Power words are certain words that copywriters use that tend to draw an emotional response from people. They can be used to increase clickthroughs on ads, open rates in emails, and even response rates on job applications.
What Are Power Words?
Power words are certain words used by marketers and copywriters that have been shown to evoke an emotional response from people. These emotions range from curiosity (for example: “5 celebrities who spent time in jail”) to anger (for example: “Climate change is a myth made up by the Democrats”) and everything in between. To help you find the best power words to use in your next ad, headline, or email subject we have compiled a list of the best power words below. We’ve organized the list by emotion that they evoke so you can quickly skim the list for the best ones.
The List of Power Words
Action Words
Action words are great power words for resumes and other places where you want to describe what actions you took.
- Accelerated
- Accomplished
- Achieved
- Advised
- Analyzed
- Arranged
- Assembled
- Augmented
- Authored
- Brainstormed
- Briefed
- Built
- Capitalized
- Centralized
- Championed
- Communicated
- Conceptualized
- Constructed
- Created
- Curated
- Deciphered
- Delivered
- Derived
- Designed
- Developed
- Diagramed
- Differentiated
- Directed
- Discerned
- Drafted
- Drove
- Edited
- Empowered
- Enacted
- Endeavored
- Endorsed
- Enforced
- Ensured
- Established
- Exceeded
- Executed
- Expanded
- Finalized
- Forecasted
- Forged
- Fostered
- Founded
- Guided
- Handled
- Headed
- Identified
- Illustrated
- Imagined
- Implemented
- Improved
- Increased
- Influenced
- Initiated
- Instituted
- Integrated
- Intensified
- Leveraged
- Modeled
- Optimized
- Orchestrated
- Predicted
- Produced
- Proofread
- Published
- Reached
- Reconciled
- Reduced
- Renovated
- Replaced
- Researched
- Resolved
- Sharpened
- Shattered
- Simplified
- Sparked
- Spearheaded
- Steered
- Stimulated
- Storyboarded
- Strategized
- Supervised
- Surpassed
- Translated
- Visualized
- Volunteered
- Wrote
Emotion: Anger
The following words evoke the emotion of anger. These words are good for promotional materials where there’s an element of competition (such as for a gym).
- Abuse
- Agitate
- Annoy
- Annoying
- Arrogant
- Ass kicking
- B.S.
- Backstabbing
- Beat down
- Bitter
- Boil over
- Broke
- Brutal
- Buffoon
- Bullshit
- Bully
- Corrupt
- Coward
- Crooked
- Crush
- Diatribe
- Diminish
- Disgusting
- Evil
- Exploit
- Fear
- Flare up
- Force-fed
- Foul
- frantic
- Frenzy
- furious
- Fury
- Greedy
- Grumpy
- Hate
- Hatred
- Hostile
- Hysterics
- Irritating
- Know it all
- Lies
- Loathsome
- Loser
- Lying
- Maul
- Miff
- Money-grubbing
- Morally bankrupt
- Nazi
- No Good
- Obnoxious
- Panic
- Payback
- Pitiful
- Pound
- Preposterous
- Provoke
- Punish
- Rage
- raging
- Raise hell
- Rant
- Revolting
- Ruthless
- Screw
- Sick and Tired
- Smug
- Sneaky
- Sniveling
- Snob
- Snooty
- Snotty
- Stink
- Stuck up
- Tantrum
- Thug
- To sulk
- Underhanded
- Vicious
- Victim
- Violent
- Waste
- Weak
- Worst
- Wounded
Emotion: Curiosity
Curiosity words are great for marketing where you are trying to get a customer to sign up or buy your product to fulfill their curiosity.
- Astonishing
- Backdoor
- Banned
- Be the first
- Become an insider
- Behind the scenes
- Bizarre
- Black market
- Blacklisted
- Bold
- Bootleg
- Censored
- Class full
- Classified
- Closet
- Concealed
- Confessions
- Confidential
- Controversial
- Covert
- Cover-up
- Crazy
- Cringeworthy
- Dark
- Elusive
- Exciting
- Extraordinary
- Eye-opening
- Fascinating
- Forbidden
- Forgotten
- Hidden
- Hilarious
- Hush-hush
- Illegal
- Illusive
- Incredibly
- Insane
- Insider
- Interesting
- Intriguing
- Invitation only
- Key
- Limited
- Little-known
- Login required
- Lost
- Members only
- Myths
- Odd
- Off the record
- Off-limits
- On the QT
- Outlawed
- Priceless
- Private
- Privy
- Psycho
- Remote
- Restricted
- Ridiculous
- Riveting
- Secret
- Secrets
- Shh!
- Shocking
- Smuggled
- Sneak peek
- Spoiler
- Strange
- Stunning
- Supersecret
- Tempting
- Thought-provoking
- Thrilling
- Top secret
- Trade secret
- Transform
- Unauthorized
- Unbelievable
- Uncharted
- Unconventional
- Under the table
- Under wraps
- Underground
- Undiscovered
- Unexplained
- Unexplored
- Unheard of
- Unique
- Unlock
- Unsung
- Untold
- Unusual
- Wacky
- Withheld
- Zany
Emotion: Exclamatory
Exclamatory words are also great words for marketing. However, you should be wary of being misleading when using these words.
- Alluring
- Amazing
- Astonishing
- Astounding
- Awesome
- Badass
- Bomb
- Brilliant
- Catapult
- Charming
- Defying
- Delicious
- Delightful
- Dominate
- Dreamy
- Epic
- Explosive
- Exquisite
- Greatness
- Heavenly
- Incredible
- Jaw-dropping
- Kickass
- Legendary
- Mesmerizing
- Mouth-watering
- Nail
- Polarizing
- Spellbinding
- Sublime
- Triumph
- Unbelievable
- Unleashed
Emotion: Fear
Words of fear can be good for marketing if you’re trying to scare a customer into purchasing your product. They are also good words to use in newspaper headlines.
- Agony
- Annihilate
- Apocalypse
- Armageddon
- Assault
- Backlash
- Beating
- Beware
- Blinded
- Blood
- Bloodbath
- Bloodcurdling
- Bloody
- Bomb
- Bufoon
- Bumbling
- Cadaver
- Cataclysmic
- Catastrophe
- Caution
- Collapse
- Corpse
- Crazy
- Cripple
- Crisis
- Danger
- Dangerous
- Deadly
- Death
- Destroy
- Devastating
- Disastrous
- Drowning
- Dumb
- Embarrass
- Epidemic
- Fail
- Feeble
- Fired
- Fool
- Fooled
- frantic
- Frightening
- Gambling
- Gullible
- Hack
- Hazardous
- Hoax
- Holocaust
- Horrific
- Hurricane
- Insidious
- Invasion
- IRS
- Jail
- Jeopardy
- Lawsuit
- Looming
- Lunatic
- Lurking
- Meltdown
- Mired
- Mistake
- Murder
- Nightmare
- Painful
- Pale
- Panic
- Peril
- Piranha
- Pitfall
- Plague
- Played
- Plummet
- Plunge
- Poison
- Poor
- Prison
- Pummel
- Pus
- Reckoning
- Refugee
- Revenge
- Risky
- Savage
- Scary
- Scream
- Searing
- Shatter
- Shellacking
- Silly
- Slaughter
- Slave
- Smash
- Strangle
- Stupid
- Suck
- Suffering
- Tailspin
- Tank
- Targeted
- Teetering
- Terror
- Terrorist
- Torture
- Toxic
- Tragedy
- Trap
- Trauma
- Vaporize
- Victim
- Volatile
- Vulnerable
- Warning
- Worry
- Wounded
- Wreaking havoc
Emotion: Greed
- Affordable
- Bargain
- Barrage
- Before
- Best
- Big
- Billion
- Bonanza
- Bonus
- Budget
- Cash
- Cheap
- Convert
- Deadline
- Discount
- Dollar
- Don’t miss out
- Double
- Drive
- Economical
- Envy
- Exclusive
- Expires
- Explode
- Extra
- Fast
- Feast
- Final
- First
- Forever
- Fortune
- Free
- Frenzy
- Frugal
- Gift
- Giveaway
- Greatest
- Guilt
- Guilt-free
- Hurry
- Immediately
- Increase
- Indulgent
- Inexpensive
- Instantly
- Jackpot
- Last chance
- Lazy
- Limited
- Lucrative
- Luxurious
- Marked down
- Massive
- Master
- Monetize
- Money
- More
- Nest egg
- Never
- Never again
- New
- Now
- Obsessed
- Off-limits
- Overnight
- Pay zero
- Premiere
- Price break
- Prize
- Profit
- Promote
- Quadruple
- Quick
- Ravenous
- Reduced
- Rich
- Running out
- Sale
- Sale ends soon
- Save
- Savings
- Six-figure
- Skyrocket
- Soaring
- Special
- Steal
- Surge
- Today
- Treasure
- Triple
- Ultimate
- Unlimited
- Up-sell
- Value
- While they last
- Whopping
Emotion: Joy
- Alive
- Healthy
- Heartwarming
- Inspiring
- Light
- Profound
- Zen
Emotion: Lust
- Alluring
- Brazen
- Captivating
- Charismatic
- Compelling
- Crave
- Depraved
- Desire
- Dirty
- Enchanting
- Engaging
- Exotic
- Exposed
- Fascinating
- Flirt
- Forbidden
- Hypnotic
- Intriguing
- Lascivious
- Lick
- Lonely
- Lovely
- Lust
- Magnetic
- Mind-blowing
- Mischievous
- Mouthwatering
- Naked
- Naughty
- Obsession
- Passionate
- Pleasurable
- Promiscuous
- Provocative
- Riveting
- Scandalous
- Sensual
- Sex
- Shameless
- Sinful
- Sleazy
- Sleeping
- Spank
- Steamy
- Stimulating
- Striking
- Sweaty
- Tantalizing
- Tawdry
- Tease
- Thrilling
- Uncensored
- Urge
- Wanton
- Whip
- Wild
Emotion: Pride
- Dumb
- Expensive
- Fail
- Fail-Proof
- Failure
- Faux Pas
- Fool
- Foolish
- Glamorous
- Idiot
- Lame
- Last
- Luxurious
- Mediocre
- Mistake
- Obvious
- Pitiful
- Reject
- Rookie
- Ruin
- Senseless
- Shameful
- Silly
- Stupid
- Success
- Threaten
- Triggers
- Unknowingly
- Useless
- Waste
Emotion: Sadness
- Austerity
- Envy
- Grief-stricken
- Heartbroken
- Hostile
- Lovesick
- Resentful
- Shame
- Sobbing
- Tearful
- Teary-eyed
- Troubled
- Weepy
Emotion: Trust
- According to
- Accredited
- Accuse
- Anonymous
- Approved
- Assault
- Authentic
- Authoritative
- Authority
- Backed
- Because
- Belong
- Best
- Best selling
- Beware
- Bona fide
- Broke
- Cancel anytime
- Case study
- Catastrophe
- Caution
- Certified
- Cheat
- Dangerous
- Dependable
- Diagnosed
- Dirty
- Don’t worry
- Emergency
- Endorsed
- Ensured
- Ethical
- Exactly
- Expert
- Fierce
- Fully refundable
- Genuine
- Guaranteed
- Hoax
- Horror
- Improved
- Ironclad
- Jeopardy
- Lifetime
- Moneyback
- No obligation
- No questions asked
- No risk
- No strings attached
- Official
- Pay zero
- Privacy
- Professional
- Promise
- Protect
- Protected
- Proven
- Provoke
- Punch
- Recession-proof
- Recognized
- Refund
- Reliable
- Research
- Results
- Sacred
- Safe
- Safety
- Scam
- Scared
- Scientifically proven
- Secure
- Shaking
- Signs
- Stop
- Studies show
- Survive
- Terrifying
- Tested
- Track record
- Try before you buy
- Unconditional
- Unstoppable
- Verify
- Well respected
- Worldwide
Emotion: Vanity
- Ahead of the game
- Amazing
- Amplify
- At the top
- Attractive
- Awe-inspiring
- Beautiful
- Bold
- Booming
- Boost
- Boss
- Brassy
- Bravery
- Brazen
- Bright
- Brilliant
- Cheer
- Clever
- Conquer
- Courage
- Crowned
- Daring
- Dazzling
- Defiance
- Drop-dead
- Effective
- Elegant
- Elite
- Enchant
- Epic
- Fearless
- Fortunate
- Foxy
- Genius
- Good-looking
- Gorgeous
- Guts
- Handsome
- Hero
- Jaw-dropping
- Jubilant
- Kick ass
- Knockout
- Legendary
- Lucky
- Magic
- Mind-blowing
- Moneymaking
- Notable
- Noteworthy
- Optimal
- Prosperous
- Quick-witted
- Remarkable
- Sassy
- Saucy
- Sensational
- Smart
- Spectacular
- Spine
- Staggering
- Strong
- Stunning
- Successful
- Super-human
- Triumph
- Turbo charge
- Ultimate
- Unbeaten
- Undefeated
- Valor
- Vanquish
- Victory
- Wealthy
- Wonderful
- Wondrous
- You
