60+ ChatGPT Words and Phrases to Avoid (With Plain Alternatives)
The definitive list of AI-typical words and phrases, grouped by type, with plain replacements, why models over-use them, and how to scan for them.
You can usually spot a ChatGPT paragraph before you finish reading it. It “delves” into a “multifaceted” topic, notes that something is “crucial” in “today’s fast-paced world”, and closes by reminding you that “ultimately” it is “a testament to” something. None of these words are wrong. They are just used far more often by language models than by people, and once you know the list you cannot un-see it.
Below is the full list, grouped so you can fix the right kind of problem. Alternatives are in the second column. Not every instance needs replacing; the point is to stop reaching for them by default.
Why models keep using the same words
Two reasons, and neither is a bug.
Training data. Models learn word frequencies from enormous amounts of text, and a large share of that text is corporate copy, marketing pages, student essays and SEO articles, which is where “leverage”, “seamless” and “robust” live. The model reproduces what it saw most.
Fine-tuning for helpfulness. After pre-training, models are tuned with human feedback (RLHF and similar methods) toward answers that raters score highly. Raters reward responses that sound confident, balanced, complete and polite. That pushes the model toward hedged transitions (“it is worth noting”), tidy structure (“firstly, secondly, finally”) and reassuring closers (“in conclusion, …”). Over millions of comparisons, those habits become the default voice, and the default voice has a vocabulary.
The result is text that is statistically smooth. That smoothness is exactly what AI detectors measure, and it is also what makes readers switch off.
Openers
These start paragraphs and essays without saying anything.
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| In today’s fast-paced world | (delete) |
| In today’s digital age / landscape | (delete, or name the year) |
| In the ever-evolving world of | (delete) |
| It is important to note that | (delete; just state it) |
| It is worth noting that | (delete) |
| It goes without saying | (then don’t say it) |
| When it comes to X | For X, / With X, |
| In the realm of | In |
| As we all know | (delete) |
| Have you ever wondered | (delete; ask a real question or start with the answer) |
| Picture this: | (delete) |
| Let’s dive in / delve in | (delete) |
Transitions
Models glue every sentence to the next with a connector. Humans mostly rely on the order of ideas.
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Moreover | Also, / And |
| Furthermore | Also, / (delete) |
| Additionally | Also, / (delete) |
| In addition to this | Also |
| Consequently | So |
| Thus / Hence | So |
| Nevertheless / Nonetheless | Still, / But |
| That being said | But, / Still, |
| On the other hand | But |
| Firstly / Secondly / Thirdly | First / Second / Third (or numbered list) |
| Notably | (delete) |
| Importantly | (delete) |
| Ultimately | In the end, / (delete) |
| In essence | (delete) |
Verbs
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| delve into | look at, examine, dig into |
| leverage | use |
| utilize | use |
| facilitate | help, make easier, run |
| foster | build, encourage |
| harness | use |
| navigate (a challenge) | deal with, handle, get through |
| unlock (potential) | get, reach |
| unleash | release, start |
| elevate | improve, raise |
| streamline | simplify, speed up |
| empower | let, help, give |
| embark on | start |
| underscore | show, stress |
| showcase | show |
| spearhead | lead |
| ensure | make sure, check |
| enhance | improve |
| optimize | improve, tune, fix |
Adjectives and nouns
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| robust | strong, reliable, sturdy |
| seamless | smooth, easy |
| crucial / pivotal / vital | important (or say why) |
| multifaceted | complex, has several parts |
| comprehensive | full, complete |
| cutting-edge | new, latest |
| innovative | new (or describe the innovation) |
| dynamic | changing, active |
| holistic | whole, complete |
| intricate | detailed, complex |
| meticulous | careful |
| tapestry (of) | mix, range |
| landscape (of) | market, field, area |
| realm | field, area |
| journey (non-literal) | process, path, work |
| game-changer | big change, improvement |
| paradigm shift | change |
| plethora / myriad | many, lots of |
| a testament to | shows, proves |
| a beacon of | an example of |
| synergy | working together |
| stakeholders | people involved (or name them) |
Closers and filler
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| In conclusion | (delete; just conclude) |
| To sum up / In summary | (delete) |
| Overall | (delete) |
| At the end of the day | (delete) |
| By doing so | (delete or rephrase) |
| This highlights the importance of | (delete; the reader got it) |
| It’s not just X, it’s Y | X and Y / rewrite |
| Whether you’re a beginner or an expert | (delete) |
| Remember, | (delete) |
| I hope this helps! | (delete) |
Structural habits that are just as revealing
Words are the easy part. These patterns are what really mark a paragraph as generated:
- The triad. “Fast, reliable, and secure.” Three adjectives, every time. Use one or two, or use five.
- The rhetorical question then answer. “So what does this mean for you? It means…”
- The balanced hedge. “While X has benefits, it also has drawbacks.” Pick a side, or give a real condition.
- The em-dash chain. Two or three em dashes per paragraph, used as a general-purpose connector.
- The restating close. The last sentence of every paragraph summarising that paragraph.
- Bold-faced labels on every list item, even when the label is just the first three words of the item.
The 7 edits guide covers how to fix each of these with examples.
A before and after
Before: In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses must leverage innovative tools to streamline workflows and foster collaboration. It is important to note that a robust, seamless solution can be a game-changer. Ultimately, embracing these technologies is a testament to a company’s commitment to growth.
After: Most teams waste hours a week on tools that don’t talk to each other. Fixing that (one shared task board instead of four) saved our support team about half a day per person, per week. That’s the whole case.
The second version is shorter, contains a real number, and has no words a person would not say aloud. Note that it does not just swap synonyms; it says something the first version did not.
How to scan your own text
Reading for these words is slow and you will miss half of them, because they are so familiar. Three faster options:
- Paste into the AI Writing Pattern Checker. It highlights every phrase on this list (and the structural patterns above), gives a count, and shows you where the clusters are. Clusters are what matter: one “robust” is fine, five in a page is a signature.
- Search and replace in your editor. Ctrl+F for the twenty worst offenders: delve, leverage, robust, seamless, crucial, moreover, furthermore, additionally, ultimately, landscape, testament, navigate, foster, tapestry, realm, journey, showcase, “important to note”, “in conclusion”, “in today’s”.
- Run the humanizer and diff the result against your draft. Whatever it changed is a phrase worth looking at, even if you prefer your own replacement.
If you want to keep the meaning but re-word a whole passage, the paraphrasing tool rewrites at sentence level without introducing the vocabulary above.
What not to over-correct
A few cautions. “Ensure”, “enhance” and “comprehensive” are ordinary English words; deleting every instance produces text that is awkward in a different way. Formal contexts (legal, academic, technical documentation) legitimately use “utilize”, “facilitate” and “thus”. And detectors are probabilistic: removing vocabulary alone will not make a paragraph read as human if the rhythm and structure are still uniform.
The test is simple. Would you say this sentence to a colleague? If not, change it. If yes, leave it, whatever the list says.
FAQ
Does removing these words make text undetectable by AI detectors?
No. Vocabulary is one signal among several; sentence-length variance, predictability and structure matter as much. Removing the words helps, but detectors change their models regularly and no edit guarantees a score. The reliable goal is text that reads well to a human.
Why does ChatGPT use “delve” so much?
Nobody outside the labs knows for certain. The most cited theory is that fine-tuning data written by contract raters, some in regions where “delve” is common in formal English, pushed the word’s frequency up, and the model then reinforced it. Whatever the cause, its frequency in published text jumped sharply after 2022, which is why it became the poster child.
Are these words banned in good writing?
No. Each one has a proper use. The problem is frequency and default. A single “moreover” in a 2,000-word essay is invisible; one in every paragraph is a pattern. Use the list to notice your defaults, not to police every sentence.