Why Swapping Synonyms Makes AI Writing Worse
Replacing “utilize” with “use” can help. Replacing the rest of the sentence by rule can hide the action or change a technical term.
A hypothetical reimbursement policy reads, “Reimbursement is contingent upon submission of itemized documentation within 30 calendar days.” Replacing a few words might produce “Repayment depends on providing detailed papers in 30 days.” The vocabulary is simpler. The document requirement and the kind of day are now less precise.
The plain-language playbook takes a different route: “To receive reimbursement, submit an itemized receipt within 30 calendar days.” The actor has an action, the document has a name and the deadline survives.
Decide which words carry the requirement
Some words are expensive decoration. Others are part of the task’s meaning. A blanket ban on technical language cannot distinguish them. “Itemized” tells the employee which receipt to provide. “Calendar” distinguishes the deadline from a business-day rule. Both deserve to stay unless the actual policy says something else.
Before replacing a term, identify what a reader must understand or do. When an ordinary alternative preserves that meaning, use it. When the term is necessary, explain it. If the term is ambiguous in the source, ask for its meaning rather than selecting a plausible interpretation.
Structure often does more work than vocabulary
The original policy hides the action inside “submission.” The revision uses “submit.” That change makes responsibility visible. It is more useful than finding an unusual alternative to “documentation.”
The same pattern appears in empty product prose. “Enable the facilitation of collaboration” needs an actor and an action. If the source says workspace owners can schedule a weekly report, write that. If it does not explain the capability, request the missing information. The generic-writing article shows why a concrete fact matters more than an adjective swap.
Read the result in its real setting
A policy sentence has different obligations from a social post. A friendly reply can use a contraction. A definition may need to retain a formal term consistently. Humanizing every document to the same casual voice creates another kind of formula.
Our library keeps natural replies separate from plain-language rewriting for that reason. A reply should fit the conversation. A technical rewrite should fit the audience while preserving the concepts and conditions it must communicate.
Use Turn Jargon into Plain Language with an audience and the actual passage. Check the required action, terminology and exceptions after the rewrite. A shorter sentence can still be the wrong instruction.