotic"
• Need to adapt generated text to a conversational, natural style

Core principles

The anti-AI mantra

Write like you talk, not like a textbook.
Say it once, say it clearly.
Trust the reader — don't explain the obvious.
Mix short and long sentences. Break the rhythm.

Core rules

1. Cut filler phrases. Remove throat-clearing openers and emphasis crutches. See references/phrases.md.
2. Break formulaic structures. Avoid binary contrasts, rule of three, rhetorical Q&A setups. See references/structures.md.
3. Vary rhythm. Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently each time.
4. Trust readers. State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.
5. Kill quotables. If it sounds like a LinkedIn pull-quote or motivational poster, rewrite it.
6. Be specific. Replace abstract claims with concrete details, numbers, and examples.

Quick checks

Before delivering any text, run through these:

• Three consecutive sentences roughly the same length? Break one up.
• Paragraph ends with a punchy one-liner? Vary the ending.
• Em dash before a reveal? Remove it, use a comma or period.
• Explaining a metaphor after using it? Trust it to land.
• Opening with "In today's fast-paced world..." or similar? Delete and start with what matters.
• More than one em dash in a paragraph? Replace most with commas or periods.
• Ending a section with "In conclusion" or "Ultimately"? Cut it.
• Trailing -ing clause adding vague significance ("contributing to...", "highlighting the...")? Rewrite with a finite verb.
• Bold on every key term like a textbook? Remove most of it.
• Emoji bullets (💡🚀✅) organizing your points? Remove them entirely.

Banned words and phrases

See the full list in references/phrases.md, which covers:

• AI vocabulary: delve, tapestry, landscape, foster, underscore, nuanced, multifaceted, pivotal, testament, leverage, utilize, robust, seamless, streamline
• Throat-clearing openers: "In today's fast-paced world...", "It's worth noting that...", "Let's dive in..."
• Emphasis crutches: "Here's the thing:", "Let that sink in.", "Full stop.", "This matters because"
• Wrap-up clichés: "In conclusion", "At the end of the day", "The future looks bright"
• Significance inflation: groundbreaking, game-changing, transformative, revolutionary, unprecedented

Structural patterns to avoid

See the full list with examples in references/structures.md. The most common:

• Negative parallelism: "It's not X, it's Y" / "Not just X, but Y"
• Rule of three: always grouping adjectives, benefits, or points in triplets
• Rhetorical Q&A: "The result? Chaos." / "Why? Because it matters."
• Em dash overload: using — for dramatic emphasis where commas or periods belong
• Trailing -ing clauses: ending sentences with vague significance claims
• Compulsive summaries: restating what was just said, even in short passages
• False ranges: "from X to Y" where X and Y aren't on an actual spectrum
• Bolded list items: every bullet starting with a Bold Term: followed by explanation

Transformation examples

See references/examples.md for complete before/after transformations.

Scoring table

Rate 1–10 on each dimension:

Below 35/50: needs serious revision.

Adapting by text type

Blog posts, articles, and guides

• Conversational tone, like talking to a knowledgeable friend
• Personality matters: opinions, anecdotes, specific examples
• No formal preambles or ceremonial conclusions

Marketing copy

• Direct, benefit-focused
• Concrete outcomes, not adjective stacking
• Skip superlatives: "the best", "revolutionary", "game-changing"

Technical documentation

• Clear and precise, no decoration
• Direct instructions: "run this", "open that", "set this to"
• No philosophical intros about why the technology matters

Emails and professional communication

• Natural but respectful
• Get to the point in the first line
• No excessive courtesy padding

Social media

• Conversational and brief
• No emoji bullets unless the user asks for them
• No motivational closers or hashtag walls

Review process

When reviewing generated text:

1. Read the whole thing in one pass. If something "feels like AI", flag it.
2. Check words against references/phrases.md. Replace each one.
3. Check structures against references/structures.md. Restructure each pattern found.
4. Vary rhythm: break runs of similar-length sentences.
5. Cut everything that doesn't add new information.
6. Read it aloud mentally. If it sounds like a press release, rewrite.
7. Score using the table above. Below 35, revise again.

Important notes

• This skill doesn't change meaning or facts — only how they're expressed.
• It's not about writing badly on purpose. It's about writing with personality.
• Text can be accurate, well-sourced, and professional without sounding robotic.
• The word lists aren't absolute bans. A listed word can be used if it's genuinely the most precise choice. What we avoid is automatic, recurring use.

References

• Wikipedia: Signs of AI writing — WikiProject AI Cleanup guide
• stop-slop — Hardik Pandya's skill for removing AI patterns (MIT)
• humanizer — blader's Wikipedia-based skill (MIT)
• The AI-isms of Writing Bible — Community-sourced AI pattern document
• Novelcrafter: AI-isms — Fiction writers' community list