Manuscript Analysis Free · in-browser · optional cloud history

Cliché & Overused Phrase Finder

Flag tired phrases AI drafts lean on — heart pounded, couldn’t help but, icy stare — so you can rewrite with fresher prose.

All tools Full cleanup report Filter words
Runs in your browser. Guests keep drafts locally; when you’re signed in, My runs can restore a past scan privately. We don’t use your drafts to train models.
0 words 0 chars < 1 min
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Paste your text above, then click Analyze — or use Try sample for a quick demo.

Related tools

Filter Word Finder Redundancy Phrase Finder Word Frequency Finder Manuscript Cleanup Report

About this tool

AI drafts and fast first passes lean on the same tired phrases — "heart pounded," "couldn't help but," "let out a breath she didn't know she was holding." This cliché finder scans for dozens of overused expressions in commercial fiction and highlights every hit so you can rewrite with fresher prose. Paste from Story Studio or any AI novel draft; scanning stays private in your browser.

What you can do

  • Curated list of fiction and AI-overused phrases across genres
  • Phrase table sorted by frequency for targeted rewrites
  • In-context highlights for every cliché hit
  • Density guidance — clusters signal AI-default voice
  • Works on scenes, chapters, or full manuscripts
  • Fast re-scan after revision to confirm density dropped
  • Complements filter-word finder and redundancy checker

Replace stock metaphors with story-true images

Clichés survive spellcheck. Hunt AI-favorite figurative templates, keep idiom in character dialogue when it fits, and rewrite narration with details only your setting can own.

Show-don't-tell · Word frequency · Manuscript cleanup

How to use it

  1. Paste a scene, chapter, or full manuscript into the analyzer.
  2. Click Analyze to scan for cliché patterns.
  3. Review the phrase table sorted by frequency.
  4. Rewrite flagged lines with specific action or sensation.
  5. Re-scan after revision to confirm cliché density dropped.

Tips for fiction authors

  • One cliché per chapter is survivable; clusters of three or more on a page signal an AI-default voice.
  • Replace body-part reactions ("heart pounded") with a concrete choice the character makes.
  • Run this after the filter-word pass — clichés and filter words often appear together in the same sentences.
  • Romance and thriller genres have familiar beats — keep what serves the scene, cut what feels lazy.
  • Before KDP, run cliché finder on your book description draft too — marketing copy carries the same stock phrases.

Common questions

Does it catch every cliché?

It matches a curated list of common fiction and AI-overused phrases. Use judgment for intentional voice or genre tropes.

Is this the same as the filter word finder?

No. Filter words distance the narrator (very, felt, seemed). This tool targets stock phrases and metaphors.

Will it flag intentional genre tropes?

Sometimes. Romance and thriller may use familiar beats — keep what serves the scene, cut what feels lazy.

Is my manuscript uploaded?

No. Cliché scanning runs entirely in your browser on Entangled Text.

Why do AI drafts use so many clichés?

Models draw on common training patterns. This finder makes invisible stock language visible for your revision pass.

Related guides

Why AI Writes Every Character Wanting the Same Thing How to Use AI to Diagnose and Fix Sentence-Level Monotony How to Use AI to Find Where Your Scenes Overstay Their Welcome How to Use AI to Write a Character's Interior Monologue Style

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