Some words show up far more often in chatbot output than in normal writing. One of them in a long piece means nothing. Three in a paragraph, and readers start to notice. Here is the list SlopScore checks, with plainer options.
The best replacement is often no word at all. "Leverage" usually means "use", and "it is worth noting that" usually means nothing. If a word is there to sound important, cut it and see if the sentence still works.
| Overused | Try instead |
|---|---|
| delve / delve into | look at, dig into, cover, or just start |
| tapestry | mix, range, or name the actual things |
| testament to | shows, proves (or give the evidence) |
| pivotal | important, deciding, or say what it changed |
| intricate / intricacies | complicated, detailed, the details |
| meticulous(ly) | careful(ly), thorough(ly) |
| showcase | show |
| underscore | show, stress |
| bolster | support, strengthen |
| garner | get, win, earn |
| interplay | how X and Y affect each other |
| vibrant | busy, lively, colorful, or describe it |
| enduring | lasting, long-running |
| crucial | important, needed |
| seamless(ly) | smooth, with no extra steps |
| game-changer | say what changed and by how much |
| revolutionize | change, replace |
| unlock the power/potential of | use, get more from |
| harness the power of | use |
| elevate your ... | improve |
| empower | let, help, allow |
| leverage | use |
| realm | area, field |
| embark on | start |
| navigate the complexities of | deal with, handle |
| ever-evolving | changing |
| cutting-edge | new, latest (or name the feature) |
| unparalleled | the best we know of (and say compared to what) |
| transformative | big, or describe the before and after |
| synergy | working together, or cut it |
| holistic | complete, whole, end-to-end |
| paradigm shift | big change |
| landscape (as in 'the AI landscape') | market, field, the tools available |
| robust and scalable | reliable and handles growth (with numbers) |
| supercharge | speed up, improve |
| in today's fast-paced world | cut it |
| moreover / furthermore | also, and, or start a new sentence |
| streamline | simplify, speed up |
| well-positioned | ready, likely to |
| it is worth noting that | cut it and state the point |
| transform the way you ... | change how you, or say the concrete change |
| embrace change / embrace AI | start using, adopt |
| thrive | grow, do well |
Chat models are tuned to sound helpful, polished and positive. That pushes them toward words that signal importance ("pivotal", "crucial", "transformative") and polish ("seamless", "meticulous", "vibrant"). Nothing is wrong with the words themselves, but they get picked so often that they become a fingerprint, the way "synergy" became a joke about corporate memos.
Wikipedia editors who clean up AI-generated articles keep a similar list in their Signs of AI writing guide. Several of these words became noticeably more common in published writing after 2023.
Notice that the fix isn't swapping in a synonym. The "after" versions say something specific. That's what the flashy word was covering for.
"Crucial" in a medical warning, "landscape" in a piece about actual landscapes, "leverage" in finance. Context matters, and SlopScore only gives these words a medium weight for that reason. A long article with one "crucial" will still read as human.
More detail in the pattern guide: Overused AI vocabulary.