AI Detector

Comprehensive Guide to Spotting AI Writing Patterns

As AI writing tools become more advanced, they also develop recognizable patterns. This guide summarizes practical signals you can use to spot AI-generated writing, both for detection and for educating writers about what AI-generated text tends to look like.

1. Words and Phrases AI Overuses

AI systems disproportionately favor certain words and phrases that appear far less frequently in natural human writing. Seeing many of these clustered together is a strong signal of AI assistance.

Nouns

aim; aims; aspect; challenges; change; climate; community; compel; compelling; compels; complexities; complexity; component; comprehensive; confront; confrontation; confrontational; confrontations; confronts; deep; deepens; deeper; deepest; deeply; delve; delve/dive; delves; depth; development; diverse; draw; drawn; draws; dreams; dynamics; elegant; elevate; elevates; elucidate; elucidates; elucidatory; elusiveness; embark; embarks; embodies; embodiment; embodiments; embody; embrace; embraces; empower; emulate; emulates; enact; endeavor; endeavors; endurance; endure; engage; enhance; enlightenment; enlightenments; enlightens; entwine; entwines; environment; era; eras; espouse; espouses; evoke; evokes; exacerbate; exacerbates; exemplifies; exploration; explorations; exploratory; explore; explores; facet; facets; foster; fosters; grapple; grapples; groundwork; harness; health; hidden; highlight; highlights; illuminate; illuminates; illumination; imperative; imperatives; importance; innovate; innovates; innovation; innovator; innovators; insight; insightful; insights; insignificant; inspiration; inspirations; inspire; inspires; integrate; interplay; interplayed; interplays; intertwine; intertwines; intricacies; intricate; jeopardizing; journey; kaleidoscope; kaleidoscopes; key; landscape; landscapes; lens; life; manifold; meaningful; meticulousness; moreover; navigate; navigates; notes; nuance; nuances; offering; paramount; pivot; pivotal; pivots; poignancy; poignant; possibilities; potent; profound; quest; quirky; readers; realm; realms; reimagine; reimagines; relentless; relentlessness; resonance; resonate; resonates; reveal; reveals; reverberate; reverberates; revolution; revolutionizes; roadmap; robust; role; scheme; seamless; seamlessness; seek; seeks; shape; showcase; showcases; significance; straightforward; strive; strives; support; symphony; tailor; tapestries; tapestry; tempest; testament; testaments; timeless; timelessness; tireless; toolkit; transcend; transcendence; transcendent; transcends; transformative; underlies; underline; underlines; undermine; undermines; underpin; underscore; underscores; undervalues; unleash; unleashes; unlock; unlocks; unravel; unravels; value; values; vast; versatile; versatility; vibrant; vital; vitalize; vivid; weave; whimsy; wove.

Verbs

aimed; aiming; capturing; confronted; confronting; consider; crafted; curated; deepen; deepened; deepening; delved; delving; drawing; elevated; elevating; elucidated; elucidating; embarked; embarking; embodied; embodying; embraced; embracing; emulated; endeavored; endeavoring; endured; enduring; enhanced; enhancing; enlighten; enlightened; enlightening; ensure; entwined; entwining; espoused; espousing; esteemed; evoked; evoking; evolving; exacerbated; exacerbating; exemplify; exemplifying; explored; exploring; faceted; fostered; fostering; grappled; grappling; groundbreaking; guiding; highlighted; highlighting; illuminated; illuminating; improve; innovated; innovating; inspired; inspiring; interplaying; intertwined; intertwining; multifaceted; navigated; navigating; partaking; pivoted; pivoting; reimagined; reimagining; resonating; revealed; revealing; reverberated; reverberating; revitalize; revolutionize; revolutionized; revolutionizing; seeking; showcased; showcasing; strived; striving; structured; transcended; transcending; underlining; underlying; undermining; underpinning; underscoring; understanding; undervalued; undervaluing; uninspiring; unleashing; unlocking; unraveling; valued; valuing; weaving.

Adjectives

aimless; authentic; commendable; complex; creative; critical; crucial; dynamic; elucidative; elusive; endurable; essential; exemplary; explorational; explorative; grand; indelible; innovative; inspirational; invaluable; meticulous; nonconfrontational; notable; nuanced; powerful; professional; rich; significant; sustainable; underlined; undermined; underpinned; underscored; undervalue; uninspired; unleashed; unlocked; unraveled; valuable; whimsical.

Adverbs

additionally; aimlessly; aptly; creatively; critically; crucially; dynamically; elusively; embracingly; endurably; enduringly; indelibly; insightfully; insignificantly; intricately; invaluably; mere; merely; meticulously; notably; pivotally; poignantly; powerfully; profoundly; relentlessly; seamlessly; significantly; successfully; timelessly; tirelessly; underly; vibrantly; vividly; woven.

Phrases

about the potential; additionally , we; advancements; adversity; advocate for; ai language; ai language model; amidst; any potential; anyone looking; anyone looking for; anyone with information; appreciation for; are committed; are committed to; are urging; as a reminder; as an ai; as the days; as we verb the topic; been met; been met with; best regards; bustling; can help to; can vary; captivating; cautionary tale; challenges; commitment to; complexities; connect with; consult with; could n't help; could n't shake; crucial for; crucial role; crucial role in; dedication; dedication to; deeper understanding; despite these; email finds; email finds you; emphasizing; enduring; enigmatic; explores; expressed his; expressed their; expressing their; factors , including; feel a sense; felt a sense; financial advisor; findings suggest; finds you; finds you well; for greater; for individuals; for understanding; from that day; further research; future generations; generations to; genetic disorder; glimpse into; grateful for; gratitude for; groundbreaking; has expressed; has shaped the; has sparked; have expressed; have important; heart pounding; help but feel; help but wonder; here are some; high-quality; highlights the importance; his legacy; hope this email; human spirit; i hope this; implications; implications for; important implications; important implications for; important to note; in a world of/where; in conclusion; in shaping; in summary; incident has; individuals to; insights; insights into; interplay between; intricate; is a complex; is a draft; is a reminder; is a testament; is crucial for; is sure to; it 's important; it is essential; it remains to; its potential; it’s crucial to; it’s important to note; it’s not about ___ it’s about ___; knew that he; knew that i; knew that she; knew that they; known for his; known for its; language model; lay ahead; manage topic issues/problems; meticulously; model , i; n't shake; natural world; navigate; nestled; new insights; new insights into; newfound; news article; not only ___ but also; our findings; our understanding; overall , i; overall , this; packs a punch/brings a punch; paper presents; paragraph; paragraph 1; paragraph 2; paving the way; perseverance; personal growth; personalized; potential applications; pounding in; prioritize; provide valuable; provide valuable insights; quality of life; raised concerns about; rare genetic; relentless; remember that; reminder; resilience; results provide; rich history; said , his; sense of peace; sense of purpose; serves as; several reasons; shake the feeling; shaping; shed light; shed light on; showcasing; significant impact; significant impact on; significant role; significant role in; simple yet ___; societal; solace; solace in; standout; stark reminder; step-by-step; storytelling; stumbled upon; such as; sustainability; tapestry; testament; testament to; the effects of; the rise of; their understanding of; these challenges; they idenified patterns; thick with; this email; this email finds; this paper presents; thought-provoking; timeless; tirelessly; tirelessly to; title : ``; to anyone looking; to consult; to consult with; to form the; to inspire; to mitigate the risk; to navigate; to the power; turn of events; underscores; unease; unwavering; unyielding; valuable insights; valuable insights into; vibrant; was known for; wash over; weaving; well-being; when it comes to topic; which can lead; with a sense; world around; you well.

2. Phrasing Patterns

AI writing often uses long, complex clauses and keeps sentence length and structure relatively uniform. Human writing naturally mixes simple and complex sentences and even expert writers will occasionally have slightly odd grammar, tense shifts, or preposition choices.

AI also tends to overuse em dashes — often as a way to add explanatory clauses or dramatic pauses — while rarely using semicolons or parentheses.

3. Spelling and Grammar

  • Prefers American English spelling.
  • Almost never makes spelling mistakes unless explicitly prompted.
  • Rarely uses contractions like "we've".
  • Aims for "perfect" grammar: avoids fragments, run-ons, and sentences starting with "And" or "But".
  • Consistently uses Oxford commas.

4. Organization and Structure

AI writing typically shows very tidy, template-like structure:

  • Paragraphs of similar length with list-like progression.
  • Introductions and conclusions that look formulaic.
  • Conclusions that are long, start with "Overall", "In conclusion", or "In summary", and restate earlier points.

Human writing, by contrast, tends to have more varied paragraph lengths and usually shorter, less repetitive conclusions.

5. Purpose and Intent

Because AI is optimized to be broadly helpful and inoffensive, it often produces essays that could fit a wide range of prompts. The result is text that is vague, full of generalities, and carefully avoids being too specific or controversial.

Human writing is usually more tightly aligned to the exact assignment or prompt and more willing to take a clear stance.

6. Tone

AI-generated text tends to:

  • Default to an overly formal, polished tone unless instructed otherwise.
  • Lean positive and avoid strong criticism of particular viewpoints.
  • Sound earnest about being helpful, sometimes explicitly pointing out how it is being helpful.

7. Creativity and Originality

AI does not truly originate ideas; it recombines patterns from its training data. This leads to:

  • Familiar, derivative arguments and metaphors.
  • Safe, middle-of-the-road opinions that mirror common internet discourse.
  • Texts that aggregate many perspectives without having a clear, personal point of view.

8. Specificity

AI tends to avoid specific, concrete details, especially in creative writing:

  • Minimizes the use of proper nouns unless forced.
  • Defaults to generic names; a large fraction of fictional names are "Emily" or "Sarah".
  • Gives vague settings and timelines instead of precise, lived-in details.

9. Reflection and Metacognition

AI has no personal experiences or internal writing process, so it struggles with genuine reflection:

  • Cannot authentically relate events to its own life.
  • Describes "process" in generic, textbook terms.
  • Lacks a strong, idiosyncratic personal voice.

10. Repetition

  • Frequently repeats key phrases, especially in conclusions.
  • Often restates the prompt in the introduction and again near the end.
  • May circle back to the same wording multiple times across paragraphs.

11. Abrupt Shifts in Style and Tone

When human and AI text are mixed, transitions between them can feel abrupt. You might see sudden jumps in formality, vocabulary level, or sentence structure when a writer swaps between their own words and AI-generated paragraphs.

None of these signals alone definitively prove that text is AI-generated, but clusters of these patterns — especially the overused words and phrases combined with overly neat structure and polished, generic tone — are strong indicators that AI played a major role.