# ChatGPT’s ‘not X but Y’ phrasing frustrates users and researchers

Digest AI · Marketing & Small Business · published 2026-09-29T20:22:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/chatgpts-not-x-but-y-phrasing-frustrates-users-and-researchers

## Summary

ChatGPT’s frequent use of the ‘not X, but Y’ structure—called *negative parallelism*—has drawn criticism from users and researchers. A Pew Research Center study of approximately 490,000 web pages found this pattern increased from 0.87 instances per 10,000 words in early 2023 to 2.36 in early 2026, a rise of about 2.7 times. While the phrasing has long existed in human writing, its overuse in AI-generated text creates a repetitive, assertive tone that users find jarring over time.

OpenAI acknowledges the issue in its model guidelines, advising against clichéd contrasts like ‘not X, but Y.’ Users report frustration in OpenAI’s community forums, where some manually block the phrasing. The author notes similar habits—such as overuse of ‘it is important’ or three-point lists—contribute to an ‘AI-like’ feel. BlogStar, a service using AI for article creation, prioritizes readability and phrase variety to mitigate these patterns.

## Key points

- Pew Research Center study found ‘not X but Y’ phrases rose from 0.87 to 2.36 per 10,000 words between early 2023 and early 2026
- OpenAI’s guidelines warn against repetitive phrasing like ‘not X, but Y’ to improve natural writing
- Users in OpenAI’s community forums manually block the pattern, citing repetitive annoyance

## Why it matters

Overused AI phrasing risks alienating readers by making content feel formulaic, even when AI tools speed up writing. Businesses relying on AI-generated content must balance efficiency with human-like readability.

## Sources

1. [Is ChatGPT's negative phrasing annoying? Why it uses 'not X, but Y' so often and how to fix AI-like writing](https://note.com/blogstar/n/nb41633b9d2ce?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-09-29)

## Cite

Digest AI, "ChatGPT’s ‘not X but Y’ phrasing frustrates users and researchers", 29 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/chatgpts-not-x-but-y-phrasing-frustrates-users-and-researchers

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