If you want to make your writing sound more human, avoid over-correcting.
With so many AI grammar and writing tools available, it’s easy to think that more corrections automatically means better writing. But your writing voice doesn’t work like that.
Writing isn’t only about correctness. It’s about rhythm, tone, and the small vocabulary choices that make your style yours.
If you’re trying to sound more natural, the solution isn’t more correction, but knowing when to stop.
The grammar checker traps
Have you trained yourself to check every little facet of your writing?
AI grammar and writing checkers make it very easy. But are you risking losing your natural writing style in the process?
Every time I check my writing, my tool catches a few little clumsy mistakes, and that’s useful.
However, it also gives me a long list of suggestions to improve my writing.
If I agreed to all the changes, it would start sounding like AI-generated writing. And that’s a big trap now for writers who are honestly trying to produce error-free writing.
Like many writers now, you probably rely on grammar checkers and AI writing tools to improve the clarity and correctness of your writing.
But by doing so, you might find your writing starts to sound more generic and less personal.
This is especially true if you accept suggestions without questioning how they affect your tone and voice.
If you’re wondering how to make your writing sound more human, the answer isn’t more corrections.
It’s about learning when to stop correcting and start trusting your writing skills and voice.
The new battleground for writers
For a long time now, good writing has been judged on imagination, accuracy, clarity, and correctness.
Over the last few years, however, writers have had to struggle against a tide of AI writing that is almost always grammatically perfect and error-free.
One positive is that readers are becoming increasingly aware of AI and want to read the thoughts of human writers and not machines.
That’s not to say that readers will accept poor spelling and obvious grammar mistakes. But they won’t fret over a missing comma or poorly placed semicolon.
What they will react positively to is authentic human writing that shows imagination, thoughts, and ideas using vocabulary and a writing style that is distinctive.
You read a lot online now about how to make AI writing sound human.
In my experience, editing AI-generated writing is often a time-wasting process.
Sure, you can use AI for ideas and research.
For me, though, it’s always quicker and easier to write a draft myself, complete with errors and typos, and then make corrections in a second draft.
But I don’t rely too heavily on my correction tools to do this.
I only correct the most obvious mistakes and avoid making changes to my vocabulary choices or sentence structures.
Another danger is accepting changes to phrases that you naturally use in your writing.
If you use on the other hand, don’t be tempted to change it to however just because your writing tool suggests the change.
To help you maintain your voice, here are twenty words and phrases I have found that can keep your writing from falling into predictable, robotic patterns.
20 Editing choices that make your writing sound more human
I could have drafted a much longer list, but I’ve chosen the most frequent examples of words and phrases that are often better retained in natural and conversational writing.
Every writer has a different style, so you can choose which of these twenty points are more or less applicable to your writing.
I haven’t covered grammar use in this article, but it’s worth mentioning that if you’re comfortable splitting infinitives, then do so.
Also, if you use passive voice for a good reason, don’t change it.
So, let’s move on to my list of very common elements in writing that you should consider carefully when redrafting or editing.
Softening words and phrases
These are short, everyday phrases that make writing feel natural and conversational.
They’re often the first phrases AI writing tools suggest removing or replacing because they’re seen as unnecessary.
But in fact, they can add rhythm, tone, and a sense of spoken voice. If you remove too many of them, your writing can start to feel robbed of your personality.
1. a bit
Original: That explanation is a bit unclear to me.
Correction: That explanation is slightly unclear.
The suggested correction is technically cleaner, but it removes the softness and hesitation that make the original sentence sound more human.
2. kind of
Original: It’s kind of difficult to explain.
Correction: It is somewhat difficult to explain.
The replacement sounds more formal and controlled, but less like something a real person would naturally say.
3. sort of
Original: That sort of works, but not always.
Correction: That partially works.
The original phrase sounds conversational and flexible. The alternative version is more analytical and detached.
4. just
Original: I just wanted to add one point.
Correction: I wanted to add one point.
The word just softens the sentence and adds politeness. Without it, the tone is colder and more direct.
5. a lot of
Original: A lot of writers struggle with this.
Correction: Many writers struggle with this.
The correction isn’t wrong, but the original phrase sounds more relaxed and natural in everyday writing.
Informal expressions vs formal alternatives
These are phrases that often get suggestions to improve into more formal alternatives.
The suggested replacements often look correct. But in practice, they can push your writing toward a stiff, report-like tone that feels distant from how people actually speak or write online.
6. find out
Original: You can find out more on the website.
Correction: You can obtain additional information on the website.
This is a classic example of over-formalisation. The suggestion sounds official and is far less natural in creative writing.
7. because
Original: I stayed because this matters.
Correction: I stayed due to the fact that this matters.
The longer version adds unnecessary weight and complexity to a simple, clear phrase. In most writing, because is clearer, more direct, and closer to spoken English.
8. actually
Original: I actually think this works better.
Correction: I think this works better.
The adverb actually gets a lot of attention. But in natural writing, it can add emphasis, contrast, or a subtle shift in tone. While unnecessary adverbs are always worth considering, removing too many of them can dilute a writer’s intent.
9. worth noting
Original: It’s worth noting…
Correction: It is important to note that…
The correction sounds more academic, but the original phrase feels more natural and direct.
10. you’ll notice
Original: You’ll notice that…
Correction: It can be observed that…
The human version speaks directly to the reader. The correction sounds distant, impersonal, and passive.
First-person voice
These phrases are often marked to increase objectivity. But the result of removing “I” can sound more authoritative than personal.
When the writer disappears, the sense of lived experience and opinion disappears, too. This is often how your voice can be lost by over-correcting.
11. I think
Original: I think this works well.
Correction: It is widely believed that this works well.
The second version removes the writer completely. It sounds more authoritative, but less personal, and lacks evidence of experience.
12. in my experience
Original: In my experience, this helps.
Correction: Evidence suggests this helps.
The correction sounds more objective, but the original sentence is much more authentic because it comes from direct knowledge.
13. I believe
Original: I believe this matters.
Correction: It is believed that this matters.
The rewritten version removes ownership from the sentence and replaces it with vague passive authority.
14. I’ve noticed
Original: I’ve noticed this pattern.
Correction: This pattern has been observed.
The change is passive and clinical, while the original sentence is personal and expresses an experience.
15. I would say
Original: I would say this is effective.
Correction: This is considered effective.
The human phrase sounds thoughtful and conversational. The correction sounds distant and anonymous.
Rhythm and conversational flow
These are changes that might make writing grammatically smooth but rhythmically flat.
Writing tools often prefer clean structure, but that can remove natural human expression, especially emphasis, contrast, and conversational pacing.
16. very
Original: This is very important.
Correction: This is highly important.
The alternative version is far more formal, but the original phrase has a more natural spoken rhythm.
17. and
Original: I wrote it, and it worked.
Correction: I wrote it. It worked.
The shorter sentences may look cleaner, but they lose the flow and momentum of the original sentence.
18. but
Original: It works, but it’s slow.
Correction: It works. However, it is slow.
The correction interrupts the natural contrast and makes the sentence feel more mechanical.
19. really, really
Original: It really, really matters.
Correction: It is very important.
Human writers naturally repeat words for emphasis and emotion. Writing tools often want you to take that away.
20. well, so, and anyway
Original: Well, anyway, that’s my problem.
Correction: That is the problem.
The suggested change removes the conversational pacing that makes the sentence sound natural and personal.
Summary
The only way to make your writing more human is to stay true to your writing voice and style.
Readers are increasingly aware of AI-generated writing and its predictable tone.
But keep in mind that most grammar checking and writing tools are also AI tools, and are trained to behave as such. That’s why relying on them is fraught with risk.
While correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation is a necessary step in preparing a text for publication, over-correcting isn’t always a good idea.
Your goal isn’t perfect writing; it’s distinctive writing.
You know the words and phrases that you often use, and you shouldn’t move too far away from retaining most of them.
The only time you might reconsider is if you want to reduce repetition. But be careful with suggestions and synonyms, because they don’t always fit.
AI-generated writing isn’t going away, so the human elements you use in your writing will help you prove that you are a human writer and worth reading.
Yes, use your grammar checker or writing tool, but don’t think that you have to obey every suggestion. Stay in control and make sensible decisions about what you need to change.
Often, it’s very little. Your voice matters more than perfect correction.
Related Reading: 10 Easy Sentence Structure Variations
