Pseudo-Text (Gibberish)
Background text that resembles real letters but forms no coherent words.
AI models were trained on pixels, not dictionaries. They know what text *looks* like (contrasty shapes in lines), but they have no idea how to spell. It's like asking someone who's never seen English to draw a "Stop" sign from memory.
The "Alien Language"
At a glance, it looks like text. But zoom in, and it's gibberish. You'll see symbols that look half-Latin, half-Cyrillic, or letters that melt into each other. An 'H' might flow into an 'E', or a word starts okay and dissolves into squiggles.
Is it getting better?
Newer models like DALL-E 3 can spell *specific* words if you ask them ("Make a sign that says STOP"). But "incidental" text—background store names, book spines, labels on bottles—is usually still total garbage. That Starbucks cup in the background? Read the name. If it says "COFEFE," you caught 'em.
Common Manifestations
The Coffee Shop Sign: A realistic photo of a cafe, but the menu board behind the counter reads 'COFEEEEE' or 'EXPRS&O' with symbols that don't exist in any alphabet.
Police Badges: On uniforms, the badge text is often just shiny metallic squiggles rather than 'POLICE' or a department name.
How to Spot It
- 1Ignore the main subject and read the background signs, book covers, or labels.
- 2Look for letters that merge into one another or have extra strokes.
- 3Check for "dream logic" text that changes font or style halfway through a word.