AI Writing Tells Checker

Jaspreet NagiUpdated 19 October 2026Free tool
What it does

Paste any text and the checker highlights the phrases that make it read as AI-written, with a plain fix for each one. It runs in your browser and nothing you paste is saved.

How to use the checker

  1. Paste your text into the box. It works on blog posts, emails, LinkedIn posts, product descriptions and meta descriptions.
  2. Press Check my text. Highlighted words are the parts that read as machine-written. Hover over a highlight to see why it was flagged.
  3. Work down the numbered list under the text. Each line gives a replacement or a fix.
  4. Run it again until the list is short, then read the whole thing aloud once.

What it looks for

The list is based on Wikipedia's editor guide, Signs of AI writing, plus patterns that show up again and again in unedited AI drafts.

DashesLanguage models use the em dash far more than most people do. A comma, a colon or brackets usually read better. Readers who have seen a lot of AI text now treat a dash in every paragraph as a warning sign.
Contrast formulas"It's not about rankings, it's about trust." The model builds drama by denying something nobody said. Say what the thing is: "Trust is what brings repeat customers." If the contrast matters, use two sentences.
Overused words and stock phrasesA small set of words shows up in AI text many times more often than in normal writing. Each has a plain replacement, and the checker suggests one. Warm-up phrases about fast-paced worlds can usually be deleted.
Trailing -ing clauses"We updated the profile, ensuring better visibility." The clause after the comma claims a result nobody measured. End the sentence. If the result is real, give it its own sentence with a number.
Avoiding plain is"The About page serves as your entity home." Just write "The About page is your entity home."
Curly quotes and emojiCurly quotes in text pasted into a website or a code field often come from a chat window. Emoji used as bullet points or section markers are another giveaway in business writing.
Sentence length spreadPeople write some short sentences and some long ones. Machine text tends to sit at the same length line after line. Below 5, across eight or more sentences, the rhythm usually feels flat.

What this tool can't do

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It doesn't detect AI. It has no idea who or what wrote your text. People use dashes too. It points at habits that make readers suspect a machine, so you can decide.

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A clean result doesn't make a piece good. The checker can't tell whether your facts are right, whether the advice works, or whether you added anything a reader couldn't get elsewhere.

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It reads English only for now.

A five-minute editing routine

  1. Run the checker and fix every highlight.
  2. Cut the first sentence of the piece if it only warms up.
  3. Add one thing only you know: a number from your own work, a client question, a mistake you made.
  4. Check every fact and date against its source. Google's guidance from 1 October 2026 says to fact-check AI content before publishing, titles and alt text included. See AI Search Updates.
  5. Read it aloud. Rewrite any line you wouldn't say to a client across a table.

Reading your score like an editor

A count of tells is a starting point, not a grade. Two drafts with the same count can need very different work. Read the result in three passes.

1

Clusters matter most

Three tells inside one paragraph signal machine-written text far louder than three spread across a page. Fix clusters first.

2

Openings carry weight

A tell in your first two lines sets the reader’s suspicion for everything after. Clean openings earn trust for the rest.

3

Voice beats zero

The goal is text that sounds like you on a good day. A draft with two tells and real voice beats a sterile draft with none.

How to read a checker result without turning editing into a counting game.

Fixing the top tells, before and after

Before (flagged)After (human)What changed
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, quality matters.Your customers compare three quotes before lunch. Quality is how you win the second quote.Stock opener replaced with a concrete scene
Our robust solution will seamlessly leverage your data.The tool pulls your sales data into one list, so Monday’s follow-ups take ten minutes.Buzzwords replaced with the actual action and payoff
It is important to note that regular posting is crucial.Post three times a week. Regular beats perfect here.
Example rewrites. The pattern is always the same: swap the general claim for the specific fact.

A team routine for AI drafts

  1. Draft with AI, outline by hand. The structure and the examples come from a person. The sentences can start with the machine.
  2. Run the checker before human editing. Clear the clusters while the text is still cheap to change.
  3. One voice pass. One person reads aloud and rewrites anything they would never say to a customer.
  4. Add one real detail per section. A name, a date, a number from your own work. Machines rarely invent the right detail.

When a tell is fine. Quoting a customer, matching a platform’s format, or writing formal documents can all carry phrases the checker flags. The tool informs your judgement. It never replaces it.

Questions people ask

Is this an AI detector?

No. AI detectors try to guess whether a machine wrote a text and are often wrong. This checker only highlights specific patterns and explains each one, so every decision stays with you.

Does Google penalize AI-written content?

Google says it rewards helpful, original content however it was produced. Its spam policies target pages made at scale without adding value. Text full of AI tells is a sign that nobody edited it, and unedited pages are the ones that tend to fail. More detail in the AI Search Updates log.

Is my text stored anywhere?

No. The check runs in your browser with JavaScript. The text never leaves your device.

Can I use it for client work?

Yes, as much as you like. If it saves you time, a link back to this page helps other people find it.

Related

AEOShaping a page so answer engines can quote it.GEOGetting your brand named and linked inside AI answers.
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