You know the feeling. You’re reading a blog post or a LinkedIn update, and about three sentences in, your brain just... shuts off. It feels like eating unseasoned mashed potatoes. It’s smooth, it’s consistent, but there’s zero soul. That’s because you’ve likely stumbled upon a piece of content leaning too heavily on a list of words overused by AI that have become the digital equivalent of a "Hello, My Name Is" sticker.
We’re currently living in a world where everyone has a personal ghostwriter in their pocket. That’s cool, honestly. But the problem is that these Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained to be polite, middle-of-the-road, and obsessively helpful. They don't take risks. They don't use slang correctly unless you beg them to. Instead, they default to a specific "AI-ese" vocabulary that makes everything sound like a corporate brochure from 2005. If you want people to actually read your stuff, you’ve got to purge these linguistic tics.
Why Your Brain Filters Out AI Speak
It’s about pattern recognition. Humans are incredibly good at spotting "the uncanny valley" in text. When we see the word delve for the fourteenth time in a week, a little alarm goes off in our heads. We realize we aren't talking to a person; we're talking to a statistical probability engine.
Research from groups like the Stanford Internet Observatory and various linguistics experts have noted that AI models have a "centroid" vocabulary. Basically, they pick the most likely next word. Because they are trained to be professional, they avoid the grit and weirdness of human speech. They love a good transition. They adore a polished summary. They hate being blunt.
The Hall of Fame: Words You’ve Probably Seen Too Much
Let's get into the actual culprits. If you see these, you’re almost certainly looking at an unedited ChatGPT or Claude output.
The "Delve" Problem
If there is one word that defines the current era of AI writing, it’s delve. Nobody says "let's delve into the data" in a casual Slack message. It’s a word that lives almost exclusively in academic papers and AI prompts. It’s become a massive red flag. When an LLM wants to transition to a new topic, it almost instinctively reaches for this. It wants to sound deep. It wants to sound thorough. In reality, it just sounds like a robot trying to put on a tuxedo.
Navigating the Landscape
AI loves a metaphor, but only if it’s a tired one. You’ll constantly see phrases like in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape or navigating the complexities of. It’s filler. It’s the "um" and "uh" of generative AI. Real people usually just say "the market" or "how things work now."
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The "Unlock" Obsession
Marketing AI is the worst offender here. Everything is about unlocking your potential, unlocking hidden secrets, or unlocking new levels of productivity. It’s a lazy way to create a sense of value without actually saying what the value is.
Other High-Frequency Offenders
- Tapestry: AI thinks every story or history is a "rich tapestry." It’s not. Sometimes it’s just a messy pile of events.
- Testament: "This is a testament to the power of..." No, it’s just a result.
- Pivotal: Every minor change is labeled "pivotal" by an AI.
- Comprehensive: AI is obsessed with telling you how thorough it’s being.
- Bespoke: Suddenly, every AI-generated business plan is "bespoke."
- Enigma: If something is slightly confusing, AI calls it an enigma.
The Problem With "Moreover" and "Furthermore"
College professors used to love these words. Now, they’re the kiss of death for digital content. Why? Because they’re too formal for the internet.
In natural conversation, we use words like "also," "plus," or "and another thing." We might even just start a new paragraph without a transition word at all. AI, however, feels a desperate need to hold your hand through the logic of a sentence. It uses furthermore like a crutch. It’s trying to be organized, but it ends up sounding like a Victorian lawyer.
The same goes for ultimately. AI loves to wrap things up with a nice, clean bow. It wants to tell you what the "bottom line" is. But life is rarely that tidy, and human writing reflects that messiness. When a paragraph starts with "Ultimately," your reader’s eyes are already darting toward the "Back" button.
It’s Not Just the Words, It’s the Rhythm
If you look at a list of words overused by AI, you’re only seeing half the problem. The other half is the "heartbeat" of the writing.
AI tends to write sentences that are roughly the same length. It’s a rhythmic drone.
Sentence one is about twelve words long. Sentence two is also about twelve words long. Sentence three follows the exact same pattern as the first two.
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It’s boring. It’s predictable.
Human experts write with variety. Sometimes we use a two-word sentence for punch. Boom. Then, we might follow it up with a long, rambling thought that connects three different ideas with commas and dashes, reflecting how our brains actually skip around when we’re excited about a topic. AI doesn't get excited. It stays at a constant, lukewarm temperature.
How to Humanize Your Content (The Real Fix)
If you're using AI to help you draft—which, let's be honest, most of us are—you have to be a ruthless editor. You can't just copy-paste. You have to "de-bot" the text.
First, delete the fluff. If a sentence starts with "It is important to note," delete those five words. Start the sentence with whatever came after them. The meaning won't change, but the impact will double.
Second, inject some opinion. AI is programmed to be neutral. It’s the ultimate "both sides" machine. If you want to rank on Google in 2026, you need E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Google’s algorithms are increasingly looking for "information gain"—that is, does this article provide something new that isn't just a rehash of the top 10 results? A list of words overused by AI is a great starting point, but your own unique take on why those words fail is what keeps a reader on the page.
Third, change the transitions. Replace "Additionally" with "Besides that." Replace "Consequently" with "So." Better yet, don't use a transition at all. Just move to the next point. Trust your reader to follow along. They’re smarter than the AI thinks they are.
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The Business Cost of Generic Language
Using overused AI terms isn't just a stylistic choice; it’s a business risk. If your brand sounds like every other brand using the same prompts, you have no competitive advantage. You become a commodity.
Think about the most successful creators or brands you follow. Do they talk about "navigating the landscape of wellness"? Probably not. They talk about "why your morning coffee is ruining your sleep" or "the one habit that actually fixed my back pain." They use specific, gritty, and sometimes "imperfect" language.
Specifics beat generalities every time. AI is the king of generalities.
Actionable Steps to Purge the Bot-Speak
To make sure your content doesn't end up on a list of words overused by AI, follow these practical steps before you hit publish.
- The "Out Loud" Test: Read your work out loud. If you find yourself running out of breath or feeling like you're reading a textbook, rewrite it. If you wouldn't say a sentence to a friend at a bar, don't write it.
- Find and Replace: Set up a checklist of your own personal "red flag" words. For many, that’s "delve," "leverage," "comprehensive," and "holistic." Hunt them down and kill them.
- Break the Rules: Use a sentence fragment. Start a sentence with "But" or "And." It’s fine. It makes the writing feel alive.
- Specific Examples Only: Instead of saying "AI can improve efficiency in many industries," say "AI can help a plumber schedule three more jobs a week by automating his intake forms." The second one is human; the first one is a robot.
- Kill the Conclusion: Don't write a summary that starts with "In conclusion" or "To sum up." If you've written a good piece, the reader knows what you said. End on a strong, forward-looking thought or a specific call to action.
Stop trying to sound "professional" by using big, empty words. True professionalism in 2026 is about clarity, personality, and providing actual value without wasting the reader's time. The more you sound like a human, the more people—and search engines—will actually care what you have to say.
Next Steps for Your Content Strategy:
Audit your last three blog posts or emails. Search for the word "delve" or "landscape." If they’re there, rewrite those sections using the most basic language possible. Focus on shortening your intro and making your first sentence punchy. Move away from "unlocking" and toward "showing" your audience exactly how to solve their problem. Change your default font to something that makes you feel like you're writing a letter, not a legal brief, and see if it changes your tone.