200 Spam Words to Avoid in Your Emails

Almost half of all emails sent are spam but many never reach their intended recipients. That’s good news for people who wish to be free of messages they don’t want – but very bad news for those who inadvertently write legitimate emails that fall foul of spam filter rules.

Spam triggers are words or phrases that look fraudulent, malicious, offensive, or otherwise suspicious. These spam words are picked up by email providers that will reroute the email containing them straight to a recipient’s junk folder.

Strictly speaking, spam is any mass-distributed email that you haven’t opted-in to receive. Many spam emails are simply just trying to sell you something. Whatever the tactic, they aren’t all harmless wastes of time. Many are designed to scam the recipient into sharing personal information or granting access to a personal platform or space.

While spam filters are far more advanced today than they once were, taking context, email deliverability, and other factors into account, your email will still be sent to the spam folder if you stuff it with known spam keywords.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, we’ve compiled a list of 200 spam trigger words that you should avoid using in your emails, and the context through which they’ll likely be perceived by spam filters.

Don’t use spam words that are outrageous or make exaggerated claims

It’s best to avoid spam words that promise the world, particularly when it comes to finance, as these will land you straight on an exclusion list. Some of the common words in these phrases include ‘free’, ‘cash’, and ‘winner’, names of currencies, and large numbers or multiples.

1.  #1
2. 100% more
3. 100% free
4. 100% satisfied
5. Additional income
6. Be your own boss
7. Best price
8. Big bucks
9. Billion
10. Cash bonus
11. Cents on the dollar
12. Consolidate debt
13. Double your cash
14. Double your income
15. Earn extra cash
16. Earn money
17. Eliminate bad credit
18. Extra cash
19. Extra income
20. Expect to earn
21. Fast cash
22. Financial freedom
23. Free access
24. Free consultation
25. Free gift
26. Free hosting
27. Free info
28. Free investment
29. Free membership
30. Free money
31. Free preview
32. Free quote
33. Free trial
34. Full refund
35. Get out of debt
36. Get paid
37. Giveaway
38. Guaranteed
39. Increase sales
40. Increase traffic
41. Incredible deal
42. Lower rates
43. Lowest price
44. Make money
45. Million dollars
46. Miracle
47. Money back
48. Once in a lifetime
49. One time
50. Pennies a day
51. Potential earnings
52. Prize
53. Promise
54. Pure profit
55. Risk-free
56. Satisfaction guaranteed
57. Save big money
58. Save up to
59. Special promotion

Don’t use spam words that are extremely direct or offer manipulative instructions

While arguably every email’s purpose is to push the reader into action, there’s a way of doing it without raising red flags with their email provider. It’s the urgency of injunctions that include words like ‘now’, ‘hurry’, and ‘today’ that set alarm bells ringing. Being aggressive or pushy won’t work with your customer or their spam filter.

1. Access now
2. Act now
3. Act Immediately
4. Action Required
5. Apply now
6. Apply online
7. Buy
8. Buy now
9. Buy direct
10. Can’t live without
11. Call
12. Call now
13. Click here
14. Clearance
15. Deal ending soon
16. Do it now
17. Do it today
18. Don’t delete
19. Don’t hesitate
20. Drastically reduced
21. Exclusive deal
22. Get it now
23. Get it today
24. Get started now
25. Hurry up
26. Important information regarding
27. Instant
28. Limited time
29. New customers only
30. Now only
31. Offer expires
32. Once in a lifetime
33. One time
34. Order now
35. Order today
36. Please read
37. Special promotion
38. Take action
39. Take action now
40. This won’t last
41. Urgent
42. While stocks last
43. While supplies last

Don’t use spam words that are shady, spammy, or suspicious phrases

Emails using these words are more often than not too good to be true, and spam filters know it. Take care to ensure you don’t innocuously use too many instances of these phrases inside bigger sentences or blocks of text without realizing it. It’s OK to do it occasionally.

The below phrases cover a wealth of topics and contexts, but they have one thing in common: they’re not getting past email providers.

1. Bulk email
2. Cancel at any time
3. Check or money order
4. Congratulations
5. Confidentiality
6. Cures
7. Dear friend
8. Direct email
9. Direct marketing
10. Hidden charges
11. Human growth hormone
12. Internet marketing
13. Lose weight
14. Mass email
15. Meet singles
16. Multi-level marketing
17. No catch
18. No cost
19. No credit check
20. No fees
21. No gimmick
22. No hidden costs
23. No hidden fees
24. No interest
25. No investment
26. No obligation
27. No purchase necessary
28. No questions asked
29. No strings attached
30. Not junk
31. Not spam
32. Obligation
33. Passwords
34. Requires initial investment
35. Social security number
36. This isn’t a scam
37. This isn’t junk
38. This isn’t spam
39. Undisclosed
40. Unsecured credit
41. Unsecured debt
42. Unsolicited
43. Valium
44. Viagra
45. Vicodin
46. We hate spam
47. Weight loss
48. Xanax

Don’t use spam words that are jargon, legalese, or buzzwords

Spammers may think they’re sounding clever by sprinkling their emails with legal jargon and terms (like ‘refinance’, ‘debt’, ‘discount’, and ‘quote’) but spam filters will spot them a mile off.

The below words and phrases, used out of context, should certainly be minimized or avoided altogether.

1. Accept credit cards
2. Ad
3. All new
4. As seen on
5. Bargain
6. Beneficiary
7. Billing
8. Bonus
9. Cards accepted
10. Cash
11. Certified
12. Cheap
13. Claims
14. Clearance
15. Compare rates
16. Credit card offers
17. Deal
18. Debt
19. Discount
20. Fantastic
21. In accordance with laws
22. Income
23. Investment
24. Join millions
25. Lifetime
26. Loans
27. Luxury
28. Marketing solution
29. Message contains
30. Mortgage rates
31. Name brand
32. Offer
33. Online marketing
34. Opt-in
35. Pre-approved
36. Quote
37. Rates
38. Refinance
39. Removal
40. Reserves the right
41. Score
42. Search engine
43. Sent in compliance
44. Subject to…
45. Terms and conditions
46. Trial
47. Unlimited
48. Warranty
49. Web traffic
50. Work from home

Don’t use spam words that are sleazy, intimate, or inappropriate

We’ve reached our 200 spam trigger words but there are many more where you’ll need to use your imagination! Needless to say, there are a host of words and phrases on a spectrum from romantic to sexually explicit that spam filters are very sensitive towards.

As you strive for professionalism in business email communications, it’s important to ensure you never include words or phrases relating to intimate subjects (out of context), that use swear words, or include racist, sexist, and other discriminatory terms. Doing so would not only be wildly inappropriate, but it would also get you a one-way ticket to the dreaded junk folder.

A final note on punctuation

Another textual trigger for spam filters is how you use punctuation. In fact, these are at least as likely to put your email into the doghouse as using spammy words or phrases.

Here are a few pitfalls to avoid in your use of punctuation characters:

1. All CAPS
2. Excessive use of exclamation marks
3. Excessive use of question marks
4. Excessive use of $ or other currency symbols
5. Excessive use of any punctuation in the email subject line