Free AI Slop Detector

Vocabulary

Words that show up far more often in AI output than in human writing. One is a coincidence; three in a paragraph is a pattern.

• V-01Delve and friends

  delve, dive into, deep dive, unpack, explore (for "discuss").

  Bad: "Let's delve into the data."

  Better: "Here is what the data shows."

• V-02Tapestry words

  tapestry, landscape, realm, sphere, ecosystem, fabric (used abstractly).

  Bad: "the ever-evolving landscape of marketing."

  Better: "marketing in 2026" or name the actual change.

• V-03Testament and beacon

  testament to, beacon of, embodiment of, hallmark of.

  Bad: "The launch is a testament to the team's dedication."

  Better: "The team shipped it in six weeks."

• V-04Pivotal and crucial

  pivotal, crucial, vital, paramount, critical (as decoration).

  Bad: "plays a pivotal role in growth."

  Better: "drives 40% of signups."

• V-05Showcase verbs

  showcase, highlight, underscore, emphasize, spotlight (as commentary verbs).

  Bad: "The results underscore the importance of testing."

  Better: "Testing caught three bugs before launch."

• V-06Foster and cultivate

  foster, cultivate, nurture (applied to abstract things).

  Bad: "fostering a culture of innovation."

  Better: Say what the team actually does.

• V-07Leverage and utilize

  leverage, utilize, harness, capitalize on.

  Bad: "Leverage AI to streamline your workflow."

  Better: "Use AI to draft the weekly report."

• V-08Elevate and enhance

  elevate, enhance, empower, supercharge, unlock, amplify.

  Bad: "Elevate your content strategy."

  Better: Name the result: "Post three times a week without writing on weekends."

• V-09Seamless and robust

  seamless, robust, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, best-in-class, world-class.

  Bad: "a seamless, robust solution."

  Better: "it syncs in under a second and hasn't gone down this year."

• V-10Intricate and multifaceted

  intricate, multifaceted, nuanced, complex (as filler).

  Bad: "the intricate interplay of factors."

  Better: Name two of the factors.

• V-11Meticulous

  meticulous, meticulously, painstakingly, carefully crafted.

  Bad: "meticulously crafted templates."

  Better: "templates tested on 200 posts."

• V-12Vibrant and rich

  vibrant, rich, bustling, thriving, dynamic.

  Bad: "a vibrant community of creators."

  Better: "4,000 creators who post weekly."

• V-13Journey and embark

  journey, embark, navigate, voyage, path (for ordinary processes).

  Bad: "embark on your SEO journey."

  Better: "start with your top ten pages."

• V-14Game changer

  game changer, revolutionary, groundbreaking, transformative, paradigm shift.

  Bad: "This feature is a game changer."

  Better: Say what changes and for whom.

• V-15Transition adverbs

  Additionally, Furthermore, Moreover, Notably, Importantly (opening sentences).

  Bad: "Additionally, the tool supports exports."

  Better: "It also exports to CSV."

• V-16Empty intensifiers

  truly, incredibly, deeply, profoundly, remarkably, fundamentally.

  Bad: "a truly remarkable result."

  Better: Give the number that makes it remarkable.

• V-17Quietly

  quietly, silently, subtly (adding drama to plain events).

  Bad: "Costs quietly crept up."

  Better: "Costs rose 12% in March."

• V-18Align and resonate

  align with, resonate with, speak to, in line with.

  Bad: "content that resonates with your audience."

  Better: "posts your audience replies to."

• V-19Key as an adjective

  key insight, key takeaway, key factor, key role.

  Bad: "The key takeaway is consistency."

  Better: "Post on the same days every week."

• V-20Era words

  in today's fast-paced world, in the digital age, in an era of, now more than ever.

  Bad: "In today's fast-paced digital world, content is king."

  Better: Cut it and start with the point.

Stock phrases

Ready-made phrases that fill space without adding meaning.

• P-01Worth noting

  it's worth noting, it's important to note, it should be noted.

  Bad: "It's worth noting that the API is rate limited."

  Better: "The API allows 100 calls a minute."

• P-02At its core

  at its core, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, ultimately.

  Bad: "At its core, marketing is about people."

  Better: Delete, or say something specific about people.

• P-03When it comes to

  when it comes to, in terms of, with regard to, in the world of.

  Bad: "When it comes to scheduling, timing matters."

  Better: "Posts at 9am get more reach than posts at 3pm."

• P-04Let's dive in

  let's dive in, let's get started, buckle up, without further ado.

  Bad: "Ready? Let's dive in!"

  Better: Start with the first point.

• P-05Plays a role

  plays a role in, contributes to, is a factor in.

  Bad: "Hashtags play a role in reach."

  Better: "Posts with 3 to 5 hashtags reached more people in our test."

• P-06Stands as

  stands as, serves as, functions as, acts as (instead of "is").

  Bad: "The dashboard serves as a central hub."

  Better: "The dashboard shows every scheduled post."

• P-07Navigate the complexities

  navigate the complexities of, the ins and outs of, the nuances of.

  Bad: "helping you navigate the complexities of SEO."

  Better: "explains how Google picks which page to rank."

• P-08Whether you're X or Y

  Whether you're a beginner or a pro, from startups to enterprises.

  Bad: "Whether you're a solo creator or a global brand, ..."

  Better: Say who it is actually for.

• P-09Look no further

  look no further, you've come to the right place, this is your ultimate guide.

  Bad: "Looking for a scheduler? Look no further."

  Better: "FeedHive schedules posts to 10 platforms."

• P-10Unlock the power

  unlock the power of, harness the potential of, take it to the next level.

  Bad: "Unlock the full potential of your content."

  Better: Say the specific gain.

• P-11Here's the thing

  here's the thing, here's the deal, let me be clear, I'll be honest, I'll be straight with you.

  Bad: "Here's the thing: most people quit."

  Better: "Most people quit in month two."

• P-12The truth is

  the truth is, the reality is, the uncomfortable truth, the hard truth.

  Bad: "The hard truth is that SEO takes time."

  Better: "SEO takes about six months to show results."

• P-13Sign-off clichés

  I hope this helps, happy writing, feel free to reach out, let me know if you have any questions.

  Bad: A post or article ending with "Hope this helps!"

  Better: End on the last useful point.

• P-14Summary openers

  In conclusion, In summary, To sum up, Overall, All in all.

  Bad: "In conclusion, consistency is key."

  Better: End on the last concrete point; the reader was just there.

• P-15Vague future

  the future is bright, the possibilities are endless, only time will tell, the sky's the limit.

  Bad: "With AI, the possibilities are endless."

  Better: Name one thing that is now possible.

Sentence patterns

Constructions that AI reaches for again and again.

• S-01Not X, but Y

  "It's not X. It's Y." / "This isn't about X, it's about Y."

  Bad: "It's not a tool. It's a teammate."

  Better: Say what it does: "It drafts replies for you to approve."

• S-02Not just X, but also Y

  "It's not just fast, it's also accurate."

  Bad: "Not just a scheduler, but a full content engine."

  Better: List what it does.

• S-03The question isn't X

  "The question isn't whether, it's when." / "The problem isn't X. The problem is Y."

  Bad: "The question isn't if you should use AI. It's how."

  Better: "Here is how we use AI for first drafts."

• S-04Negative listing

  "Not a X. Not a Y. A Z."

  Bad: "Not a plan. Not a hope. A system."

  Better: "A system: three posts a week, written on Mondays."

• S-05Rhetorical Q and A

  A question the writer immediately answers.

  Bad: "Why does this matter? Because reach is everything."

  Better: "Reach decides how many people see the post."

• S-06The obvious question

  "The obvious question is...", "You might be wondering..."

  Bad: "You might be wondering how this works."

  Better: Explain how it works.

• S-07Colon reveal

  A short setup, a colon, then a dramatic reveal.

  Bad: "The best part: it's free."

  Better: "It's free."

• S-08Faux insight

  "What nobody tells you", "the part most people miss", "here's what most get wrong".

  Bad: "What nobody tells you about growth: distribution beats product."

  Better: "Distribution brought us more users than any feature."

• S-09This is where it gets interesting

  this is where it gets interesting, this changes everything, and that's where things get wild.

  Bad: "And this is where it gets interesting."

  Better: State the interesting thing.

• S-10The useful part is

  the useful part, the part where, the best part, the exciting part, the part that stuck with me.

  Bad: "The useful part is that it connects to your inbox."

  Better: "It connects to your inbox."

• S-11X is just Y

  Calling something "just" a vivid unrelated thing to make a point.

  Bad: "Posting without a plan is just gambling with your time."

  Better: "Without a plan you post less and repeat topics."

• S-12Trailing -ing analysis

  A sentence ends with an -ing clause that tells you what it means.

  Bad: "Sales rose 20%, highlighting the strength of the brand."

  Better: "Sales rose 20%."

• S-13Rule of three

  Lists of exactly three adjectives or phrases, by reflex.

  Bad: "fast, simple, and powerful."

  Better: Keep the one that is true and provable.

• S-14Synonym cycling

  Rotating names for the same thing to avoid repetition.

  Bad: "The agent drafts. The assistant reviews. The tool publishes."

  Better: "The agent drafts, reviews and publishes."

• S-15Arbitrary "one"

  Putting "one" before a noun to sound focused when the number means nothing.

  Bad: "Start with one workflow."

  Better: "Start with your weekly newsletter."

• S-16Fake-strong verbs

  boasts, features, offers, maintains (instead of "has").

  Bad: "The app boasts an intuitive interface."

  Better: "The app has a drag-and-drop calendar."

• S-17Imagine a world

  imagine a world where, picture this, what if I told you.

  Bad: "Imagine a world where your posts write themselves."

  Better: Describe what the product does today.

• S-18Hedge stacking

  may potentially, could possibly, might help to, can sometimes.

  Bad: "This may potentially help improve results."

  Better: "This improved reply rate by 8% in our test." Or cut it.

• S-19Both-sides filler

  "While X has benefits, it also has drawbacks."

  Bad: "While automation saves time, it's important to stay authentic."

  Better: Take a position and support it.

• S-20From X to Y range

  "From startups to enterprises", "from strategy to execution".

  Bad: "From ideation to publication, we've got you covered."

  Better: Name the two steps you actually handle.

• S-21Interpretive asides

  Telling the reader how to read the text.

  Bad: "That last point matters more than it sounds."

  Better: Show why it matters, or delete the aside.

• S-22Rhetorical self-correction

  "Actually, let me rephrase that", "Or rather..."

  Bad: "It's fast. Or rather, it's instant."

  Better: "It's instant."

Structure and rhythm

Slop is often in the shape of the text, not the words.

• R-01One-line paragraph stacks

  Many short lines in a row, each a slogan.

  Bad: "I quit my job. / I built a product. / Nobody came. / Then I learned this."

  Better: Write it as one paragraph.

• R-02Fragment drumbeat

  Strings of fragments for rhythm.

  Bad: "Code. Content. Customers. Every day."

  Better: One full sentence that says what you do every day.

• R-03Repeated starters

  Several lines that start with the same word or phrase.

  Bad: "It saves time. It saves money. It saves your sanity."

  Better: "It saves about four hours a week."

• R-04Identical sentence shapes

  Every sentence the same length and structure.

  Bad: A paragraph of 12-word sentences, each "Subject verb object, comma, clause."

  Better: Vary length when it helps the point.

• R-05List dumps

  Long inventories of nouns in one breath.

  Bad: "sales, marketing, support, ops, finance, hiring, legal and product."

  Better: Pick the two that matter here.

• R-06Bullets for everything

  Bullet points where two sentences of prose would read better.

  Bad: Three bullets of four words each.

  Better: One sentence.

• R-07Headings on tiny sections

  Headers over one or two sentences.

  Bad: "## Why it matters" followed by one line.

  Better: Fold it into the paragraph above.

• R-08Recap ending

  A final paragraph that repeats the whole piece.

  Bad: "To recap, we covered A, B and C."

  Better: End on the last point or the next action.

• R-09Mic-drop ending

  A final "deep" one-liner.

  Bad: "The future isn't coming. It's already here."

  Better: End on the clearest concrete sentence.

• R-10Challenges and future outlook

  A formulaic "Despite challenges, the future looks promising" closer.

  Bad: "Despite these challenges, the outlook remains positive."

  Better: Name the challenge and what is being done.

• R-11Fake-unscripted scaffolding

  "And honestly...", "And look...", "So yeah..." used as filler.

  Bad: "And honestly? That's when it clicked."

  Better: Say what clicked.

• R-12Over-structured short answers

  A short reply split into sections with headers and bold labels.

  Bad: A three-sentence answer with "Overview", "Key Points" and "Conclusion".

  Better: Three sentences.

Imagery and metaphor

AI likes making things vivid when they should be clear.

• M-01Cute metaphors

  Abstract things doing human or physical actions.

  Bad: "Your data is whispering insights."

  Better: "Your data shows Tuesday posts get more replies."

• M-02Things that "live" or "sit"

  Data, products or agents that live or sit somewhere.

  Bad: "where your customer data lives."

  Better: "where your customer data is stored."

• M-03Honest dashboards

  Systems that "get honest", "tell the truth", "hide" or "reveal".

  Bad: "Analytics finally get honest."

  Better: "Analytics now count only real views."

• M-04Mixed and stacked metaphors

  Two or three images in one sentence.

  Bad: "a north star that fuels the engine of growth."

  Better: Drop both images and say what drives growth.

• M-05Fuel and engine

  fuel, engine, rocket, catalyst, springboard, flywheel (as decoration).

  Bad: "content that fuels your growth engine."

  Better: "posts that bring in signups."

• M-06Secret sauce

  secret sauce, magic, silver bullet, holy grail.

  Bad: "Consistency is the secret sauce."

  Better: "Accounts that posted weekly grew twice as fast."

Substance

The deepest kind of slop: text that sounds informative and says nothing.

• C-01Importance puffery

  Inflating significance: "marks a pivotal moment", "a significant shift".

  Bad: "This marks a pivotal moment for the industry."

  Better: State the fact and let the reader judge.

• C-02Vague attribution

  experts agree, studies show, many believe, it is widely regarded.

  Bad: "Studies show posting daily works."

  Better: Name the study, or cut the claim.

• C-03Generic claims without receipts

  Claims any company could make.

  Bad: "AI can transform your business."

  Better: "Our AI drafts a week of posts from a 3-line brief."

• C-04The portability test

  A sentence that could move unchanged to another company or topic.

  Bad: "We're committed to delivering value to our customers."

  Better: A sentence only you could write.

• C-05Fake-profound wisdom

  Lines that sound deep and mean nothing concrete.

  Bad: "Growth is a mindset, not a metric."

  Better: Say what you measure and why.

• C-06Smoothing the specific

  Replacing a sharp fact with a generic description.

  Bad: "a leading expert in the field."

  Better: "who wrote the Kubernetes scheduler."

• C-07Made-up specifics

  Invented numbers, names or examples presented as real.

  Bad: "Sarah, a marketing manager, saved 10 hours a week." (no Sarah exists)

  Better: A real example, or none.

• C-08Telling instead of showing

  Labeling something surprising, important or interesting.

  Bad: "Surprisingly, the simple version won."

  Better: "The simple version got twice the clicks."

• C-09Canned notability

  "featured in top outlets", "widely recognized", "has an active social media presence".

  Bad: "She has been featured in numerous leading publications."

  Better: Name one, with a link.

• C-10Superficial balance

  Every point gets a "however" so the text never commits.

  Bad: "AI is powerful. However, it has limitations."

  Better: Say which limitation matters for this reader.

• C-11Advice with no steps

  Telling the reader to "optimize", "be strategic" or "stay consistent" without saying how.

  Bad: "Optimize your posting schedule."

  Better: "Post Tuesday to Thursday between 8 and 10am."

• C-12Hollow promises

  "Everything you need to know", "the ultimate guide", "master X in minutes".

  Bad: "The ultimate guide to LinkedIn."

  Better: "How to write a LinkedIn post that gets replies."

Formatting and punctuation

• F-01Em dash habit

  Em dashes used everywhere for rhythm.

  Bad: "It's fast — really fast — and free."

  Better: "It's fast and free." Use commas, periods or parentheses.

• F-02Bold sprinkled mid-sentence

  Random words in bold for emphasis.

  Bad: "This is **really important** for **growth**."

  Better: No bold; let the sentence carry it.

• F-03Emoji as bullets

  ✅ 🚀 💡 👉 used as list markers or decoration.

  Bad: "✅ Faster ✅ Cheaper ✅ Better"

  Better: A plain sentence.

• F-04Title Case Headings

  Every Word Capitalized In Headings.

  Bad: "How To Grow Your Audience On LinkedIn"

  Better: "How to grow your audience on LinkedIn"

• F-05Colon-label lines

  Every line starts with a bold label and a colon.

  Bad: "**Speed:** fast. **Price:** low. **Support:** great."

  Better: A sentence about the one that matters.

• F-06Markdown in the wrong place

  Asterisks, hashtags or headers pasted into emails, posts or forms.

  Bad: "**Subject:** ..." inside a LinkedIn post.

  Better: Plain text.

• F-07Curly-quote and character mix

  Curly quotes, special dashes and non-breaking spaces mixed with plain text.

  Bad: “quotes” next to "quotes" in one paragraph.

  Better: Pick one style.

• F-08Exclamation inflation

  Exclamation marks on ordinary sentences.

  Bad: "We updated the settings page!"

  Better: "We updated the settings page."

• F-09Unicode bold and fancy fonts in long posts

  𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 or 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉 letters across whole lines.

  Bad: An entire LinkedIn post in Unicode bold.

  Better: Plain text, one bold phrase at most (screen readers can't read these).

• F-10Tables for two facts

  A table where a sentence would do.

  Bad: A 2x2 table comparing price and speed.

  Better: "A is cheaper; B is faster."

Chatbot residue

Text that was clearly copied out of a chat window.

• B-01Assistant openers

  Certainly!, Absolutely!, Great question!, Of course!

  Bad: "Certainly! Here's a LinkedIn post about..."

  Better: Delete it.

• B-02Sycophancy

  You're absolutely right, what a great idea, I love this.

  Bad: An email reply starting "Great point, you're absolutely right!"

  Better: Answer the point.

• B-03Offer to do more

  Would you like me to..., Let me know if you'd like a shorter version.

  Bad: A published post ending "Would you like me to adjust the tone?"

  Better: Delete it.

• B-04Here is a...

  Lead-ins like "Here is a polished version of your post:" left in the final text.

  Better: Delete the line.

• B-05Placeholder text

  [Your Name], [Company], [insert statistic], XX%.

  Better: Fill it in or cut the sentence.

• B-06AI disclaimers

  As an AI, I don't have personal opinions; my knowledge is limited to...

  Better: Delete it.

• B-07Source hedging

  "Based on available information", "specific details are limited".

  Bad: "While specific figures are not widely available, ..."

  Better: Find the figure or don't mention it.

• B-08Citation debris

  Leftover markers like [1], contentReference, oaicite, turn0search0.

  Better: Remove them, and check the claim they were attached to.

Social media and LinkedIn

Patterns that turn a post into "LinkedIn slop".

• L-01Broetry

  One sentence per line, top to bottom.

  Bad: A 20-line post where every line is a new sentence.

  Better: Short paragraphs.

• L-02Hook formulas

  "I was fired. Best thing that ever happened.", "Unpopular opinion:", "Stop doing X."

  Better: Open with the specific thing that happened or the specific claim.

• L-03Thrilled to announce

  I'm thrilled/excited/humbled to announce, I'm proud to share.

  Bad: "I'm thrilled to announce I've joined Acme!"

  Better: "I joined Acme to lead the growth team."

• L-04Read that again

  Read that again., Let that sink in., I'll say it louder.

  Better: Delete it. If the line needs a second read, rewrite it.

• L-05Agree? / Thoughts?

  Engagement-bait closers.

  Bad: "Agree? 👇"

  Better: Ask a real question, or don't.

• L-06The lesson list

  "Here are 7 lessons I learned from..." with generic lessons.

  Better: One lesson with the story behind it.

• L-07Humblebrag setup

  "I don't usually post this, but...", "This might be controversial, but..."

  Better: Post it without the preamble.

• L-08Thread markers

  🧵, 1/, "A thread" on content that isn't a thread.

  Better: Write the post.

• L-09Hashtag walls

  Ten or more hashtags at the end.

  Better: Three relevant ones, or none.

• L-10That's it. That's the post

  Self-aware closers that announce the ending.

  Bad: "That's it. That's the tweet."

  Better: Just stop.

• L-11P.S. engagement

  "P.S. Repost ♻️ if this helped." on every post.

  Better: Drop it, or use it rarely.

• L-12No fluff, just value

  Announcing quality instead of delivering it: no fluff, just value; straight to the point; real talk.

  Better: Delete the announcement.

• L-13Comment slop

  Generic replies: "Great insights!", "So true!", "Thanks for sharing, this is gold."

  Better: Reply to something specific in the post, or don't reply.

• L-14Fake vulnerability arc

  "I failed. I was broke. Then I discovered X." built to sell.

  Better: Tell what happened, with dates and numbers.

• L-15Contrarian template

  "Everyone says X. They're wrong."

  Better: Make your claim and back it up; skip the strawman.