+130 spam words that will help you boost your email deliverability in 2022

by | Jul 8, 2022

Which email spam trigger words should you avoid? The spam folder might be one of your nightmares when it comes to analyzing your key performance indicators. Do you have a good open rate but your return on investment is not so good?
You might have a problem with deliverability. One of the things that impact your results is the words you choose. Did you use words like “free,” “hurry up,” “limited”…? These are Spam words. You can’t use them. 

Let’s see which words will lead your emails into the spam folder and why. 

A quick and easy definition of spam trigger words

A spam word gathers a word or a group of words that spam filters see as a red flag. There is a high probability that they would lead your campaign to spam folders.

Are spam words really important in 2022? 

Yes… and no:

Email service providers (ESP) in 2022 use intelligent technology for their spam filters. They are getting better at letting the right emails through and sending the wrong ones to the spam folder. 

ESPs have their own filters to check emails. They also use external tools such as Vade, Spamhaus, Barracuda, MessageLabs… 

All of them keep searching for more intelligent and effective ways to filter. Recently, they tried with success the Bayesian filter.

What is the emailing Bayesian filter?

The Bayesian filter is a probability system based on the words and phrases used the campaigns

The key part of the definition is “Probability.”
Depending on how many times each word in your email is found in spam content, it calculates a score

If your score goes above a certain threshold, the message is sent to the spam folder. 

The Bayesian calculation is based on past campaigns

Every word has its own score that can evolve. We can imagine that “Discount” has a 90% chance to lead your email to the spam folder. On the contrary, “History” has a 15% chance to do so. 

When you try to calculate by yourself the score of the words you used based on the Bayesian filter

Based on our knowledge of Email Service Providers and the email industry, Mindbaz experts are quite sure that this kind of filter is taking over classic spam filter tools

However, spam words are still important

They are words that have a bigger chance to send your emails to the spam folder, according to the Bayesian filter.

List of the most important spam words

+30 spam words about promotions

promotion spam words to avoid by mindbaz email solution

Most of the words in the promotional category of spam words can be associated with the word “Free.” Spam filters don’t like the word “free”. They believe it implies a false promise

  • Best deal
  • Best offer
  • Best price
  • Bonus
  • Free Gift
  • 100% free
  • Free call
  • Free leads
  • Free trial
  • Free preview
  • Free info
  • Free installation 
  • Gift card
  • Great deal
  • Greetings of the day
  • Guarantee
  • Lifetime access
  • Lifetime deal
  • No cost
  • No fees
  • Save
  • Save money 
  • Save $
  • Super promo
  • The best rates
  • Risk-free
  • Avoid
  • Zero risk

Be 100% honest in your email campaign. Authenticity can lead to emotion. Emotion can lead to actions and memorization.

+40 spam words about urgency

spam words about urgency to avoid by mindbaz email solution

All words or groups of words that imply urgency, used to push subscribers, will lead your email to the spam folder. You can add “now”, “today”, “here”, “only”, “for you”, “final”, and “free” to all the words below. They emphasize the emergency feeling. 

  • Hurry up
  • Become a member
  • Don’t hesitate 
  • Exclusive deal
  • Limited time
  • Too late
  • Required
  • Apply here
  • Apply now
  • Apply online
  • Take action now
  • Supplies are limited
  • Limited time
  • Contact us immediately
  • Do it now
  • Do it today
  • This won’t last
  • Top urgent
  • Act now
  • Apply now
  • Access
  • Access now
  • Immediately
  • Action 
  • Buy
  • Buy today
  • For you 
  • Only for you
  • Can we have a minute
  • Cancel 
  • Cancel now
  • Instant
  • Final call
  • What are you waiting for
  • Click 
  • Click below
  • Click here
  • Click this link
  • Expire
  • Expire today
  • Get started now
  • New customers only
  • Offer expires
  • Limited amount
  • Limited offer
  • Limited time only
  • While in stock

+20 spam words about marketing

Marketing spam words to avoid by mindbaz email solution

Your email campaigns are ready. But you want to spice it up to encourage your subscribers to open your email, read your content and click on your call to action button. 

Be careful with your strategy because using the wrong words can also lead your email to the spam folder. 

  • Emoji
  • Free offer
  • Best offer
  • #1
  • 100% free
  • Accordingly
  • Chance
  • Compare rates
  • F R E E
  • Free priority mail
  • Important information
  • It’s effective
  • Mass email
  • Mail in order form
  • Request
  • Request now
  • See for yourself
  • Serious offer
  • Shop now
  • Spam free
  • Stuff on sale
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe for free

Wondering how you can boost your performance indicators without using spam words? 

Be clear about the value of your campaign. You need to find the true pain points of your subscribers. If they recognize their problems in your campaign, they will click. 

+10 spam words about health

When it comes to sending emails, the health sector is one of the trickiest. Spam filters are careful about false or even dangerous products. Choose your words carefully before sending your email campaign. 

  • Diet
  • Levitra
  • Lose weight 
  • Los weight fast
  • Medicine
  • Prozac
  • Snore
  • Valium
  • Weight loss
  • Wrinkles 
  • Xanax

+30 spam words about finance

Do you have an amazing product or service? Don’t focus on the financial advantage in your email campaigns. Too many words relating to money are banned from spam filters. Instead, focus on your unfair advantage and the pain points of your subscribers. Keep it short and to the point!

  • Affordable
  • Avoid bankruptcy
  • Billing
  • Casino
  • Credit
  • Discount
  • Double your cash
  • Double your income
  • Earn $
  • Earn extra cash
  • Earn fro
  • Fast cash
  • Free
  • Free investment
  • Guaranteed payment
  • Earn money
  • Earn per month
  • At no cost
  • Million dollars
  • Affordable
  • Billion 
  • Cash bonus
  • Cheap
  • Lower interest rates
  • Lower monthly payment
  • lowest insurance rates
  • Lowest rate
  • Millionaire
  • MLM
  • Reduce debt
  • Refinance home
  • Refund
  • Rolex

+20 shady spam words

Obviously, spam filters don’t like words about sex, drugs or easy money. They linked it to false promises and scams

  • Viagra
  • Fast viagra delivery
  • Foreclosure
  • Hidden charges
  • Home-based business
  • Home mortgage
  • Lambo
  • Lottery
  • Luxury
  • Meet girls
  • Meet me
  • Meet singles
  • Meet women
  • Near you
  • Offshore
  • Password
  • Valium

What a list, right ?

Why are my emails going to spam?

Email Services Providers (ESP) are mindful of the email campaigns that are sent to their clients. 

If your subscribers are reporting too many emails as unwanted, they might change their ESP. In order to keep them, ESPs want to avoid too many spam reports.

Why would your subscribers report you as a spam? 

  1. You use at least one of the spam words above
    You can not use them in your subject or the content of your email campaign. Spam filters are more intelligent and use automatic detection tools.
    But using one or several of these spam words in your campaign doesn’t mean that it is automatically going to the spam folder. Depending on the competition and the period of the year, spam filters can be more flexible. 
  1. They didn’t specifically subscribe to your email campaigns
    You might have got their email addresses through a contest or game. Or maybe they had to check a box to get access to a platform, but didn’t understand that they would receive emails.
  2. They don’t feel concerned about your subject anymore
    • A campaign about children? Theirs are big now.
    • An email about entrepreneurship? Maybe they are now an employee.
    • A catchphrase about weight loss? They did lose weight since they signed up, they don’t need advice anymore!
    • A last-minute email about a flight to go to Canada? Their ecological awareness is sharper now. They don’t want to take the plane anymore.
  3. Your subject is too long or unclear
    Be concise and clear
    . You have less than a second to convince your subscriber to click on your catchphrase. Worst case scenario: you also used capital letters and exclamation marks! These bad signals can annoy your audience.
Illustration of a spam filter method like Bayesian filter by Mindbaz email solution

Rules to avoid having your emails end up in the spam folder

After more than 10 years of sending emails, Mindbaz understands more and more about Email Service Providers. ESPs, and the filter tools they use, favor clean and respectful campaigns. 

To sum up the rules to avoid the spam folder:

  • Don’t make false promises
  • Don’t use words that imply money 
  • Don’t highlight urgency with words such as “now”, “immediately”, or “today”
  • Don’t focus on promotions
  • Keep your subject line short
  • Check your spelling and grammar

To optimize your deliverability rate, you can also choose an email solution that has a good relationship with Email Service Providers and Filter Tools such as Spamhaus.

Mindbaz is an email solution that focuses on deliverability. We also give advice to help you with your email issues. 

Check out our blog to improve your email campaigns: