The Ultimate "ChatGPT Tells" List: 50+ Phrases That Instantly Reveal AI Usage
In poker, a "tell" is an unconscious behavior that reveals a player's hand. ChatGPT has tells too—phrases that scream "AI wrote this."
Bookmark this list. Share it. Use it to clean your AI output before anyone else spots these red flags.
🚨 Opening Phrases
The 'Eager Assistant' Category
These phrases appear at the start of ChatGPT responses and are the most obvious tells:
| Phrase | Why It's a Tell |
|---|---|
| "Sure! Here's..." | No human starts emails this way |
| "Certainly! I'd be happy to..." | Overly eager, robotic politeness |
| "Of course! Let me..." | Sounds like a customer service bot |
| "Absolutely! Here's what you need..." | Excessive enthusiasm |
| "Great question!" | Feels patronizing in professional contexts |
| "I'd be glad to help with that!" | No one talks like this |
| "Here's a comprehensive overview..." | Announces structure unnaturally |
| "Let me break this down for you..." | Condescending undertone |
🛑 Closing Phrases
The 'Helpful Bot' Category
These appear at the end and are equally recognizable:
| Phrase | Why It's a Tell |
|---|---|
| "I hope this helps!" | The #1 ChatGPT signature phrase |
| "Let me know if you need anything else!" | Generic filler |
| "Feel free to reach out if you have questions!" | Nobody writes this in real emails |
| "I'm happy to clarify or expand on any point!" | Robotic service language |
| "Don't hesitate to ask if you need more information!" | Overly formal, unnecessary |
| "Is there anything else I can help you with?" | Copy-pasted from support scripts |
| "I hope this answers your question!" | Obvious AI closer |
| "Let me know if you'd like me to elaborate!" | No human says "elaborate" this much |
🔄 Hedging Phrases
The 'Covering My Bases' Category
ChatGPT loves to hedge its statements. Humans don't talk this way:
| Phrase | Why It's a Tell |
|---|---|
| "It's important to note that..." | Verbal filler, adds nothing |
| "It's worth mentioning that..." | Same energy |
| "It should be noted that..." | Passive, bureaucratic |
| "As you may know..." | Condescending assumption |
| "It's worth considering that..." | Unnecessary preamble |
| "Generally speaking..." | Hedging before making a point |
| "In many cases..." | Vague qualification |
| "It's commonly understood that..." | Appeals to unnamed authority |
| "Depending on the context..." | Over-qualifying simple statements |
📚 Transition Phrases
The 'Essay Structure' Category
These make text sound like a high school essay:
🔤 Typography Tells
Non-Verbal Giveaways
These aren't phrases, but they're equally telling:
- Em-dashes (—) — ChatGPT loves these—uses them constantly
- Curly quotes ("") — Different from straight quotes ("")
- Ellipsis character (…) — Single character vs. three dots (...)
- Perfect paragraph uniformity — Each paragraph same length
- Numbered lists for everything — Over-structured responses
- Headers everywhere — ## Unnecessary ## Section ## Breaks
🎯 The Worst Offenders
Instant Recognition
If you see these, it's 99% AI-generated:
- "Sure! Here's [exactly what you asked for]" — The classic opener
- "I hope this helps!" — The classic closer
- "Feel free to [do something obvious]" — Unnecessary permission
- "Let me know if you need anything else!" — Generic sign-off
- "It's important to note that..." — Hedging before content
- "Here's a comprehensive overview:" — Announcing structure
✅ The Solution
You don't have to memorize this list. Tools like DeGPT automatically detect and remove these patterns:
- Strips opening and closing boilerplate
- Removes hedging phrases
- Normalizes typography (em-dashes → dashes, curly quotes → straight)
- Preserves your actual content
The goal: Use AI for the thinking, but make the output sound human.
Try DeGPT free →