Brands over time

Currys
over time

Every year keeps its colour across every chart.│ ChatGPT, 30 Nov 2022

115 of Currys's own blog posts, press releases and announcements, 2019 to 2026, measured sentence by sentence, 31 of them recovered from the Internet Archive. How the writing has moved over the years, how it compares with 4 other high street retailers, and what it sounds like in its own words.

Pages measured
115
Years covered
2019–26
Archived before ChatGPT
31
Blog · press
7 · 108

01 · Homepage

One capture a year

Currys's homepage from 2010 to 2026, closest to 1 July, from the Internet Archive. Pick a year or press play. Each headline is quoted from its capture and links to the archived copy.

2026currys.co.uk29 Jun 2026
Currys homepage, 29 Jun 2026

Screenshot of Currys’s homepage (currys.co.uk) as archived by the Internet Archive on 29 Jun 2026. © Currys or its licensors. Shown for comparison and review; not endorsed by Currys.

Homepage

2026

“Upgrade your TV in time for the big match”

Page title

Currys | Washing Machines, Laptops, TVs, Consoles

Open on the Internet Archive
  1. 2010As seen on TV
  2. 2015Our best deals
  3. 2017The Latest Tech
  4. 2019More from us
  5. 2022Our top deals
  6. 2026Upgrade your TV in time for the big match

14 captures. Screenshots are rendered from the archive and can pull in images archived later than the page itself; dates come from the capture. Years without a capture are greyed out in the strip.

02 · Measures by year

How the writing moved

Every year’s pages, averaged. Pick a measure. Hatched bars rest on fewer than 10 pages: context, not a finding. The page count sits under each year.

Sentence lengthAverage words per sentence.
8
16
24
Shops avg 12.0
12.9
12.2
16.1
18.7
16.3
12.4
13.6
13.2
ChatGPT · Nov 2022
2015no pages
2016no pages
2017no pages
2018no pages
20191 pp
20208 pp
202127 pp
202222 pp
202312 pp
202412 pp
202520 pp
20268 pp
10 or more pagesFewer than 10 pages: context, not a findingSector averageChatGPT released
Show as a table
YearSentence lengthPages
201912.91
202012.28
202116.127
202218.722
202316.312
202412.412
202513.620
202613.28

Years with pages: 2019 (1), 2020 (8), 2021 (27), 2022 (22), 2023 (12), 2024 (12), 2025 (20), 2026 (8). Dates come from page metadata, structured data, the URL, or the month a page was first archived (a latest possible date).

03 · Before and after

2019 to Nov 2022 against 2024 to 2026

The same measures on 58 pages from before ChatGPT launched and 40 pages from 2024 on. A change here is a change in style. It does not show how any page was written: people used every one of these words and shapes long before 2022, and SGR-011 found most of the shift across brands was a trend already under way.

2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Sentence length down 20%

words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Sentence length down 20%. words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Sentence length16.513.2−3.3

Sentence rhythm up 12%

How much sentence length varies (standard deviation over mean). Higher reads less even.

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Sentence rhythm up 12%. How much sentence length varies (standard deviation over mean). Higher reads less even. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Sentence rhythm0.640.72+0.08

Contractions down 14%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Contractions down 14%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Contractions16.914.6−2.3

"You" up 6 pts

share of I/we/you

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

"You" up 6 pts. share of I/we/you. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
"You"29%35%+6%

"We" down 3 pts

share of I/we/you

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

"We" down 3 pts. share of I/we/you. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
"We"63%60%−3%

Questions down 25%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Questions down 25%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Questions2.61.9−0.6

Exclamations up 23%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Exclamations up 23%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Exclamations1.471.81+0.34

Long words up 3 pts

share of words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Long words up 3 pts. share of words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Long words24%27%+3%

Em dashes down 26%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Em dashes down 26%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Em dashes3.302.43−0.87

AI-associated words up 38%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

AI-associated words up 38%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
AI-associated words1.231.70+0.47

AI-era marketing words up 63%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

AI-era marketing words up 63%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
AI-era marketing words0.911.48+0.57

Quieter LLM-favoured words up 19%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Quieter LLM-favoured words up 19%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Quieter LLM-favoured words0.881.04+0.16

AI-associated sentence shapes down 5%

per 1,000 words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

AI-associated sentence shapes down 5%. per 1,000 words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
AI-associated sentence shapes0.460.43−0.02

Page length up 57%

words

  • 2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp
  • 2024 to 2026 · 40 pp

Source: SGR-011

Page length up 57%. words. Source: SGR-011
m2019 to Nov 2022 · 58 pp2024 to 2026 · 40 ppChange
Page length9581,506+548

Every chart is centred on its before value and shares one relative scale, so a longer bar means a bigger percentage change; the values themselves are in different units and do not compare. Before = 2019 to Nov 2022 (58 pages); after = 2024 to 2026 (40 pages). Method: SGR-011.

04 · Against its sector

Currys among high street retailers

Each dot is one brand’s mean across all its measured pages; the tick is the sector average. Only brands with 10 or more measured pages are shown or counted. Select a dot to open that brand.

  1. Em dashes

    64% more than its sector

    3.00 against a sector average of 1.83; highest of 5.

  2. Questions

    55% more than its sector

    2.2 against a sector average of 1.5; 2nd highest of 5.

  3. Contractions

    34% more than its sector

    15.5 against a sector average of 11.6; 2nd highest of 5.

Sentence lengthHighest of 5
Currys 15.2
7.515.2
Contractions2nd highest of 5
Currys 15.5
6.019.3
"You"2nd lowest of 5
Currys 34%
6%77%
"We"Mid-table, 3rd of 5
Currys 61%
14%68%
Questions2nd highest of 5
Currys 2.2
0.12.9
Long wordsMid-table, 3rd of 5
Currys 25%
20%32%
Em dashesHighest of 5
Currys 3.00
0.733.00
AI-associated wordsHighest of 5
Currys 1.34
0.241.34
Exclamations2nd lowest of 5
Currys 1.70
0.023.33
Page lengthMid-table, 3rd of 5
Currys 1,175
8891,631

Pages measured: Currys 115 · Hobbycraft 120 · The Works 21 · JD Sports 65 · HMV 189. Measures and method: SGR-010; this sector and its brands were added by Brands over time, measured exactly as the studies measured theirs. Sector averages and ranks cover every brand in the sector on this site.

05 · Vocabulary

Words Currys uses more than its peers

The words this brand reaches for more often than the rest of its sector. This is subject matter more than voice.

customers63.4 vs 4.0
technology50.5 vs 2.0
help47.5 vs 4.4
mobile47.4 vs 1.5
game27.1 vs 1.5
tech48.7 vs 0.5
colleagues27.2 vs 1.2
business41.6 vs 10.2
support26.5 vs 3.5
amazing21.9 vs 1.4
everyone19.1 vs 1.8
enjoy24.2 vs 5.2
choose15.5 vs 1.3
services25.8 vs 6.2
games15.5 vs 0.9
CurrysSector peers

Uses per 10,000 words, ranked by weighted log-odds (Monroe et al. 2008) across 115 pages. Checked for product names and page furniture.

06 · In its own words

What it sounded like

Openings of real pages, quoted word for word, oldest first. Each links to the page, or to the Internet Archive’s copy when it has gone.

20209 Jan · Announcement
“Here at Tech Talk, we love the build-up to a new console release. The fan-made mock-ups of what the console might look like, the rumoured specs and games that’ll be available on launch. The excitement is real.”
Microsoft finally unveils the new Xbox Series X|Currys
2021 · Press
“Currys is a new brand with a familiar name and a bold new look, committed to making it even easier for everyone to enjoy amazing technology. Becoming one brand means customers can turn to Currys for all their tech needs, interacting with Currys colleagues in stores, online, over the phone and on the doorstep.”
Four brands become One. Currys
2022 · Press
““These strong results show the vital role that technology plays in millions of lives, and that more and more customers are turning to Currys to help them enjoy that technology to the full.”
Currys Full Year Results 2021/22
2025 · Press
“Currys is making a major play for the UK’s small business technology market, launching a strategic rebrand and expansion of its B2B division, Currys Business, following explosive customer growth that has seen 75,000 new business customers in the past year alone.”
Currys Business Means Business

07 · Every page

All 124 pages, by year

The full list behind every number above, with links to the live page or the archived copy. 115 count towards the measures; the rest were not measured (4 pdf report (annual report, info pack), 2 mostly short lines (lists, tables, link pages) rather than prose, 3 under 150 words of text). Pages with no reliable date count in the overall numbers but in no year.

20268 pages
202520 pages
202412 pages
202312 pages
202222 pages
202127 pages
20208 pages
20191 page
In the overall numbers, no year5 pages
  • Currys Businessundated · blog · 927 wordsNo date found: in the overall numbers, not in any year
  • Currys Businessundated · blog · 460 wordsNo date found: in the overall numbers, not in any year
  • Press Releasesundated · press · 466 wordsNo date found: in the overall numbers, not in any year
  • Currys Businessundated · blog · 580 wordsNo date found: in the overall numbers, not in any year
  • Bose New & Featuredundated · announcement · 457 wordsNo date found: in the overall numbers, not in any year
Not measured9 pages

08 · Method

How this was measured

The pages

Currys's own blog posts, press releases and announcements, fetched from the live site in 2026 and from the Internet Archive for 2015 to November 2022. Homepages are shown as captures; product and help pages are not measured.

The measures

Code counts from ScriptGrain’s writing instruments: sentence length and rhythm, contractions, pronouns, punctuation, long words, and three published lists of AI-associated words. No AI model reads or judges any page.

What it cannot say

These measures describe style. They cannot tell who or what wrote a page, and nothing here says or implies that any brand used AI to write.

Sample sizes

Every number carries its page count. Years under 10 pages, and before-and-after comparisons with under 10 pages on a side, are shown as context only.

Sentence length
Average words per sentence.
Sentence rhythm
How much sentence length varies (standard deviation over mean). Higher reads less even.
Contractions
Contractions (we're, you'll, it's) per 1,000 words. A rough gauge of how conversational the writing is.
"You"
Share of I/we/you pronouns that are "you": how much the writing addresses the reader.
"We"
Share of I/we/you pronouns that are "we": how much the writing talks about the organisation.
Questions
Question marks per 1,000 words.
Exclamations
Exclamation marks per 1,000 words.
Long words
Share of words with seven or more letters.
Em dashes
Em dashes per 1,000 words.
AI-associated words
Words from SGR-007's three AI-associated lists, per 1,000 words. These are style markers that people used long before ChatGPT; a higher rate says nothing about who or what wrote the page.
AI-era marketing words
Marketing words that became more common in AI-era copy (seamless, elevate, unlock...), per 1,000 words. A style measure only.
Quieter LLM-favoured words
Everyday words language models are known to over-use, per 1,000 words. A style measure only.
AI-associated sentence shapes
Sentence patterns such as "not just X, but Y", found by ScriptGrain's cliche checker, per 1,000 words. A style measure only.
Page length
Average words per page.

Studies: SGR-009: Do brands in the same sector sound the same? · SGR-010: How UK brands write · SGR-011: Did brand writing change after ChatGPT?.