This guide lists common shorthand prompt prefixes that can help you get better and faster results when using ChatGPT.
These aren’t official codes, but they work consistently because the model understands them based on its training data.
🧠Prompt Prefixes
| Prefix | Description |
|---|---|
ELI5: | Explain Like I’m 5 – breaks down complex topics into simple language. |
TL;DR: | Too Long; Didn’t Read – creates a concise summary of a longer input. |
Jargonize: | Converts plain language into technical or field-specific language. |
Humanize: | Makes a message sound more natural, warm, and conversational. |
Feynman: | Uses the Feynman technique to teach a topic by simplifying and building understanding step-by-step. |
Summarize: | Condenses content into a more digestible form. |
Debate: | Frames pros vs cons or opposing arguments. |
Explain: | Requests a detailed explanation. |
Simplify: | Reduces complexity and removes jargon. |
Translate to [tone/language]: | Adapts text to a specific voice, dialect, or language. |
Pretend you are [persona]: | Adopts a specific role or voice for the answer. |
Step-by-step: | Forces logical sequencing and clarity in instructions or reasoning. |
Checklist: | Turns content into a list of actionable items. |
Pros and Cons: | Creates a simple comparison of advantages and disadvantages. |
In the style of [person/genre]: | Writes content mimicking a person or writing style. |
Brainstorm: | Generates creative or strategic ideas. |
Critique: | Gives constructive feedback and analysis. |
Rewrite as [audience]: | Tailors language to a specific type of reader. |
Make it persuasive: | Refines content to sound more convincing or compelling. |
Compare: | Contrasts two or more ideas, tools, or approaches. |
Roleplay: | Simulates an interaction or conversation. |
Visualize: | Describes something vividly or structurally (e.g., scenes, layouts). |
List: | Outputs content in a clear list format. |
Teach me like a [profession]: | Uses analogies and language familiar to that role. |
Explain with analogy: | Uses metaphor or analogy to simplify an idea. |
📎 Example Use
ELI5: What is blockchain?
TL;DR: This 10-page article
Jargonize: Our HR policy for legal review
Humanize: This onboarding email
Feynman: Entropy in physics
Compare: PostgreSQL vs MongoDB
📎 Optional Add-Ons
You can mix and combine them for richer prompts:
ELI5 and Humanize: How inflation works
Jargonize and TL;DR: Legal disclaimer
Checklist + Step-by-step: Launching a podcast
🧠Advanced Prompt Prefixes (High-Context Frames)
These are not official commands but work well because they represent clear mental models or analytical techniques that ChatGPT understands and can emulate:
| Prefix | Description |
|---|---|
DIALECTIC: |
Invokes a back-and-forth argument (e.g., thesis, antithesis, synthesis). Great for exploring tension between ideas. |
LAYERED INSIGHT: |
Generates structured insights in depth—e.g., surface insight, deeper implication, strategic meaning. |
PRE-MORTEM: |
Analyzes what could go wrong before executing a plan. Useful for strategy, planning, and risk mitigation. |
3-PASS ANALYSIS: |
A structured reading or review approach: (1) quick skim, (2) deep read, (3) critical reflection. |
NO AUTOPILOT: |
Signals ChatGPT to slow down and reason deliberately rather than giving generic or default answers. |
SYSTEMATIC BIAS CHECK: |
Prompts a structured critique of assumptions, potential biases, and blind spots—great for ethics, DEI, and policy. |
📎 Usage Examples
DIALECTIC: Should governments subsidize AI research?
PRE-MORTEM: A new AI startup aiming to disrupt legal tech.
LAYERED INSIGHT: The future of personalized learning.
3-PASS ANALYSIS: This 12-page policy paper on climate adaptation.
NO AUTOPILOT: Evaluate whether this business idea is viable.
SYSTEMATIC BIAS CHECK: The hiring algorithm described below.
These prefixes work because they signal high-level analytical frameworks the model understands. You can even create your own if you explain the structure or it aligns with known patterns.