7 Signs Your Writing Sounds Like AI (and How to Fix Each One)

Maheen Razzaq — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:28:55 +0000

You can usually tell when a text was written on autopilot. The sentences are smooth but empty, and nothing in them sounds like a real person. Here are seven patterns to look for in your own drafts, with a quick fix for each.

1. Every sentence is the same length

Fix: Mix short and long sentences. After two long ones, drop in a short one. It gives the reader room to breathe.

2. Stock transitions everywhere

Words like "moreover", "furthermore" and "in conclusion" show up in almost every paragraph.

Fix: Delete most of them. If the ideas are connected, the reader will see it without a signpost.

3. A vague, generic opening

Openings like "In today's fast-paced world..." say nothing.

Fix: Start with a specific fact, a question, or a small story.

4. No personal experience

Fix: Add one thing only you could write: a mistake you made, a number you measured, a result you saw.

5. Everything is balanced and nothing is decided

Drafts often say "there are pros and cons" and stop there.

Fix: Take a position. Tell the reader what you would choose and why.

6. Lists of three, everywhere

Many drafts group everything into threes.

Fix: Use as many points as the topic really needs, even if that is two or four.

7. A conclusion that repeats the introduction

Fix: End with a next step the reader can take today, or a question that makes them think.

A quick self-check

Read your draft aloud. Wherever you stumble or feel bored, edit that part. If you want help smoothing phrasing, a rewriting tool such as RewriteAI can give you a second version to compare, but the final voice should always be yours.

Which of these seven do you catch most often in your own writing? Tell me in the comments.

A Simple Workflow to Make AI Drafts Sound Human (With a Readability Script)

Maheen Razzaq — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:07:11 +0000

AI drafts are fast, but they often read flat: same sentence length, stock transitions, no personality. Here is the workflow I use to fix that, plus a small script to measure the result.

The workflow

Outline it yourself. The structure should be yours, not the model's.
Generate a rough draft with any AI writer.
Add what AI can't: your own examples, numbers, and opinions.
Smooth the tone. A rewriting tool such as RewriteAI helps with phrasing and flow, but always read the output yourself.
Fact-check every claim before publishing.

Measure it with a tiny Python script

Install the library first with pip install textstat, then run this:

import re
import statistics
import textstat

def report(text):
    sentences = [s for s in re.split(r"[.!?]+\s", text) if s.strip()]
    lengths = [len(s.split()) for s in sentences]
    return {
        "flesch_reading_ease": textstat.flesch_reading_ease(text),
        "avg_sentence_words": round(statistics.mean(lengths), 1),
        "sentence_length_spread": round(statistics.pstdev(lengths), 1),
    }

before = open("draft_ai.txt").read()
after = open("draft_edited.txt").read()
print("before:", report(before))
print("after: ", report(after))

A higher spread in sentence length usually means a more natural rhythm, and a higher Flesch score means easier reading. These are rough signals, not proof of quality, so use them as a guide only.

Takeaway

Use AI for speed, then add your own experience and review. Readers, and search engines, reward content that is useful and accurate, not content that merely avoids a label.

What is your workflow for editing AI drafts? Share it in the comments.

DEV Community: Maheen Razzaq