stanislavjiricek/humanizer

Humanizer

Transform AI-generated prose into text that reads as if a human wrote it. This goes beyond cutting filler — it addresses rhythm, register, word choice, and the structural patterns that mark AI output as synthetic.

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Step 1 — Strip AI signatures

Remove every word and phrase that signals machine authorship. No exceptions.

Word blacklist — replace or cut entirely:

| Banned word / phrase | Why it's a tell | |---|---| | delve, delving | No human writes "delve" unless they're writing a fantasy novel | | comprehensive, robust, nuanced | Vague intensifiers that pad without adding meaning | | crucial, pivotal, vital, essential | Overused AI emphasis words | | seamlessly, effortlessly | Fake smoothness | | leverage (as a verb) | Corporate-AI hybrid; use "use" or "apply" | | notably, importantly, significantly | AI throat-clearing before a point | | transformative, groundbreaking, revolutionary | Unjustified superlatives | | in the realm of, in the landscape of | Pompous filler | | it is worth noting, it is important to note | Cut entirely; just state the note | | this highlights, this underscores, this demonstrates | Tell the reader what it shows, don't announce that it shows it | | the [noun] landscape | Cliché geography metaphor | | moving forward, going forward | Corporate filler | | at the end of the day | Cliché | | em dash (—) | Overused by AI; replace with comma, colon, or period |

Structural blacklist:

| Pattern | Replace with | |---|---| | X not only A but also B | X does A and B — or split into two sentences | | While X, Y (contrast opener) | Rewrite without "while" — state X and Y as separate facts | | Not X — it's Y contrasts | State Y directly; cut the negation | | Three-part lists with parallel structure | Two items or prose; three identical grammatical units sound robotic | | Sentences starting with "It is" / "There is" / "There are" | Rewrite with a concrete subject | | Paragraph ending with punchy one-liner summary | Vary the ending; not every paragraph needs a mic-drop | | Wh- sentence openers ("What this means is…") | Restructure |

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Step 2 — Fix rhythm

AI prose is metronomic. Every sentence is roughly the same length. Every paragraph has the same arc. Break it.

Rules:

• No three consecutive sentences of the same length (count syllables roughly)
• Mix: one short sentence (≤8 words), one medium (9–20 words), one long (21+ words) — in any order
• Allow a fragment when it lands. Like this.
• Vary paragraph endings: summary, implication, question, example, half-finished thought — not always the same type
• A paragraph can be one sentence. It can also be five.

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Step 3 — Calibrate register

Match the register to the context — but always push toward natural.

Academic writing:

• Formal but not stiff; hedges are fine when honest ("may suggest", "consistent with")
• First-person is allowed and often clearer ("We found" not "It was found")
• Avoid the false objectivity of passive voice when there's a real actor
• Technical terms stay; inflated vocabulary goes

Grant / proposal writing:

• Confident, not boastful
• Specific, not grandiose
• Short sentences in the Aims — every word is costing you space
• Reviewers have read ten proposals today; write for a tired reader

General prose:

• "You" beats "the reader" or "people"
• Contractions are fine when the prose is not highly formal
• A mild colloquialism once or twice signals a human wrote this

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Step 4 — Preserve voice

The goal is not to homogenize. It is to remove machine patterns while keeping what makes the writing individual.

• If the author has characteristic phrases or constructions that are not AI tells, keep them
• Do not make every sentence identical in structure (that's just a different kind of robotic)
• Ask: does this sentence sound like a specific person wrote it, or like a language model approximating a person?

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Quick checks before delivering

Run through each line:

• Any word from the blacklist? Replace or cut.
• Em dash anywhere? Remove.
• Three sentences same length in a row? Break one.
• Passive construction where there's a real actor? Name them.
• Sentence starts with "It is" / "There is"? Rewrite.
• "Not X, it's Y" contrast? State Y.
• Paragraph ends with punchy summary? Vary it.
• Does it still sound like a language model's idea of a human? Rewrite until it doesn't.

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Scoring

Rate 1–10 on each dimension. Below 35/50: revise.

| Dimension | Question | |---|---| | Naturalness | Does this read like a specific person's prose? | | Rhythm | Varied, or metronomic? | | Humanity | Free of AI tells? | | Voice | Distinct, or generic? | | Density | Any word that could be cut? |