When Turnitin shows “*%,” it almost always means:
-The AI probability is 20% or below, usually in the 1%-19% range.
In plain English, Turnitin detected very few AI-like characteristics in the writing.
This symbol usually means that the amount of AI influence is small and not concerning.
It does not mean that the text is AI-generated.
It does not indicate or imply academic misconduct.
It does not accuse the student of improper AI use.
Instead, “%“ indicates that the writing is overwhelmingly human-like, with only a few minor patterns reminiscent of AI phrasing.
Why Doesn’t Turnitin Show the Exact Number?
Turnitin intentionally rolls up all AI percentages below 20% for two important reasons:
Low scores are not meaningful indicators.
Detection is statistically unreliable at such low percentages, so Turnitin rolls them all up to avoid false positives.
These scores rarely indicate any misconduct, as most institutions do not regard writing under 20% AI detection as anything but normal human writing.
Most of the AI-like structures in such cases are due to:
natural clarity or conciseness
predictable academic style
repeated sentence structures
simple vocabulary
standard student writing conventions
If Turnitin were to show low numbers in such cases, it might cause an uproar.
Does % Mean the Writing Is Safe?
Generally, yes.
A % score usually indicates:
-a low level of concern
-human authorship
- no indication or evidence of improper AI use
If Turnitin detects AI confidence is low, educators do not question the writing with such scores.
What Commonly Causes a % Score? (1%-19%)
Writing likely exhibits slight AI characteristics if:
-You employed a clean, structured academic style.
-You wrote in concise, repetitive ways.
-You summarized straightforward information.
-Your tone was consistent.
-English is not your primary language; you relied on simple phraseology.
Patterns like this that could appear as AI writing are pretty typical in many student papers.
What Should Students Do If They Receive a % Score?
Nothing.
A % score is the best and least problematic result you could get other than a 0%.
If you are concerned about even the most minuscule AI signals, you could add more personal analysis or reasoning, unique examples, varied sentence structure, drafts, and notes showing your writing process, where relevant and appropriate.
But for the most part, instructors usually do not expect any of that.
How Do Teachers Interpret %?
Most instructors will interpret % as:
Not AI writing
No misconduct
No suspicion
Completely acceptable
In fact, some training made it clear that instructors should not act on scores below 20%.
Key Takeaway
Here is the simple truth about Turnitin’s meaning when you see “%”:
It means the AI detection score is below 20%, which is very low and practically harmless.
In other words, your writing is likely human and does not suggest a problem with academic integrity.
This brings us to the rest of the series, in which we discuss what AI percentages with two or more digits mean and how they are likely interpreted.
Author Bio
Fiona Zhang is an AI writing analyst and content strategist specializing in humanization tools, AI detection, and academic integrity technologies.
Visit her author page: https://blog.aceessay.ai/Fiona-Zhang/