3 hours ago
Sat Dec 27, 2025 2:47am PST
Ask HN: Non-native speaker here – how to avoid sounding like ChatGPT?
I've been active on HN for years, but lately I keep getting comments saying "this reads like AI" or "ChatGPT wrote this, right?"

At first, I thought it was a compliment – like my English was really polished. But I've realized it's actually an insult, suggesting my contribution isn't genuine. Here's the thing: English isn't my native language. I've worked hard to write clearly and logically. But now I'm worried that being too grammatically correct or structured makes me sound artificial.

What specifically makes writing "sound like AI" to you? Is it:

- Too formal/polite?

- Overly structured (intro-body-conclusion every time)?

- Certain phrases or patterns?

- Lack of casual tone?

I genuinely want to contribute to discussions here, but I don't want people dismissing my comments as bot-generated. Any specific advice for a non-native speaker trying to sound more human?

comments:
add comment
loading comments...