Ask AI better

Imagine you ask a friend: "Get me a snack." They come back with a bag of crisps, three biscuits and a banana. Not wrong, just not what you wanted.

Now you say: "Get me one green apple from the fruit bowl, cut into four slices, please." This time you get exactly that. Your friend didn't get smarter. You got clearer.

AI works the same way. The message you type is called a prompt. Small changes to it change the answer a lot: say what exactly you want, how long, in what shape, and who it is for.

4 examples: a vague question vs a clear one

We asked a real AI each question and saved its answers. Look at how long each answer is, and whether it is what you would actually want.

These are real answers from the AI model gpt-oss-120b, saved on 23 September 2026. If you ask today, the words will be different, but the pattern usually stays the same.

AI tools use symbols to format their answers, like ## for a heading or | for a table. Chat apps turn these into headings and tables, and so does this page.

1. 1. Too vague

   ❌ Vague: Write about dogs

   ✅ Clear: Write a 3-sentence, upbeat product description for a dog leash, aimed at first-time dog owners.

   What changed:

   • Specific: a dog leash, not "dogs" in general
   • Format: a product description
   • Limit: 3 sentences, so it can't ramble
   • Audience: first-time dog owners, so it picks the right words

   Checklist score: 0/5 → 4/5

2. 2. No format

   ❌ Vague: Tell me about exercise

   ✅ Clear: Give me 3 bullet points, one line each, on easy ways a busy office worker can exercise at home.

   What changed:

   • Format: bullet points
   • Limit: 3 points, one line each
   • Specific: easy exercise at home, not all of exercise
   • Audience: a busy office worker

   Checklist score: 0/5 → 4/5

3. 3. No limits

   ❌ Vague: Write an email asking for a day off

   ✅ Clear: Write a polite email to my manager asking for a day off on Friday 3 October. Keep it under 80 words.

   What changed:

   • Limit: under 80 words
   • Specific: which day, and a polite tone
   • Audience: my manager

   Checklist score: 1/5 → 4/5

4. 4. No role or audience

   ❌ Vague: Explain taxes

   ✅ Clear: You are a friendly teacher. Explain what taxes are to a 10-year-old in 4 short sentences, using a lemonade stand as the example.

   What changed:

   • Role: a friendly teacher
   • Audience: a 10-year-old
   • Limit: 4 short sentences
   • Specific: a lemonade stand example

   Checklist score: 0/5 → 4/5

Some long answers stop in the middle of a sentence. The AI was still writing when it reached the length limit we gave it.

The lesson: a vague question gets a long answer about everything. Say what exactly you want, in what shape, how long and who it is for, and you get what you wanted.

Check your own question

A simple checklist looks for the 5 parts of a clear question. Tap a vague example, then add details, and watch the score go up.

Getting the checklist ready in your browser…

This is a reminder list, not a grade. It only spots certain words. It can't tell if your question makes sense. "You are a list of 5 words for kids" makes no sense, but it scores 4/5. And a quick question doesn't need all 5.