You may have seen lists of ChatGPT secret codes such as ELI10, TL;DR, SIMPLIFY, LISTIFY and ROLEPLAY.
They look like hidden commands that unlock special ChatGPT features. That description is not quite accurate.
These are better understood as prompt shortcuts. They give ChatGPT a quick clue about the type of response you want. Some are common internet terms, while others are simple labels people have created for specific tasks.
You also do not need to memorise them. Writing a clear instruction such as Explain this for a beginner often works better than relying on a single code word.
Still, these shortcuts can save time when you use them correctly.
Quick List of ChatGPT Prompt Shortcuts
| Shortcut | What you want ChatGPT to do | Useful for |
|---|---|---|
| ELI10 | Explain something simply | Beginners and students |
| TL;DR | Summarise long content | Articles, emails and reports |
| JARGONIZE | Make wording more technical | Technical or professional writing |
| LISTIFY | Turn text into a list | Steps and checklists |
| CRITIQUE | Review weaknesses and strengths | Editing and feedback |
| SIMPLIFY | Make difficult text easier | Plain-language rewriting |
| PASTICHE | Recreate selected writing traits | Creative writing practice |
| ANALOGIZE | Explain through comparison | Difficult concepts |
| ULTIMATELY | Produce a conclusion | Reports and articles |
| WIIFY | Explain the benefit to the reader | Marketing and business |
| MUDA | Find waste or inefficiency | Process improvement |
| QOE | Find non-value-adding work | Workflow review |
| VISUALIZE# | Structure information visually | Tables and structured data |
| INTERROGATE | Generate useful questions | Interviews and research |
| BRAINSTORM | Generate possible ideas | Planning and creativity |
| ROLEPLAY | Respond from a defined role | Training and practice |
Now let us look at what each shortcut can do and how to prompt it properly.
1. ELI10 for a Simple Explanation
ELI10 usually means Explain Like I Am 10.
It asks ChatGPT to remove difficult terminology and explain the topic using simpler language.
Instead of writing:
ELI10: DNS
A clearer prompt would be:
Explain DNS as if you were teaching a 10-year-old. Use simple words and one everyday example.
You could use it for:
- School topics
- Coding concepts
- Financial terminology
- Science
- SEO terminology
- Technical documentation
Adding the audience and desired example usually improves the answer.
2. TL;DR for a Quick Summary
TL;DR means Too Long; Did Not Read.
It is one of the most widely recognised shortcuts in the list.
Paste your content and write:
TL;DR: Summarise this in five bullet points. Keep only the important facts.
You can also control the length:
Summarise this report in under 100 words for a business owner.
Use it when you need to shorten:
- Articles
- Meeting notes
- Reports
- Emails
- Research material
- Documentation
Do not rely on a summary when every detail matters. Review important figures, dates and claims against the original material.
3. JARGONIZE for More Technical Language
JARGONIZE asks ChatGPT to make ordinary language sound more specialised or technical.
For example:
Rewrite this paragraph for an experienced WordPress developer. Use correct technical terminology without making it difficult to read.
That instruction is clearer than simply typing:
JARGONIZE
This shortcut can help with:
- Technical documentation
- Professional reports
- Industry articles
- Developer communication
Be careful with unnecessary jargon. Technical language is useful only when your audience understands it.
4. LISTIFY to Turn Text Into a List
LISTIFY is a simple way to request list formatting.
Suppose you have a long paragraph containing several tasks.
You could prompt:
Turn this paragraph into a numbered checklist. Keep one action per step and remove repeated information.
This works well for:
- Instructions
- Checklists
- Requirements
- Troubleshooting steps
- To-do lists
- Key takeaways
You can also request a specific structure.
For example:
Convert this into a table with Task, Priority and Owner columns.
Clear formatting instructions are usually more reliable than a shortcut alone.
5. CRITIQUE to Review Your Work
Use CRITIQUE when you want feedback rather than a rewrite.
A useful prompt would be:
Critique this landing page copy. Identify unclear sentences, unsupported claims, repeated information and weak calls to action. Do not rewrite it yet.
You can ask ChatGPT to review:
- Blog posts
- Website copy
- Code
- Essays
- Emails
- Business proposals
- Designs described in text
Define what should be reviewed.
For example, asking for an SEO critique should produce different feedback from asking for a readability critique.
6. SIMPLIFY to Make Difficult Text Easier
SIMPLIFY tells ChatGPT to make content easier to understand.
Try:
Simplify this paragraph for a beginner. Keep every important fact but replace technical wording with plain English.
This is useful for:
- Help documents
- Technical articles
- Government information
- Software instructions
- Educational material
You can also specify a reading level:
Rewrite this so a 12-year-old can understand it without losing the important facts.
The second prompt gives ChatGPT more direction than the word SIMPLIFY alone.
7. PASTICHE for Writing Style Characteristics
The graphic describes PASTICHE as asking ChatGPT to mimic a particular author.
A better approach is to describe the writing characteristics you want.
For example:
Rewrite this as a short literary paragraph using restrained descriptions, short sentences and a reflective mood.
Or:
Make this sound playful, conversational and slightly humorous without changing the facts.
Giving specific style characteristics provides much better control over the final text.
8. ANALOGIZE to Explain Through Comparison
Use ANALOGIZE when a concept feels too abstract.
For example:
Explain website caching using an everyday analogy that a non-technical business owner can understand.
ChatGPT may compare caching with keeping frequently used items close at hand rather than collecting them again every time.
This technique works especially well for:
- Programming
- Networking
- Artificial intelligence
- Finance
- Science
- SEO
You can also control the comparison:
Explain an API using a restaurant analogy.
That gives the response a clearer direction.
9. ULTIMATELY for a Conclusion
The graphic uses ULTIMATELY as a shortcut for generating a conclusion.
Instead of using the word alone, try:
Write a 70-word conclusion for this article. Summarise the main point without introducing new information.
For a comparison article:
Write a conclusion explaining which option suits beginners and which suits advanced users.
This is useful for:
- Blog posts
- Essays
- Reports
- Comparisons
- Business documents
A good conclusion should finish the existing discussion rather than repeat the entire article.
10. WIIFY to Find the Reader Benefit
WIIFY stands for What Is In It For You?
It shifts the focus from features toward reader benefits.
Imagine this product statement:
The plugin automatically compresses uploaded images.
Ask:
WIIFY: Rewrite this around the practical benefit for a WordPress website owner.
The result may focus on reduced image size, easier optimisation and less manual work.
This approach works well for:
- Landing pages
- Product descriptions
- Sales emails
- Service pages
- Feature explanations
You can make the prompt even clearer:
Explain why this feature matters to a small business owner. Focus on practical benefits rather than technical features.
11. MUDA to Find Process Waste
Muda is a term associated with waste in lean process improvement.
You can use it as a prompt concept when reviewing a workflow.
For example:
Review this content publishing workflow and identify repeated approvals, unnecessary waiting, duplicate work and manual tasks that could be reduced.
This can help with:
- Business processes
- Content workflows
- Development workflows
- Administrative work
- Production processes
Do not expect ChatGPT to understand your complete business from a one-word command.
Provide the actual workflow, constraints and desired outcome.
12. QOE to Find Non-Value-Adding Tasks
The graphic uses QOE for identifying tasks that do not add useful value to a process.
This is not a standard ChatGPT command, so a direct instruction is safer.
Try:
Review these 12 workflow steps. Identify steps that do not improve quality, accuracy, customer value or compliance. Explain why each could be removed or changed.
This is far more precise than typing QOE alone.
It can be useful when reviewing:
- Approval chains
- Reporting tasks
- Repeated data entry
- Content production
- Customer support
- Internal administration
Always review process recommendations before removing business controls.
13. VISUALIZE# to Structure Information
The image recommends VISUALIZE# when you want information presented in another format.
The idea is useful, but you should name the exact format.
For example:
Present this information as a comparison table with Price, Features, Advantages and Limitations columns.
Or:
Turn these website launch steps into a Mermaid flowchart.
You might request:
- Tables
- Timelines
- Flowcharts
- Decision trees
- Comparison matrices
- JSON
- Markdown tables
- Structured lists
OpenAI recommends describing the desired output format clearly rather than leaving the format open to interpretation.
14. INTERROGATE to Generate Questions
INTERROGATE can be used as shorthand for asking ChatGPT to question a topic.
For example:
Generate 15 interview questions for a WordPress developer. Start with beginner questions and gradually increase the difficulty.
Another useful approach is:
Ask me one question at a time until you have enough information to create my website brief.
Use this approach for:
- Interviews
- Research
- Quizzes
- Requirements gathering
- Study practice
- Project discovery
Specify the subject, audience and difficulty whenever possible.
15. BRAINSTORM to Generate Ideas
BRAINSTORM is one of the easiest prompt instructions to understand.
However, broad prompts often create broad answers.
Instead of:
Brainstorm blog ideas.
Try:
Brainstorm 20 beginner-focused WordPress blog topics. Each topic must solve one specific problem and be suitable for a step-by-step tutorial.
You could brainstorm:
- Blog topics
- Product names
- Marketing campaigns
- Content angles
- Website features
- Business ideas
- Headlines
- Video ideas
Add constraints when you want more focused suggestions.
16. ROLEPLAY for Practice and Simulation
ROLEPLAY asks ChatGPT to respond from a defined perspective.
For example:
Roleplay as a potential client looking for an SEO company. Ask me one question at a time about pricing, experience and expected results.
Or:
Roleplay as a technical interviewer and test my beginner JavaScript knowledge.
Roleplay can help with:
- Interview practice
- Sales training
- Customer support practice
- Language learning
- Presentation preparation
- Scenario testing
Define the role, situation and objective before starting.
These Are Prompt Shortcuts, Not Hidden ChatGPT Commands
This distinction matters.
Typing ELI10, LISTIFY or BRAINSTORM does not switch on a secret ChatGPT feature.
ChatGPT works from the instructions and context you provide.
OpenAI recommends being clear about:
- The task
- Relevant context
- Intended audience
- Desired format
- Tone
- Length
- Important constraints
A useful prompt therefore looks more like this:
Summarise the article below for a beginner. Use five bullet points, explain technical terms in simple language and keep the answer under 150 words.
That prompt contains much more useful information than:
TL;DR
A Simple Prompt Formula That Works Better
You can build most prompts with four parts:
Task + Context + Rules + Output
Here is an example:
Task: Critique my homepage copy.
Context: The website sells WordPress development services to small businesses.
Rules: Focus on clarity, trust, repeated content and weak claims.
Output: Return a table with Problem, Why It Matters and Suggested Fix.
Combined into one prompt:
Critique the homepage copy below. The website sells WordPress development services to small businesses. Check clarity, trust, repeated information and unsupported claims. Return a table with Problem, Why It Matters and Suggested Fix.
This gives ChatGPT a clear job and a clear output.
You Can Combine Several Shortcuts
The ideas from the image become more useful when combined.
For example:
ELI10 + LISTIFY
can become:
Explain DNS for a 10-year-old, then turn the explanation into five simple bullet points.
Or combine CRITIQUE + SIMPLIFY:
First identify confusing parts of this paragraph. Then rewrite only those parts in simple English.
Or BRAINSTORM + WIIFY:
Generate ten feature ideas for this WordPress plugin. For each idea, explain the practical benefit for the website owner.
Natural instructions are easier to control than memorising combinations of invented codes.
How to Get Better Results From Any ChatGPT Prompt
A few changes can improve almost every prompt.
Give useful context
Do not assume ChatGPT knows your project.
Instead of:
Write a homepage.
Try:
Write homepage copy for a local web development company serving small businesses in Noida.
Specify the output
Tell ChatGPT whether you want:
- A paragraph
- Bullet points
- A table
- JSON
- A checklist
- A short answer
- A detailed explanation
OpenAI specifically recommends being clear about your desired outcome and format.
Set practical limits
Instead of asking for something to be short, define the limit.
For example:
Write 80 to 100 words.
That instruction is clearer than:
Keep it fairly short.
Provide examples when formatting matters
If you need a particular structure, show one example.
ChatGPT can use that example to understand how the remaining output should look.
Improve the result with follow-up prompts
You do not need one perfect prompt.
You can continue with instructions such as:
Make point three easier to understand.
Remove repeated information.
Give me three alternatives.
Turn the answer into a table.
Check the final version for factual claims.
Prompting works well as an ongoing conversation rather than a single command.
Which ChatGPT Shortcut Should You Use?
Use ELI10 or SIMPLIFY when something feels difficult.
Use TL;DR when you need the important points quickly.
Use LISTIFY when information needs a cleaner structure.
Use CRITIQUE when you want feedback before editing.
Use ANALOGIZE when an example would make a concept clearer.
Use BRAINSTORM when you need several possible ideas.
Use ROLEPLAY when you want to practise a conversation or scenario.
For everything else, plain instructions usually work just as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ChatGPT secret codes real?
Not in the way the term suggests. Codes such as ELI10, LISTIFY and SIMPLIFY are prompt shortcuts rather than hidden ChatGPT commands. Clear natural-language instructions can produce the same or better results.
Does ChatGPT recognise ELI10?
ChatGPT can usually understand ELI10 from context. However, writing Explain this for a 10-year-old makes your request clearer.
What does TL;DR do in ChatGPT?
TL;DR asks for a short summary of longer content. You can improve the result by specifying the length, audience and output format.
Can I combine ChatGPT prompt shortcuts?
Yes. You can combine several instructions, but writing the full request is usually clearer. For example, ask ChatGPT to simplify an explanation and then present it as bullet points.
Is LISTIFY an official ChatGPT command?
No. Treat it as shorthand for asking ChatGPT to convert information into a list.
What is the best ChatGPT prompt shortcut?
There is no single best shortcut. The useful choice depends on whether you need a summary, explanation, critique, list, comparison, ideas or another output.
Do better prompts give better ChatGPT answers?
Clear prompts generally give ChatGPT more information about your goal. Include the task, context, important requirements and desired output rather than relying on vague instructions.
Final Takeaway
The shortcuts in viral ChatGPT secret codes graphics can provide useful prompting ideas, but the labels themselves are not the important part.
The strongest prompt tells ChatGPT exactly what you need.
Use ELI10, TL;DR, CRITIQUE, LISTIFY or BRAINSTORM as memory aids if you find them helpful. Then add the audience, context, limits and desired format.
That small change makes the shortcut much more useful.