# Write Like Human: pattern catalog version: 1.2.0 · canonical: https://writelikehuman.app/patterns Every tell the Human Writing Protocol names, one entry each, with a bad example, a better one and the fix. "zero allowed" means none in finished writing. "max N per M words" is a density cap. "watch" is a signal worth a second look, not an error on its own. The full protocol is at https://writelikehuman.app/rules.md. ## Leakage Chatbot residue that no human ever types. ### Citation and tool artifacts id: `citation-artifacts` · protocol § 1 · any language · zero allowed Internal tokens from ChatGPT, Grok and other tools that survive a copy-paste. Nothing else produces them. - Bad: Revenue grew in Q3 :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}. - Better: Revenue grew in Q3 (company filing, 14 October). - Fix: Delete the token. If a real source sat behind it, cite that source by name. ### Chatbot tracking parameters id: `tracking-params` · protocol § 1 · any language · zero allowed Links copied out of a chatbot answer carry the chatbot in the URL. - Bad: https://example.com/report?utm_source=chatgpt.com - Better: https://example.com/report - Fix: Strip the utm_source parameter. ### Knowledge-cutoff disclaimer id: `cutoff-disclaimer` · protocol § 1 · en · zero allowed Only a language model talks about its training data. - Bad: As of my last update, the tool supports six languages. - Better: The tool supported six languages in March. - Fix: Delete the whole sentence. If the information may be stale, say what date it comes from. ### Refusal and assistant residue id: `refusal-residue` · protocol § 1 · en · zero allowed Assistant voice leaking into text that a person is supposed to have written. - Bad: As an AI language model, I cannot give legal advice, but here are some points. - Better: This is not legal advice. Three points to check with your lawyer: - Fix: Delete the whole sentence. ### Unfilled template slots id: `template-slots` · protocol § 1 · any language · zero allowed A bracketed blank means the text was generated and never read. - Bad: Dear [Client Name], thank you for choosing [Company]. - Better: Dear Ms Ortega, thank you for choosing Harbor Print. - Fix: Stop and ask the user for the missing value. Never guess it. ### Unasked closing offer id: `closing-offer` · protocol § 1 · en · zero allowed The chatbot sign-off. A person who wrote the text does not offer to write more of it. - Bad: Let me know if you would like me to expand on any of these points! - Better: (nothing; the text ends on its last point) - Fix: Delete it. End on the last real point. ### Meta-narration id: `meta-narration` · protocol § 1 · en · zero allowed Describing the text instead of writing it. It reads like the wrapper around a chatbot answer. - Bad: Certainly! Here's a rewritten version that is more concise: - Better: (start with the text itself) - Fix: Delete it. The reader can see the structure. ### Markdown in a plain-text channel id: `markdown-in-plain-text` · protocol § 1 · any language · watch Asterisks and hashes show up raw in email, LinkedIn and SMS. Only a model pastes them there. - Bad: Hi Sam, **quick update:** ### Next steps - Better: Hi Sam, quick update on next steps. - Fix: Use the channel's own formatting, or none. ## Rhetoric Sentence shapes models reach for by default. ### Negative parallelism id: `negative-parallelism` · protocol § 2.1 · en · zero allowed The loudest short-form tell of 2026. It invents a position nobody held so it can knock it down. - Bad: It's not just a tool, it's a new way of working. - Better: The tool cut our review time from two days to one. - Fix: State the claim directly, or write two plain sentences. ### Rule of three on autopilot id: `autopilot-triplet` · protocol § 2.2 · en · max 1 per 200 words Three balanced items is what a model produces when it has one real example and fills to three. - Bad: Our platform is efficient, scalable, and reliable. - Better: The platform handled 3,000 orders on Black Friday without a restart. - Fix: Keep the items you can defend. Two or four is fine. Uneven lists read as human. ### Empty opener id: `empty-opener` · protocol § 2.3 · en · zero allowed Throat-clearing before the point. An editor deletes it first. - Bad: In today's fast-paced digital world, businesses need to move quickly. - Better: Our competitors ship a release every week. We ship one a quarter. - Fix: Open on the actual claim. ### Fake authority id: `fake-authority` · protocol § 2.4 · en · zero allowed An appeal to research that has no name, date or link behind it. - Bad: Studies have shown that remote teams are more productive. - Better: In a 2015 Stanford experiment with a Chinese travel agency, staff working from home were 13% more productive. - Fix: Name the study, the number and the year, or delete the claim. Never attach a citation you cannot verify. ### Pseudo-wisdom filler id: `pseudo-wisdom` · protocol § 2.5 · en · zero allowed A sentence shaped like insight that carries no information. Delete it and nothing is lost. - Bad: At the end of the day, the key is finding the right balance. - Better: We cap meetings at two afternoons a week. - Fix: Delete it. If the paragraph now feels thin, it was thin before. ### Transition stacking id: `transition-stacking` · protocol § 2.6 · en · density limit Paragraphs that open with Furthermore, Moreover, Additionally read like an outline being filled in. - Bad: Moreover, the new process reduces errors. - Better: The new process also caught the invoice bug we missed in May. - Fix: Delete the connector. Let the order of the paragraphs carry the logic. Zero in anything under 400 words. ### Outline-formula closer id: `outline-closer` · protocol § 2.7 · en · zero allowed The five-paragraph-essay ending: challenges, then the future, then a restatement. - Bad: As the landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: adaptability will be key. - Better: We will know by March whether the pilot pays for itself. - Fix: End on the last real thing you have to say. ### Superficial -ing tail id: `ing-tail` · protocol § 2.8 · en · zero allowed A participle bolted onto the end of a sentence to claim significance it has not earned. - Bad: The team shipped the feature early, highlighting the importance of collaboration. - Better: The team shipped the feature a week early. - Fix: Cut the tail, or make it its own sentence with a real subject. ### Sycophantic tone id: `sycophancy` · protocol § 2.9 · en · zero allowed Praise for the question instead of an answer to it. - Bad: Great question! You're absolutely right to ask about pricing. - Better: Pricing starts at $12 a seat. - Fix: Delete it. Start with the answer. ### Copula avoidance id: `copula-avoidance` · protocol § 2.10 · en · max 1 per 300 words Models avoid plain "is" and "has" and reach for "serves as" and "boasts". - Bad: The library serves as a hub for the community and boasts a large archive. - Better: The library is where the town meets. It has 40,000 photographs of the harbour. - Fix: Use "is" or "has" unless the fancier verb adds meaning. ### Significance inflation id: `significance-inflation` · protocol § 2.11 · en · zero allowed Everything is pivotal, vital and lasting. The reader stops believing any of it. - Bad: The launch marks a pivotal moment and leaves an indelible mark on the industry. - Better: The launch doubled our weekly sign-ups. - Fix: Say what happened and let the fact carry its own weight. ### Promotional puffery id: `promotional-puffery` · protocol § 2.11 · en · max 1 per 300 words Brochure adjectives. They describe how the writer wants you to feel, not the thing. - Bad: Nestled in the heart of the city, this breathtaking venue offers world-class service. - Better: The venue is two streets from the station and seats 120. - Fix: Replace the adjective with the detail that made you reach for it. ### Elegant variation id: `elegant-variation` · protocol § 2.12 · any language · watch Rotating synonyms so a noun never repeats. The reader wonders whether "the firm" and "the organisation" are different things. - Bad: Acme raised prices. The firm said the organisation needed to cover costs, and the Ohio-based company expects… - Better: Acme raised prices. Acme said it needed to cover costs and expects… - Fix: Pick one name and repeat it, or use a pronoun. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ### False range id: `false-range` · protocol § 2.13 · en · zero allowed "From X to Y" where X and Y are not two ends of any scale. It sounds broad and says little. - Bad: We help everyone from startups to governments with everything from pricing to culture. - Better: We help software companies with 10 to 200 staff set their prices. - Fix: Name the things you mean, or drop the phrase. ### Staged reveal id: `staged-reveal` · protocol § 2.14 · en · zero allowed A drumroll before the point. Social-media copy taught models to set up every fact like a punchline. - Bad: The result? A 40% drop in errors. Here's the kicker: it took one afternoon. - Better: Errors dropped 40%, and the change took one afternoon. - Fix: State the result in a normal sentence. ### Fragment drumroll id: `stacked-fragments` · protocol § 2.14 · any language · zero allowed Three clipped fragments in a row ("No fluff. No filler. Just results.") is a template, not a voice. - Bad: No fluff. No filler. Just results. - Better: The report is two pages and every number in it has a source. - Fix: Write one sentence that says the thing. ### Anaphora ×3 id: `anaphora` · protocol § 2.14 · any language · zero allowed Three sentences in a row that open with the same word is a speech template, not a voice. - Bad: We want to grow. We want to hire. We want to change the market. - Better: This year we want to hire two people for customer support. - Fix: Merge two of them, or start one differently. ### Audience split id: `whether-youre` · protocol § 2.14 · en · zero allowed "Whether you're a X or a Y" tries to address everyone and so addresses no one. - Bad: Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this guide has you covered. - Better: This guide is for people setting up their first online shop. - Fix: Write to the one reader this text is for. ### Hedge stacking id: `hedge-stacking` · protocol § 7 · en · watch Two hedges on one claim. Honest uncertainty names its limit; stacked hedges just blur it. - Bad: This could potentially help to possibly reduce costs. - Better: This should cut costs if the supplier holds its price. - Fix: Keep one hedge and say what it depends on. ## Lexicon Words whose frequency jumped after 2022. ### Post-2022 style words id: `style-words` · protocol § 3.1 · en · max 3 per 500 words Words like delve, underscore and showcase spiked in published text after ChatGPT launched. Two in one sentence is a fingerprint. - Bad: This report delves into the intricate landscape of fintech, underscoring its multifaceted nature. - Better: This report looks at how 40 fintech startups priced their first product. - Fix: delve → look at · underscore → show · tapestry → describe the thing · landscape → field · foster → build · harness → use · navigate → handle. ### Corporate verb inflation id: `verb-inflation` · protocol § 3.2 · en · max 1 per 300 words Latinate verbs standing in for plain ones. - Bad: We leverage AI to streamline and facilitate onboarding. - Better: We use AI to fill in the onboarding forms. - Fix: utilize/leverage → use · facilitate → help · streamline → simplify · commence → start · endeavour → try. ### Buzz phrases id: `buzz-phrases` · protocol § 3.3 · en · zero allowed Phrases so worn they carry no meaning. - Bad: This is a real game-changer that will move the needle. - Better: This halves the time it takes to close a month. - Fix: Say what changed, what the easy part is, what moved. ### Empty intensifiers id: `empty-intensifiers` · protocol § 3.4 · en · max 1 per 200 words Very, truly, incredibly: volume without information. - Bad: Sales grew significantly and the team was incredibly happy. - Better: Sales grew 34%. - Fix: Delete it, or replace it with a number. ## Punctuation Marks that give away the tool or the training data. ### Em dash density id: `em-dash-density` · protocol § 4.1 · en · density limit Humans use dashes too. The tell is density: well above 10 per 1,000 words, several per paragraph. Banning dashes outright is now its own tell. - Bad: The plan — which we tested — worked — mostly. - Better: The plan worked, mostly. We tested it for two weeks. - Fix: Keep under 15 per 1,000 words and one per paragraph in short pieces. Swap the rest for commas, colons, parentheses or full stops. ### Mixed dash conventions id: `dash-convention-mix` · protocol § 4.1 · en · watch Spaced dashes ( — ) and tight dashes (word—word) in the same text suggest pasted fragments. - Bad: The plan — tested twice—worked. - Better: The plan, tested twice, worked. - Fix: Pick one convention and hold it. ### Double hyphen as a dash id: `double-hyphen` · protocol § 4.2 · any language · zero allowed A plain-text substitute for a dash that usually marks copied output. - Bad: We shipped it -- finally. - Better: We shipped it. Finally. - Fix: Use a full stop or a comma. ### Curly quotes in plain text id: `curly-quotes-plain-text` · protocol § 4.2 · en · watch Typographic quotes in a code comment, SMS or form field are a copy-paste fingerprint. - Bad: Reply “yes” to confirm. - Better: Reply "yes" to confirm. - Fix: Use straight quotes when the destination is plain text. Keep curly quotes in typeset documents. ### Emoji as bullets or dividers id: `emoji-bullets` · protocol § 4.3 · any language · zero allowed The rocket, lightbulb, sparkles and check-mark set is the signature of generated social posts. - Bad: 🚀 Faster builds / 💡 Smarter defaults / ✅ Fewer bugs - Better: Builds are faster, the defaults changed, and we closed 30 bugs. - Fix: At most one emoji per message, and only when it carries tone a word cannot. ## Formatting Structure used because it is safe, not because the content needs it. ### Bold lead-ins in lists id: `bold-lead-ins` · protocol § 4.4 · any language · zero allowed "**Speed:** the system is faster" on every bullet is the house style of chatbot answers. - Bad: - **Speed:** The system is faster. / - **Cost:** It is cheaper. - Better: The system is faster and costs less to run. - Fix: Write the bullet as a sentence, or turn the list into prose. Fine in reference documentation. ### Title-case headings id: `title-case-headings` · protocol § 4.4 · any language · zero allowed Every Word Capitalised in a body-copy heading is a default, not a choice. - Bad: ## How To Improve Your Team Workflow - Better: ## How to improve your team workflow - Fix: Sentence case: capital on the first word and on names only. ### Bold overuse id: `bold-overuse` · protocol § 4.4 · any language · density limit When everything is bold, nothing is. - Bad: The **new plan** gives **every team** a **clear budget** and **faster approvals**. - Better: The new plan gives every team its own budget. **Approvals now take one day.** - Fix: Keep bold for the one phrase a skimming reader must not miss. ### A list where prose would do id: `list-for-prose` · protocol § 4.4 · any language · watch Models reach for bullets because bullets are safe. Three sentences that follow from each other are not a list. - Bad: - The deadline moved / - So we cut scope / - So we shipped on time - Better: The deadline moved, so we cut scope and still shipped on time. - Fix: Write the sentences. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ### Horizontal rules everywhere id: `rule-between-sections` · protocol § 4.4 · any language · watch A divider between every short section is decoration. - Bad: Intro / --- / Point one / --- / Point two - Better: Intro, then two sections under their own headings. - Fix: Let headings and white space separate sections. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ## Substance Text that reads fine and says nothing. ### Vague quantifiers id: `vague-quantifiers` · protocol § 6 · en · watch "Many", "numerous", "a wide range of" stand where a number should be. - Bad: Numerous customers use a wide range of our features. - Better: 212 customers use at least three of our features. - Fix: Use the number. If you do not have it, ask for it. ### No specifics id: `no-specifics` · protocol § 6 · any language · density limit The most reliable signal. Strip every tell from an empty paragraph and it is still empty. - Bad: Nutrition plays a crucial role in overall wellness. - Better: Swapping one soda a day for water cut my sugar intake by about 35 grams. - Fix: At least one number, name or date per 100 words. If the source has none, ask the user for one. Never invent it. ### Fails the deletion test id: `deletion-test` · protocol § 6 · any language · density limit A sentence you can delete without losing information was filler. - Bad: Communication is essential in any team. It helps everyone stay aligned. - Better: We moved the stand-up to Slack and got back 40 minutes a day. - Fix: Delete it. Fewer than a third of sentences should survive deletion without loss. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ### Fabricated specifics id: `fabricated-specifics` · protocol § 10 · any language · zero allowed The worst outcome of humanising. A made-up statistic is real harm; a generic sentence is only a style problem. - Bad: (an invented "73% of managers" to satisfy the specificity rule) - Better: "How many clients did you onboard last quarter? I will use your number." - Fix: Ask the user for the number. Use [brackets] only while drafting, and never ship them. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ## Overcorrection The tells that come from scrubbing too hard. ### Over-scrubbing id: `over-scrubbing` · protocol § 7 · any language · watch Choppy fragments, forced lowercase and no subordinate clauses: the style that replaced the em dash as a tell. - Bad: we tried it. it worked. kind of. not really. - Better: We tried it for a month, and it worked about half the time. - Fix: Keep long sentences when the idea is long. Merge two short sentences into one. ### Deliberate flaws id: `deliberate-flaws` · protocol § 7 · any language · zero allowed Planted typos, fake "I think maybe" hedges and padded personal detail are now tells of their own. - Bad: i think maybe this could work lol, teh numbers look ok - Better: This could work. The numbers hold if churn stays under 3%. - Fix: Write correctly. Keep the author's real quirks; do not add new ones. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ### Scrubbing the author's voice id: `voice-scrubbing` · protocol § 10 · any language · zero allowed An author's lowercase starts or double-dot pauses are the fingerprint you are protecting. - Bad: (normalising a writer who always starts emails with "hey..") - Better: (leaving "hey.." exactly as they write it) - Fix: Keep the quirks from the source text, including ones that look like errors. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one. ### Synonym swapping without restructuring id: `synonym-swapping` · protocol § 10 · any language · watch Swapping "leverage" for "use" inside the same balanced 20-word sentence changes nothing measurable. - Bad: We use AI to simplify and help onboarding. (same shape as before) - Better: AI now fills in the onboarding forms. It took a week to set up. - Fix: Fix the structure first, the vocabulary second. - Detection: needs a reader; the checker cannot count this one.