---
title: copy-tells
summary: The statistical habits that mark prose as generated — model vocabulary, "not just X but Y", the rule of three, false ranges, stacked hedges, em dashes, bold inflation, generic conclusions, chatbot residue — and the two tests every product sentence must pass.
tags: [anti-patterns, copy, writing, microcopy, marketing]
---

# Copy tells

Nobody spots generated prose from one mistake; they spot an accumulation of statistical habits. Each is defensible alone; together they are a watermark. [[copy-voice]] says how UI copy should sound. This node is what to strip from any text a person will read — microcopy, marketing pages, docs, release notes, README — in order: words, sentences, punctuation, claims. Then put a voice back, because clean-but-voiceless is its own tell.

## Words

| Slop | Write instead |
|---|---|
| delve into | look at |
| crucial, pivotal | important, or name the consequence |
| leverage, utilize | use |
| facilitate | help |
| enhance | improve, or the specific change |
| showcase, underscore | show |
| landscape, tapestry | field, mix, or delete the sentence |
| additionally | also |
| in the event that | if |
| serves as, boasts, offers | is, has |

Delete filler on sight ("in order to", "it is important to note that"). Cut adverbs or fix the verb they prop up ("runs quickly" → the number). Promotional adjectives (seamless, robust, stunning, vibrant) get neutral replacements — describe the thing and let the reader supply the adjective. Metaphor jargon (substrate, wedge, north star, flywheel, paradigm) costs credibility when the plain word exists.

## Sentences

- **"Not just X, but Y"** — state Y. If Y can't stand without the runway, Y is the problem.
- **Break the rule of three.** Count the real items; write two or five.
- **Kill false ranges** ("from startups to enterprises") — list the things or name the one that matters.
- **Repeat the word.** Cycling synonyms for one thing is a school-essay habit; the right word repeated is how a reader tracks the subject.
- **One idea per sentence; name the actor.** Passive voice is grammatically safe and hides who does what.
- **Hedge once at most.** "Could potentially possibly" is a model avoiding commitment.

## Punctuation and formatting

No em dashes (a period or a comma, not a different interrupter that keeps the rhythm). Colons introduce lists, not connect clauses. Bold is for scanning, not emphasis inflation — and the bold-label-plus-colon list that restates its own line is the strongest formatting tell there is. Sentence case headings. No decorative emoji. Straight quotes in source prose; curly quotes belong in rendered UI copy ([[line-behavior]]).

## Claims

Puffery ("a testament to", "sets the stage for") gets replaced by what happened. Name the source or cut the claim. Delete the trailing "-ing" clause that bolts a conclusion onto a fact ("…, ensuring reliability"). No generic conclusions ("exciting times ahead"). No chatbot residue ("I hope this helps!"). And the two tests for any product sentence: *can it be restated as a concrete instruction, fact, or number?* and *could it appear unchanged in another product's docs?* Fail either, cut it.

## Putting a voice back

Have a reaction (real reactions are mixed). Vary the rhythm. Use "I" when it fits. Be specific over evocative — the specific image can't be produced by averaging. Let a little mess in: a tangent, an admission of uncertainty.

## When to apply

Any generated text a person will read; any marketing headline (the competitor paste test); every [[unslop-pass]]; error messages and empty states alongside [[copy-voice]].

## Gotcha

The pass is not "shorter". A sentence stripped to nothing but nouns reads as generated too. The target is a sentence a specific person would say about this specific product.

## Sources

- Emil Kowalski's design-engineering practice on writing, distilled by HKTITAN.
- Related: [[copy-voice]], [[content-authenticity]], [[unslop-pass]].