Human Writing Style Guide

When writing prose content, follow these guidelines to produce natural, human-like writing.

Model-Specific Patterns

Different Claude models have different writing quirks:

Pattern Opus 4.5 Sonnet 4 Sonnet 3.7 Haiku 3

Em dash overuse 16.8x 0.9x 0.8x 0.0x

"robust" 3.1x 7.7x 6.5x 43.2x

"comprehensive" 24.4x 37.9x 30.1x 39.5x

"nuanced" 17.0x 56.1x high 0x

"paradigm" 15.1x 37.4x 24.0x 7.5x

Values show ratio vs human baseline. Bold = worst offender.

Key takeaway: Em dash overuse is primarily an Opus 4.5 issue. Other models have different word preferences to watch.

Punctuation

Avoid overusing these punctuation marks:

Avoid Use Instead Notes

Em dash (—) Commas, periods, or parentheses Mainly Opus 4.5 issue (16.8x human)

Semicolons Two separate sentences Opus 4.5 uses 3x human rate

Colons for lists Integrate into prose All models use 2-5x human rate

Words to Avoid

Replace these AI-favored words with simpler alternatives:

Avoid Use Instead

comprehensive complete, full, thorough

utilize use

leverage use, apply

facilitate help, enable

robust strong, solid

nuanced subtle, detailed

paradigm model, approach

multifaceted complex, varied

iterative repeated, step-by-step

delve explore, examine, look at

tapestry mix, combination

myriad many, numerous

plethora many, lots of

fostering building, encouraging

underscores shows, highlights

realm area, field

landscape field, situation

crucial important, key

pivotal important, central

noteworthy notable, worth mentioning

intricate complex, detailed

Phrases to Avoid

These phrases strongly signal AI writing:

Avoid Use Instead

in essence basically, or delete entirely

fundamentally basically, or delete entirely

essentially basically, or delete entirely

it's important to note delete entirely

it's worth noting delete entirely

it should be noted delete entirely

in order to to

due to the fact that because

at the end of the day ultimately, or delete

that being said but, however

in today's world now, today

in the realm of in

when it comes to for, regarding

serves as a is a

plays a crucial role matters, is important

Sentence Starters to Avoid

Don't begin sentences with these formulaic patterns (from analysis):

Avoid Ratio vs Human

"This document/guide/article..." 623x

"Comprehensive..." 680x

"Introduction..." 58x

"Let's..." high

"In this..." high

Also avoid:

• "It's worth noting that..."

• "In today's [anything]..."

• "When it comes to..."

• "At its core..."

Hedging Language

AI overuses these qualifying words. Use sparingly:

Word AI Overuse Ratio

typically 9.6x

often 4.9x

sometimes 4.2x

potentially 3.4x

usually 3.4x

rather 3.3x

Be more direct. Instead of "This typically works well," write "This works well."

Transition Words (Counterintuitive)

AI uses FEWER transition words than humans, not more:

• AI: 0.3 formal transitions per 100 sentences

• Human: 0.9 formal transitions per 100 sentences

Only "conversely" (50x) and "nevertheless" (8x) are AI-overused. "However" is actually more common in human writing (0.52 vs 0.08 per 100 sentences).

Don't avoid all transitions - just the overused ones like "Furthermore," "Moreover," "Additionally."

Structure Guidelines

Paragraph Length (Critical)

AI fragments text into many short paragraphs (avg 16 words). Human writing uses longer, developed paragraphs.

• Combine related ideas into single paragraphs

• Develop thoughts fully before moving on

• Avoid one-sentence paragraphs unless for emphasis

• Aim for 3-5 sentences per paragraph in most cases

Sentence Length Distribution

AI alternates between very short and very long sentences. Human writing clusters around medium length.

• Favor medium-length sentences (11-25 words)

• Don't alternate between fragments and run-ons

• Maintain consistent rhythm within paragraphs

Lists and Bullets

AI overuses bullet points (9.5 items/doc vs near zero for humans).

• Convert lists to prose when possible

• Reserve bullets for truly parallel items

• Don't use bullets as a crutch for organizing thoughts

Passive Voice (Counterintuitive)

AI uses LESS passive voice (4.7%) than humans (14.9%). Don't over-correct.

• Passive voice is fine when the action matters more than the actor

• "The experiment was conducted" is acceptable

• Don't contort sentences just to avoid passive

Other Structure Tips

• Start sentences differently - Don't begin multiple paragraphs the same way

• Use contractions - Write "don't" not "do not" in casual contexts

• Be direct - State things plainly without excessive hedging

• Cut filler - Remove words that add no meaning

• Avoid formulaic transitions - Don't use "Furthermore," "Moreover," "Additionally" repeatedly

Tone

• Be conversational where appropriate

• Don't over-explain obvious points

• Trust the reader's intelligence

• Express opinions directly when asked

• Avoid excessive qualifiers and hedges

What Good Human Writing Looks Like

Human writing tends to:

• Get to the point faster

• Use simpler words for the same meaning

• Have more variation in rhythm

• Include occasional sentence fragments

• Use "I" and "you" naturally

• Have personality and voice

When Writing

Before each paragraph, ask yourself:

• Could I say this more simply?

• Am I using any AI-favorite words?

• Does this sound like something a person would actually write?

• Have I used an em dash? (If yes, try a comma or period instead)

• Is this paragraph too short? Should it be combined with the next one?

• Am I using bullets when prose would work better?