100+ Spam Words To Avoid In Your Marketing And Cold Emails in 2026

Every cold emailer and email marketer should know this:

“The content of your email plays a big role in deliverability.”

For a long time, spam filter algorithms looked for specific keywords in email content to decide where an email should land.

That has changed.

Today, spam filters look at

• Whole phrases
• Context
• Tone and language

Together, these signals decide whether your email reaches the inbox or gets pushed to spam or the promotions tab.

So if you want to land in the Primary inbox and not sound like a scam email, here are 100+ words and phrases you should avoid using carelessly in your cold and marketing emails.

What are Spam Triggering Words?

Spam triggering words, or simply spam words, are words or phrases that increase the likelihood of an email being flagged by spam filters when used in certain contexts.

Some common words or phrases include:

• Guaranteed results
• Act now
• Limited time offer
• Risk free, etc.

These words gained a bad reputation because they were repeatedly abused in scammy, misleading, and overly aggressive emails.

Over time, spam filters learned to associate this kind of language with low trust behavior.

Categories of Spam Words That Email Filters Watch Closely

Email spam filters do not rely on a fixed list of words that they block blindly.

What they actually look for are language patterns that often appear in low trust or misleading emails.

These patterns can be grouped into a few clear categories:

1. Exaggerated claims and guarantees
2. Urgency and pressure based language
3. Easy money and financial shortcuts
4. Forced trust and reassurance
5. Overly promotional or hype driven language

Even if your intention is genuine, using a phrase that falls under these categories can make your email content read like spam.

When that happens, spam filters are far more likely to push your message away from the Primary inbox.

This effect is even stronger for cold emails, where trust has not been established yet.

100+ Spam Triggering Words And Phrases You Should Avoid in Your Emails

I have curated this list of commonly flagged spam-triggering words and phrases based on how modern spam filters evaluate email content today.

These words and phrases are grouped by intent so you can understand why they raise red flags, not just what to avoid.

Use this list as a reference, not a checklist.

1. Overly Promotional or Hype Driven Language
2. Exaggerated Claims and Guarantees
3. Urgency and Pressure Based Language
4. Action Instruction Language
5. Easy Money and Financial Shortcuts
6. Forced Trust and Reassurance Language
7. Consent, Subscription, and Selection Language
8. Account, Security, and Access Language

1. Overly Promotional or Hype Driven Language

1. Amazing offer
2. Incredible deal
3. Best solution ever
4. Game changing
5. Revolutionary product
6. Unbelievable value
7. Must see
8. Top rated solution
9. Premium offer
10. Exclusive deal
11. Next level results
12. Ultimate solution
13. Breakthrough offer
14. Insane value
15. One of a kind
16. Industry leading
17. Powerful solution

2. Exaggerated Claims and Guarantees

18. Guaranteed results
19. One hundred percent guaranteed
20. Works every time
21. Instant success
22. Proven formula
23. Flawless results
24. No failure
25. Success assured
26. Miracle solution
27. Perfect results
28. Zero risk
29. Absolute guarantee
30. Results in minutes
31. Never fails
32. Total success

3. Urgency and Pressure Based Language

33. Act now
34. Limited time offer
35. Final chance
36. Offer expires soon
37. Last opportunity
38. Hurry up
39. Only today
40. Respond immediately
41. Deadline approaching
42. Do not miss out
43. Before it is too late
44. Time sensitive
45. Final reminder
46. Ending soon

4. Action Instruction Language

47. Click here
48. Click below
49. Reply now
50. Take action
51. Get started now
52. Download now
53. Sign up today
54. Confirm now
55. Complete this step
56. Follow the link
57. Submit immediately
58. Act on this
59. Open this link

5. Easy Money and Financial Shortcuts

60. Make money fast
61. Earn quick cash
62. Easy income
63. Financial freedom
64. Double your income
65. Passive income
66. Fast cash
67. Extra income guaranteed
68. No investment needed
69. Earn from home
70. High paying opportunity
71. Unlimited earnings
72. Daily profits
73. Free money

6. Forced Trust and Reassurance Language

74. This is not a scam
75. Trust us
76. Completely safe
77. Totally legit
78. Honest offer
79. No tricks involved
80. Guaranteed safety
81. Verified deal
82. Real opportunity
83. You can trust this
84. No hidden agenda
85. Legit offer

7. Consent, Subscription, and Selection Language

86. You were selected
87. Special invitation
88. Chosen exclusively
89. Selected for you
90. Member only offer
91. Invitation inside
92. Reserved for you
93. Exclusive access
94. Pre approved
95. You qualify

8. Account, Security, and Access Language

96. Verify your account
97. Account update required
98. Security alert
99. Action required
100. Access suspended
101. Confirm your identity
102. Login required
103. Password reset
104. Unusual activity detected
105. Account verification needed

Many of these words are safe when used naturally.

They only become problematic when stacked together, forced into subject lines, or used without clear context.

Spam filters do not punish vocabulary. They punish patterns that resemble spam behavior!

Spam Words – FAQs

1. Should I avoid spam and promotional words completely?

Yes. As a rule, you should avoid spammy and overly promotional words as much as possible. 

Even when they do not cause immediate issues, they add unnecessary risk to your emails.

2. Is avoiding spam words enough to fix deliverability?

No. Deliverability depends on many factors.

But removing spammy and promotional language is one of the easiest and safest improvements you can make.

3. Are spam words riskier in cold emails than marketing emails?

Yes. Spam words are riskier in cold emails because the human factor plays a much bigger role.

In cold emails, recipients did not ask to hear from you.

If your message sounds spammy, salesy, or misleading, they are far more likely to report it as spam. These user actions directly damage sender reputation and future deliverability.

In marketing emails, recipients have opted in and expect communication from you. This makes them more tolerant of promotional language.

Even then, overusing spammy words can still push emails into the promotions tab or reduce engagement.

4. Are spam words the same across providers likeGmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, etc?

No. Each provider weighs signals differently, but spammy language is risky across all of them.