Make AI Writing Sound Human

Wikipedia editors identified 24 specific patterns that make AI-generated text obvious. These aren't hunches. They come from reviewing thousands of AI-generated edits across the largest encyclopedia on earth. This lesson gives you the full cheat sheet, plus the one free Claude skill that fixes all 24 automatically.

What You'll Learn

• Why AI writing sounds like AI (the statistical reason)
• The 24 patterns, organized into content, language, style, and filler
• The one-command install for the free Humanizer skill
• How to run it on everything you write

Why AI Writing Sounds Like AI

The core insight: LLMs guess the most statistically likely next word. The result tends toward the widest, safest, most generic phrasing possible. That's why everything sounds the same.

The 24 Patterns (Cheat Sheet)

Content patterns

1. Significance inflation. "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of..." Fix: just state the fact.
2. Notability name-dropping. "cited in NYT, BBC, FT" Fix: cite one source properly.
3. Superficial -ing analyses. "symbolizing... reflecting... showcasing..." Fix: remove or expand with sources.
4. Promotional language. "nestled within the breathtaking region" Fix: "is a town in the Gonder region."
5. Vague attributions. "Experts believe" Fix: "according to a 2019 survey by..."
6. Formulaic challenges. "Despite challenges... continues to thrive" Fix: specific facts about actual challenges.

Language patterns

1. AI vocabulary. "Additionally... testament... landscape... showcasing" Fix: "also... remain common."
2. Copula avoidance. "serves as... features... boasts" Fix: "is... has."
3. Negative parallelisms. "It's not just X, it's Y" Fix: state the point directly.
4. Rule of three. "innovation, inspiration, and insights" Fix: use the natural number of items.
5. Synonym cycling. "protagonist... main character... central figure" Fix: pick one and repeat it.
6. False ranges. "from the Big Bang to dark matter" Fix: list topics directly.

Style patterns

1. Em dash overuse. Multiple em dashes per sentence. Fix: use commas or periods.
2. Boldface overuse. Bold on every keyword. Fix: only bold what truly matters.
3. Inline-header lists. "Performance: Performance improved" Fix: convert to prose.
4. Title case headings. "Strategic Negotiations And Partnerships" Fix: sentence case.
5. Emojis. Rocket and lightbulb emojis. Fix: remove entirely.
6. Curly quotes. Fancy quotes. Fix: straight quotes.

Communication and filler

1. Chatbot artifacts. "I hope this helps! Let me know if..." Fix: remove entirely.
2. Cutoff disclaimers. "While details are limited..." Fix: find sources or remove.
3. Sycophantic tone. "Great question! You're absolutely right!" Fix: respond directly.
4. Filler phrases. "In order to", "Due to the fact that" Fix: "To", "Because."
5. Excessive hedging. "could potentially possibly" Fix: "may."
6. Generic conclusions. "The future looks bright" Fix: specific plans or facts.

Install The Humanizer Skill

One command installs the skill into Claude Code. It works on everything Claude writes for you going forward. No pasting prompts into every conversation.

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
git clone https://github.com/blader/humanizer.git ~/.claude/skills/humanizer

How To Use It

1. Invoke the skill. Type /humanizer in Claude Code, then paste your text. Or just say "humanize this" with any text.
2. First pass rewrites. Claude scans for all 24 patterns and rewrites the entire text to sound natural.
3. Second pass audits. A final "obviously AI generated" check catches anything the first pass missed, then rewrites again.

Pro tip: the skill works on ALL Claude output going forward. Write an email, a blog post, a proposal, and it automatically avoids the 24 AI patterns. No prompt engineering needed.

Before vs After

Before (AI-sounding):

AI-assisted coding serves as an enduring testament to the transformative potential of large language models, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of software development. In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, these groundbreaking tools are reshaping how engineers ideate, iterate, and deliver.

After (humanized):

AI coding assistants can speed up the boring parts of the job. They're great at boilerplate. The dangerous part is how confident the suggestions look. If you treat it like autocomplete and review every line, it's useful. The only real backstop is tests.

Go Deeper

Prefer a printable version? Grab the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PjoiOmwRjbMdwbW7AhU--nYuHAtx6K6l/view?usp=drivesdk

Want the whole system installed live, with Cooper on the call? Build Your Own AI, the two week sprint runs the first two weeks of August.

Or get a new working tool every Monday inside The AI Operator community on Whop.