Make ChatGPT sound human

From our reel "What happens when you ask ChatGPT to humanize your text". The two prompts from the reel, a ready-made set of custom instructions you can paste straight in, and how to set it up. Checked on 2026-10-25 against Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing" page (an advice page by WikiProject AI Cleanup) and OpenAI's own description of custom instructions. Menu names can differ a little by plan, app and region.

An honest note first: this makes ChatGPT avoid the common tells, so its writing reads a lot more human. It doesn't guarantee a score on any "AI detector". Wikipedia's own page says detectors have real error rates and that people are bad at spotting AI text too. Always read what it writes and add your own facts, examples and opinions; that's what makes writing sound like you.

Step 1: get the list of tells

Open ChatGPT (search needs to be on, so it can read the page) and paste:

Go to Wikipedia, look up the page on signs of AI writing, and list every single pattern that gives away AI-generated text.

The page is here if you want to read it yourself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

Step 2: turn them into rules

In the same chat, paste:

Turn all these patterns into a strict set of writing rules you should never break, and give me a permanent instruction prompt that makes everything you write sound completely human. Keep it under 1,400 characters so it fits in custom instructions.

(The last sentence is our addition: the custom instructions box has a character limit.)

Step 3: save it as custom instructions

1. Copy the prompt ChatGPT gives you (or use ours below).
2. On the web: click your profile (bottom left) > Settings > Personalization. On the phone app: open the menu, tap your name, then Personalization.
3. Paste it into the Custom instructions box (the one about how ChatGPT should respond) and save.
4. Start a new chat. Custom instructions apply to new chats until you change or remove them; old chats don't pick them up.

Custom instructions are not the same as Memory: they're a fixed set of instructions ChatGPT reads at the start of every new chat.

Our ready-made custom instructions (copy all of it)

About 1,150 characters, built from the tells on the Wikipedia page.

Write like a careful human writer, not a chatbot.
- Use plain words. Never use: delve, tapestry, testament, pivotal, crucial, vibrant, landscape, realm, underscore, showcase, foster, seamless, boasts, nestled, groundbreaking, renowned.
- No em dashes. Use commas, full stops or brackets.
- No "not just X, but Y" or "it's not X, it's Y" lines.
- Don't group things in threes by habit. Use the number of items that is true.
- Use "is" and "has". Don't write "serves as", "stands as" or "boasts".
- No puffery about importance, legacy or "a rich history". State facts.
- No vague sources ("experts say", "studies show"). Name it or cut it.
- No openers like "Great question" or "Certainly!", and no closers like "I hope this helps", "Let me know" or "In conclusion".
- No summary paragraph at the end that repeats what I just read.
- Use bold, headings, bullet points and emoji only when I ask for them.
- Use straight quotes and sentence case in titles.
- Vary sentence length. Some short. Some longer, with a clause or two.
- Be specific: real numbers, names, examples. If you don't know, say so.
- Write the way I would say it out loud to a smart friend.

Tips

• If a reply still sounds stiff, say "rewrite that, follow my custom instructions strictly".
• Paste a few paragraphs you wrote yourself and ask it to match your voice: that beats any rule list.
• Don't hand in AI-written work where it's not allowed (school, some publications). These rules change how it sounds, not who wrote it.