How to ask

Six things to say that change what comes back.

• One file only

  Left to itself, an AI hands you a folder: a project, a build step, something to install. For someone who does not write code, that is where it ends. Saying "one HTML file" turns the same request into something that opens by double-clicking it. It is also the only shape this service can host, so the sentence does double duty.

  Instead ofMake me a website that does this.

  SayMake it a single HTML file that opens in a browser with nothing to install. Put the CSS and JavaScript inside it.

  Used by 50 examples: Heads or tails · Dice roller · Memory match · Guess the number

• Say what it is first

  The first sentence decides the rest. "Make a timer" and "make a focus timer that counts down 25 minutes and changes colour when time is up" produce different things, and the second one needs fewer follow-ups. Say what it is for and the AI fills in the parts you did not think to ask for.

  Instead ofA timer.

  SayA focus timer that counts down 25 minutes and changes the whole screen colour when the time is up.

  Used by 49 examples: Heads or tails · Dice roller · Memory match · Guess the number

• Decide what shows

  If you do not say what belongs on the screen, the AI guesses — and it usually guesses too much. Settings panels, statistics, buttons nobody asked for. Listing the few things you actually need is faster than deleting the rest afterwards.

  Instead ofShow me the result.

  SayThe screen only needs the time left, a start button, and a reset button. Nothing else.

  Used by 42 examples: Heads or tails · Dice roller · Memory match · Guess the number

• Pin down what not to do

  Saying what to avoid is shorter than saying what to do. Image files, links to other sites, a sign-in screen — any of these and the result will not run here. Ruling them out in one sentence saves you from asking twice.

  Instead of(nothing said — and the result needs three image files)

  SayDo not use image files or any external address. Use emoji or letters if you need a symbol.

  Used by 23 examples: Memory match · Reaction test · Whack a mole · Body mass calculator

• Give an example

  One example is more precise than ten lines of description, and it matters most when the app needs its own content — a word list, practice questions, a menu. Show one and the AI fills the rest in the same shape instead of inventing a format of its own.

  Instead ofAdd some practice sentences.

  SayPut about twenty practice sentences in the code, like "the weather is lovely today".

  Used by 11 examples: Word scramble · Percentage calculator · Capital cities quiz · Morse code translator

• Have it check itself

  An AI does not reread its own answer unless you ask. Ask, and it does — and if you say what to look at, it finds its own mistakes and fixes them before you ever see them. This one line cuts down how often you have to send it back.

  Instead of(nothing said — and the play-again button does not reset the score)

  SayWhen you are done, go through it as if you were pressing the buttons. Fix anything wrong and give me only the final version.

  Used by 12 examples: Memory match · Guess the number · Rock paper scissors · Tic tac toe