A field guide to the tells.
Large language models share habits — punctuation, vocabulary, sentence shapes — that quietly mark their output. Here’s the catalog the detector scans for, grouped by category. Each one is highlighted inline and counted toward the Pattern Score.
Punctuation
weight ·13Em-dash overuse
Long dashes dropped mid-sentence where a comma or full stop belongs. Density is the giveaway.
It’s fast, really fast, and simple.
Diction
weight ·11“Delve” & friends
Delve, tapestry, realm, leverage, robust, navigate, underscore, foster, garner. Model house-style.
Let’s look at this.
Hype clichés
“Game-changer”, “ever-evolving”, “state-of-the-art”, “next-level” — marketing filler at scale.
A useful tool.
Empty intensifiers
“Truly”, “incredibly”, “surprisingly”, “remarkably” stacked onto claims to manufacture conviction.
It’s powerful.
Structure
weight ·12–15The rule of three
A compulsive reach for triads: “simple, powerful, and elegant.” One is rhetoric; a cluster is a tell.
Fast and reliable.
“It’s not just X, it’s Y”
Negation-then-elevation. Sounds profound, means little — a signature generated flourish.
It’s a useful tool.
“Not only… but also”
A balanced correlative the model leans on to sound emphatic and complete.
Fast and secure.
“Whether you’re… or…”
Audience-spanning setups — “whether you’re a beginner or an expert” — a marketing-copy reflex.
(name the actual reader)
Filler
weight ·12–14Hedged meta-commentary
“It’s worth noting”, “it’s important to note” — throat-clearing that announces a point instead of making it.
Speed matters.
Grand openers
“In today’s fast-paced world…”, “In the realm of…”. Scene-setting that delays the real sentence.
Speed wins.
“Let’s dive in”
“Dive into”, “dive deep”, “let’s dive in” — filler enthusiasm that rarely earns its place.
Here are the details.
Transition
weight ·8–11Stacked formal transitions
“Moreover,” “Furthermore,” “Additionally,” back-to-back — a model padding for flow.
It’s also fast.
Signposted conclusions
“In conclusion,” “at the end of the day,” “all in all” — explicit wrap-up markers humans drop.
It’s worth trying.
The Pattern Score, in plain terms
Each detector contributes a weighted amount based on how often its pattern appears, with a sub-linear bonus for repeats and a light correction for very short text. The total is clamped to 0–100. It’s a transparent heuristic — a signal about writing habits, not a verdict on authorship.
Spot these in your own writing
Paste any text and see which patterns light up.