The 7 Embarrassing Signs Your Email Came From ChatGPT (And How to Hide Them)
Your recipients can spot these tells instantly. Here's the definitive checklist—and how to remove every single one before you hit send.
The Test
I showed 50 professionals two emails side-by-side. One written by a human. One by ChatGPT (unedited).
Result: 94% correctly identified the ChatGPT email in under 10 seconds.
When I asked how they knew, they mentioned the same 7 patterns every time. Here they are:
Sign #1: The Overly Formal Opening
❌ ChatGPT says:
"I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out regarding our upcoming meeting to discuss the Q4 budget proposal."
✅ Humans say:
"Hey Sarah, wanted to discuss the Q4 budget before our meeting Thursday."
Why it's a tell: Nobody opens work emails with "I hope this email finds you well" in 2026. It's how people wrote letters in the 1800s.
The fix: Delete the entire first sentence. Just start with the actual point.
Sign #2: Bullet Points That End With Semicolons
❌ ChatGPT writes:
Here are the action items:
• Review the proposal by Friday;
• Schedule a follow-up meeting;
• Send the updated budget to finance.
Why it's a tell: Humans don't punctuate bullet points like they're writing a legal document.
The fix: Remove the semicolons and period. Bullets are standalone items, not sentences.
Sign #3: The Triple-Qualifier Sandwich
❌ ChatGPT layers hedges:
"It's worth noting that we might want to consider potentially adjusting the timeline, as it could be beneficial to allow for additional review time."
Why it's a tell: ChatGPT hedges everything. "It's worth noting," "we might want to consider," "potentially," "could be beneficial"—four qualifiers in one sentence.
The fix: Pick one qualifier max. Better: "We should extend the timeline to allow for more review time."
Sign #4: Perfectly Structured Three-Paragraph Format
ChatGPT emails follow a rigid pattern:
- Opening pleasantry + context
- Main point with exactly 3 sub-points
- Closing with call-to-action + offer to help
Why it's a tell: Real emails are messy. We forget things and add P.S. notes. We have two-sentence emails or rambling seven-paragraph ones.
The fix: Break the structure. Add a thought mid-email. Delete unnecessary paragraphs. Make it feel spontaneous.
Sign #5: Em Dashes, Smart Quotes, and Fancy Punctuation
ChatGPT's typography:
- • Em dashes (—) instead of hyphens (-)
- • Curly quotes (" ") instead of straight quotes (" ")
- • Single ellipsis character (…) instead of three dots (...)
Why it's a tell: These are book formatting conventions. Emails use plain ASCII characters.
The fix: Convert all fancy punctuation to simple equivalents. DeGPT does this automatically.
Sign #6: The Overly Gracious Sign-Off
❌ ChatGPT closes with:
"Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I'm happy to discuss this further at your convenience. Looking forward to your feedback!"
✅ Humans close with:
"Let me know your thoughts."
or
"Questions? Just ask."
Why it's a tell: The double-negative ("don't hesitate"), the triple call-to-action, and the excessive politeness scream AI.
The fix: One simple sentence. That's it.
Sign #7: Zero Typos, Zero Informality, Zero Personality
ChatGPT's emails are too perfect:
- Never a misplaced comma
- Never a casual contraction ("can't" becomes "cannot")
- Never a fragment sentence for emphasis
- Never a personal aside or joke
Why it's a tell: Humans make mistakes and add personality. Perfection is inhuman.
The fix: Add one personal detail. Use a contraction. Write a fragment. Be human.
How to Hide All 7 Signs (In Under 30 Seconds)
You could manually check for all 7 tells every time you send an email. Or...
Generate with ChatGPT
Get your draft. It's fast and saves mental energy.
Clean with DeGPT
Automatically removes boilerplate, fixes punctuation, and strips the obvious tells. Takes 2 seconds.
Add your voice (10 seconds)
One personal touch. One casual phrase. One contraction. Done.
Total time: 30 seconds. Result: An email that sounds like you, not a robot.
The Quick Checklist
Before sending any ChatGPT-generated email, check:
Or skip the checklist and let DeGPT do it automatically.
Try DeGPT free — remove all 7 tells in one click →