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Anti-Slop Guide

Field guide for eliminating AI writing patterns from prose. Used on all 32 pages of this MkDocs site.

Compiled from Wikipedia's Signs of AI Writing, community research, and practitioner guides. Full sources at the bottom.

Core Rules

  1. Cut filler phrases. Remove throat-clearing openers and emphasis crutches. Say the thing directly.
  2. Break formulaic structures. Avoid binary contrasts, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups.
  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. Cut quotables. If it sounds like a pull-quote or motivational poster, rewrite it.
  6. Be specific. Replace generic statements with concrete details. Specificity is the antidote to slop.
  7. Prefer plain verbs. Use "said" not "emphasized," "used" not "leveraged," "showed" not "showcased."
  8. Use simple copulatives. Write "X is Y" instead of "X serves as Y" or "X stands as Y."
  9. Kill the em-dash habit. Use commas or periods where LLMs reflexively reach for em dashes.
  10. Never triple. Two items in a list, not three. Three-item lists are the most reliable AI tell.

Overused AI Vocabulary

These words started appearing far more frequently in text after 2023. Introducing lots of them is one of the strongest tells for AI use.

Tier 1: Strongest Tells

additionally, align with, crucial, delve, emphasizing, enduring, enhance, fostering, garner, highlight (as a verb), interplay, intricate/intricacies, key (as an adjective), landscape (abstract noun), pivotal, showcase, tapestry (abstract noun), testament, underscore (as a verb), valuable, vibrant

Tier 2: Strong Tells

bustling, comprehensive, multifaceted, nuanced, paramount, realm, robust, seamless/seamlessly, synergy, transformative, commendable, cornerstone, groundbreaking, innovative, noteworthy, spearhead, streamline, testament to, trailblazing, unwavering

Tier 3: Suspicious in Clusters

bolster, burgeoning, captivate, cater to, cognizant, compelling, culminate, delineate, demystify, discern, elucidate, embark, encompass, envisage, epitomize, equip, evolving, exemplify, expedite, facilitate, fathom, forge, foster, grapple, harness, illuminate, imbue, imperative, indispensable, ingenious, juxtapose, meticulous, mitigate, navigate, nestle, optimize, orchestrate, paradigm, perpetuate, pervasive, plethora, poignant, proliferate, propel, quintessential, reimagine, resonate, revolutionize, rigorous, salient, scrutinize, sentiment, testament, transcend, traverse, underscore, unprecedented, unravel, utilize, volition

AI-Overused Intensifiers

deeply, truly, fundamentally, inherently, simply, literally, inevitably, remarkably, notably, particularly, essentially, undeniably, profoundly

Phrases to Remove

Throat-Clearing Openers

Remove these. State the content directly.

  • "Here's the thing:" / "But here's the thing"
  • "The uncomfortable truth is" / "The truth is,"
  • "It turns out"
  • "Let me be clear"
  • "Something shifted" / "Everything changed"

Emphasis Crutches

These add no meaning. Delete them.

  • "Full stop." / "Period."
  • "Let that sink in."
  • "This matters because"
  • "Make no mistake"
  • "Think about it." / "Read that again."

Generic Essay Openers/Closers

  • "In today's fast-paced world..."
  • "As we navigate the complexities..."
  • "In the ever-evolving landscape of..."
  • "In conclusion..." / "In summary..." / "Overall..."
  • "The future of [X] is bright" / "Only time will tell"

Meta-Commentary

  • "In this section, we'll look at..."
  • "As mentioned earlier..."
  • "Now that we've explored X..."
  • "Hint:" / "Plot twist:" / "Spoiler:"

Collaborative Communication Leakage

Chatbot-to-user phrasing leaking into prose:

  • "I hope this helps" / "Of course!" / "Certainly!"
  • "Great question!" / "You're absolutely right!"
  • "Would you like..." / "Let me know"

Business Jargon Replacements

Avoid Use instead
Navigate (challenges) Handle, address, deal with
Unpack (analysis) Explain, examine
Lean into Accept, embrace
Landscape (context) Situation, field, area
Game-changer Significant, important
Deep dive Analysis, examination
Leverage Use
Harness Use, apply
Paradigm shift Change, shift
Synergy Cooperation, combined effect
Streamline Simplify
Robust Strong, reliable
Seamless Smooth
Cutting-edge New, advanced
Groundbreaking New, original

Structural Patterns to Avoid

Binary Contrasts

Pattern Problem
"Not because X. Because Y." Telegraphed reversal
"[X] isn't the problem. [Y] is." Formulaic reframe
"The answer isn't X. It's Y." Predictable pivot
"This is where X comes in" Manufactured entrance

Fix: State Y directly. "The problem is Y."

Dramatic Fragmentation

Pattern Problem
"[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing]." Performative simplicity
"X. And Y. And Z." Staccato drama

Fix: Complete sentences. Trust content over presentation.

Rhetorical Setups

Pattern Problem
"What if [reframe]?" Socratic posturing
"Here's what I mean:" Redundant preview
"And that's okay." Unnecessary permission

Fix: Make the point. Let readers draw conclusions.

Rule of Three

LLMs overuse the rule of three: "adjective, adjective, adjective" or three examples where one or two would suffice.

Fix: Use two items or one. Break the triple pattern.

Negative Parallelisms

  • "not ..., it's ..."
  • "no ..., no ..., just ..."
  • "Not only X, but also Y"

Rhythm and Style

Pattern Fix
Three consecutive sentences match length Break one
Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner Vary endings
Em-dash before a reveal Remove it, use period or comma
Explaining a metaphor Trust it to land
Paragraphs starting with "So" Start with content
Multiple sentences opening identically Vary first 3-5 words
Uniform paragraph length Mix short and long
Stacking "Furthermore/Moreover/In addition" Use one, cut the rest

Formatting Tells

  • Overuse of boldface in "key takeaways" fashion
  • Emoji in headings/bullets
  • Excessive bullet points replacing developed paragraphs
  • Unnecessary tables that could be stated as prose
  • Decorative symbols (arrows, check marks, Unicode styling)

Copulative Avoidance

LLMs substitute constructions like "serves as a" for simpler "is" phrasing.

AI prefers Human writes
serves as is
stands as is
represents is
boasts has
features has
offers has

Content-Level AI Tells

Undue Emphasis on Significance

LLM writing puffs up importance. Watch for: "stands/serves as," "is a testament/reminder," "a vital/significant/crucial/pivotal role," "underscores/highlights its importance," "reflects broader," "setting the stage for."

Promotional Language

LLMs struggle with neutral tone. Watch for: "boasts a," "vibrant," "rich" (figurative), "profound," "showcasing," "natural beauty," "nestled," "in the heart of," "renowned."

Superficial Analyses

AI inserts superficial analysis by attaching "-ing" phrases at sentence ends: "highlighting...," "ensuring...," "reflecting...," "contributing to...," "fostering..."

Safe Conclusions

Zooming out to high-level generalizations: "As AI continues to evolve...," "The future remains bright for...," "Only time will tell..."

Before/After Examples

Throat-Clearing + Binary Contrast:

Before: "Here's the thing: building products is hard. Not because the technology is complex. Because people are complex. Let that sink in."

After: "Building products is hard. Technology is manageable. People aren't."

Business Jargon Stack:

Before: "In today's fast-paced landscape, we need to lean into discomfort and navigate uncertainty with clarity."

After: "Move faster. Your competition is."

Promotional Puffery:

Before: "Nestled within the breathtaking region of Gonder, Alamata Raya Kobo stands as a vibrant town with a rich cultural heritage and a significant place within the Amhara region."

After: "Alamata Raya Kobo is a town in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, in the Gonder area."

Overuse of Significance:

Before: "This etymology highlights the enduring legacy of the community's resistance and the transformative power of unity in shaping its identity."

After: "The name reflects the community's history of resistance."

Revision Checklist

Before delivering prose, check:

  • Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
  • Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner? Vary it.
  • Em-dash before a reveal? Remove it.
  • Any word from Tier 1 vocabulary list? Replace it.
  • Any binary contrast structure? Flatten it.
  • Rule of three? Cut to two or one.
  • Generic opener or closer? Cut it.
  • Same first 3-5 words on multiple sentences? Vary them.
  • Any "serves as" / "stands as" constructions? Use "is."
  • Self-referential meta-commentary? Remove it.

Sources

MIT License. Original stop-slop skill by Hardik Pandya. Compiled and expanded by Yad Konrad.