Choosing the words used in your emails is always a delicate task.
You want to present your products in the right way, entice the reader to engage with your message and take your desired action, and yet stay on the good side to avoid words that trigger spam filters.
But sometimes, while pushing for compellingness and ensuring that the email is conveying the purpose of your message, the use of certain words pushes email service providers' spam filters to place your emails in the spam folder.
In this article, we share the latest list of spam trigger words to avoid you need to be aware of to keep your emails safe from landing in the spam folder and ensure you always get delivered.
What are spam trigger words?
Email spam trigger words are words and phrases included in your email that email providers's email filtering algorithms see as red flags and consider malicious for the recipient of the email and therefore block the email being delivered.
These are mostly words that are used in email subject lines as well as email bodies in an attempt to get an action or reaction from the reader.
They trigger spam filters that consider them spam words because they find them suspicious, misleading, or too good to be true and send the email to the spam folder.
Spam trigger words can tip your beautifully-written email to the wrong side of the inbox of your recipients, who will, therefore, not receive your communication — even if you don't mean to use those words and phrases.
The main reason email marketing specialists need to learn about email spam words to avoid is that constantly having your email marketing campaigns sent to spam folders hurts email deliverability.
Down the road, constantly having your emails flagged by spam filters damages your sender reputation, and spam filters will always send your email campaigns to the spam folders anytime they receive emails from your domain.
Before we reveal the list of email spam trigger words to you, it is important to put things in context to show you the types of words that get flagged as spam emails.
What types of words do spam filters flag?
There are a gazillion words and phrases that get flagged by email spam filters. It can seem hard to always know which ones, but there is a pattern.
Spam filters only catch suspicious words and phrases associated with the following:
Scams: setting up dishonest schemes or frauds and using words and phrases like ‘free money’, 'instant weight loss’, ’billions’.
Manipulation: creating unnecessary urgency with words like ‘Urgent’, and ’Don’t delete’. This also includes using words that are too specific to marketing and the idea of sales.
Gimmicks: adding tricky words to elicit emotions or drive action.
Promises: constantly making promises across the email.
Free gifts: include too many gifts and promising free stuff in your email subject line or content.
Neediness: sounding desperate and needy with words like ‘Help’, and ’Distress’
Sleaziness: using inappropriate, out-of-context, or sex language with words like hot babes, or adult.
Shadiness: ethically or legally questionable behavior.
Being too cheap: making unrealistic discounts with words and phrases including ‘Free’, 100% off, Full Discount.
450+ spam trigger words per category and business industry
There is a list of words and phrases that are considered suspicious or potentially spammy by email providers.
These will be detected, trigger some sort of red flag, and the spam filters in your recipient's inbox will likely place your email in junk status to protect the recipient.
Here is the ultimate list of email spam trigger words.
Marketing and Sales Email Spam Trigger Words To Avoid
Ad
Affordable
All natural
All new
Amazed
Amazing
Amazing stuff
As seen on
Auto email removal
Bargain
Be amazed
Beneficiary
Best price
Big bucks
Bill 1618
Billing
Billing address
Billion
Billion dollars
Bonus
Bulk email
Cancel at any time
Cannot be combined with any other offer
Chance
Cheap
Check
Check or money order
Click
Click below
Click here
Click to remove
Compare rates
Compete for your business
Dear friend
Direct email
Direct marketing
Discount
Email harvest
Email marketing
Free call
Free consultation
Free DVD
Free hosting
Free priority mail
Free sample
Free trial
Free website
Increase sales
Increase traffic
Increase your sales
Incredible deal
Info you requested
Information you requested
Internet marketing
Marketing
Marketing solutions
Mass email
Month trial offer
More internet traffic
Multi-level marketing
No purchase necessary
No questions asked
No selling
Offer
Offer expired
Once in lifetime
One hundred percent free
One hundred percent guaranteed
One time
One time mailing
Online biz opportunity
Online marketing
Opt in
Sale
Satisfaction
Satisfaction guaranteed
Save $
Save big money
Save up to
Search engine listings
Search engines
Sign up free today
Special promotion
Special promotion
Tells you it’s an ad
This isn’t a scam
This isn’t spam
This won’t last
Traffic
Trial
Vacation
Vacation offers
Visit our website
Web traffic
Financial Email Spam Trigger Words To Avoid
Accept credit cards
Additional income
Avoid bankruptcy
Calling creditors
Cards accepted
Cash
Cash bonus
Cash Cash Cash
Cents on the dollar
Consolidate debt and credit
Consolidate your debt
Costs
Credit
Credit bureaus
Credit card offers
Debt
Don’t hesitate
Double your
Double your cash
Double your income
Drastically reduced
Earn
Earn $
Earn extra cash
Earn per week
Eliminate bad credit
Eliminate debt
Exclusive deal
Expect to earn
Expire
Explode your business
Extra
Extra cash
Extra income
Fantastic deal
Financial freedom
Financially independent
For just $ (some amount)
For just $xxx
Free
Free gift
Free grant money
Free investment
Free leads
Free membership
Free money
Free offer
Free preview
Full refund
Get out of debt
Get paid
Great offer
Hidden assets
Hidden charges
Income
Income from home
Investment
Investment decision
It’s effective
Loan
Lower interest rates
Lower monthly payment
Lower your mortgage rate
Lowest insurance rates
Lowest Price
Luxury
Luxury car
Luxury car
Make $
Make money
Mortgage
Mortgage rates
No cost
No credit check
No fees
No hidden
No hidden costs
No interests
No inventory
No investment
No middleman
Only $
Opportunity
Pennies a day
Quote
Refinance
Refinance home
Refund
Requires initial investment
Risk free
Serious cash
Serious only
Subject to cash
Subject to credit
Talks about hidden charges
The best rates
They keep your money -- no refund!
Thousands
Unsecured credit
Unsecured debt
US dollars
Wants credit card
Warranty
Your income
Medical Email Spam Words To Avoid
Cell phone cancer scam
Collect child support
Cures
Cures baldness
Diagnostics
Fast viagra delivery
Human growth hormone
Life
Life Insurance
Lifetim
Lose weight
Lose weight spam
Medicine
No medical exams
Online pharmacy
Removes wrinkles
Reverses
Reverses aging
Stop
Stop snoring
Valium
Viagra
Vicodin
Weight
Weight loss
While you sleep
Will not believe your eyes
Xanax
eCommerce Email Spam Trigger Words To Avoid
Be your own boss
Boss
Buy
Buy direct
Buying judgments
Congratulations
Gift certificate
Give it away
Giving away
Here
Hidden
Join millions
Join millions of americans
Laser printer
Limited supplies
Million
Million dollars
Money
Money back
Money making
Never
New customers only
Order
Order now
Order shipped by
Order status
Order today
Pennies a day
Potential earnings
Price
Produced and sent out
Profits
Purchase
Pure Profits
Rates
Rolex
Round the world
Shopper
Shopping spree
Stock alert
Stock disclaimer statement
Stock pick
Strong buy
Stuff on sale
Supplies
Supplies are limited
While supplies last
Why pay more?
Legal Spam Trigger Words To Avoid
Certified
Claims
Claims not to be selling anything
Claims to be in accordance with some spam law
Claims to be legal
Clearance
Confidentially on all orders
Copy accurately
Easy terms
Guarantee
Guaranteed
In accordance with laws
Insurance
Legal
Message contains
Message contains disclaimer
Name brand
No catch
No claim forms
Obligation
Reserves the right
Terms
Terms and conditions
The following form
Employment Email Spam Trigger Words To Avoid
Apply online
Free access
Have you been turned down?
Home
Home based
Home based business
Home employment
Hybrid work
Meet singles
Member
Member stuff
No age restrictions
No experience
Online degree
University diplomas
Work from home
Work remotely
Email Spam Trigger Words With Numbers
100%
#1
$$$
0% risk
100% free
100% more
100% satisfaction
100% Satisfied
4U
50% off
One hundred percent guaranteed
Thousands
Urgency Words and Phrases To Avoid Spam
Act now
Action
Call now
Can’t live without
Do it today
Fast cash
Get it now
Get started now
Limited
Limited time
Limited time offer
Limited time only
Take action
Take action now
Time limited
Urgent
What are you waiting for?
What's keeping you?
Other Words and Phrases to Avoid to Ensure Email Deliverability
Acceptance
Access
Accordingly
Avoid
Call
Call free
Cancel
Casino
Celebrity
Collect
Dig up dirt on friends
Don’t delete
Dormant
F r e e
Fantastic
For free
For instant access
For Only
For you
Form
Instant
Junk
Laser printer
Leave
Legal
Long distance phone offer
Lose
Mail in order form
Maintained
Medium
Miracle
New domain extensions
Nigerian
No gimmick
No obligation
No strings attached
No-obligation
Not intended
Not junk
Not spam
Offshore
Open
Outstanding values
Passwords
Per day
Per week
Performance
Phone
Please read
Pre-approved
Presently
Print form signature
Print out and fax
Priority mail
Prize
Problem
Promise
Promise you
Real thing
Removal
Removal instructions
Remove
Request sample
Safeguard notice
Score
Score with babes
Section 301
See for yourself
Sent in compliance
Serious
Social security number
Spam
Stainless steel
Talks about prizes
Teen
They’re just giving it away
Undisclosed recipient
Unlimited
Unsolicited
Unsubscribe
We hate spam
We honor all
Weekend getaway
You are a winner!
You have been selected
What if you cannot do without these words?
You will be bound to use some spam trigger words. Sometimes, it only makes sense to use them to formulate your message or make your offer compelling to your audience.
In some contexts even, they can operate as power words to inspire your recipients to take action.
So, you’re probably asking yourself whether you will get your email flagged as spam anytime you include any of these words in your emails or subject lines.
From our experience, the real problem is the frequency with which you use them and how many of them you include in your email that triggers the spam filter.
The reason we believe this is that spam filter algorithms work based on a scoring system rather than simply seeing the word and instantly flagging the entire email as spam.
They consider your sentences and the number of potentially spammy words or phrases it contains — both your email subject lines and copy.
Based on the data gathered, they score your email an overall spam score, which determines whether your email lands in the spam folder or the inbox.
Of course, the higher your spam score the lower your chances of getting your email delivered in the inbox.
So back to your question. Yes, you can use the words and phrases that make sense to you. It’s only a matter of density.
Spam filters are becoming more and more sophisticated and allow for nuance. It is a matter of context and sensible use. So, you make sure you include these words or any kind of power words in your email copy sparingly.
Key Takeaways
The risks linked to these words are constantly evolving, so stay tuned, we update this list regularly. Finally, note that although using these words is risky, you can continue to use them, but sparingly.
If you want to maximize your chances, refrain as much as possible from placing them in the subject line of your message. This requires a little effort, a good dose and a lot of creativity, but the results of your campaign will be all the better.
Also, always ensure that you follow the CAN-SPAM Act laws and include an unsubscribe link in your email campaign. CAN-SPAM Act laws govern commercial emails — emails sent by a company attempting to sell or promote its products. Always aligning with them will help with your email deliverability and avoid fines owing to poor email marketing.
