Spam word checker
Spam words are phrases like "act now", "100% free" and "click here" that filters and readers link with junk mail. Paste a subject and body, and the checker flags every match from its 107-phrase list, plus the formatting patterns filters weigh more than any word.
Checked against 107 phrases plus the formatting patterns filters weight. Nothing you paste leaves this tab.
The spam words list, by category
These are the 107 phrases the checker above looks for, grouped the way filters and readers react to them. One phrase in a normal sentence is fine; a cluster is what gets noticed.
Money and income
make money, earn extra cash, extra income, double your income, financial freedom, cash bonus, money back, million dollars, billion, earn per week, be your own boss, work from home, no investment, get paid, pure profit, big bucks, cost nothing, credit card offers, no credit check, refinance, consolidate debt, lowest rate, eliminate debt, serious cash, quick cash
Manufactured urgency
act now, apply now, call now, urgent, expires today, limited time, last chance, don't delete, do not delete, instant access, while supplies last, order now, once in a lifetime, final notice, immediate, only today, hurry
Promises nobody can keep
100% satisfied, 100% free, guaranteed, risk free, no risk, satisfaction guaranteed, money back guarantee, promise you, no questions asked, certified, miracle, amazing results, best price, unbeatable offer, incredible deal
Free and no-cost offers
free gift, free trial, free access, free consultation, free quote, free offer, free sample, free membership, free preview, free installation, no cost, no fees, free money, free leads
Language from scams
this is not spam, not spam, remove me, opt out, unsubscribe here, dear friend, dear sir, winner, you have been selected, congratulations you, claim your prize, nigerian, bank transfer, wire transfer, beneficiary, confidential, social security number, bitcoin investment, crypto profits, as seen on, click below, click here
Pharmacy and adult
viagra, cialis, pharmacy, prescription, weight loss, lose weight, diet pill, anti-aging, male enhancement, xanax, valium, meet singles, hot singles, xxx
The checker also flags formatting: words in all caps, runs of exclamation marks, a body that is mostly links, and very short text wrapped around an image. Those patterns carry more weight than any single word on this list.
The word list is the smallest part of the answer
Filters used to work on keywords, and the advice from that era has outlived the technology by fifteen years. SpamAssassin scored rules like that in the 2000s, and its descendants still run in front of plenty of corporate mail servers. Gmail and Microsoft moved on.
What replaced it is reputation. Your domain and IP carry a history. Authentication says whether you are who you claim. Engagement says whether people open, reply, delete or complain. Those signals dominate, and the text is a tiebreaker.
So the findings matter for a different reason. A subject with three exclamation marks and a promise nobody can keep fails a person more than a keyword test. The recipient marks it as spam, and the complaint is what costs you.
To see how a real message fares, send it to the email spam checker. It reads your SPF, DKIM and DMARC results, your sending IP's blocklist status and the content as received. The email deliverability test scores the same send out of 10 and shows how each point was lost.
| Signal | How much it moves placement | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Sender reputation | The largest single input | Your sending history |
| Authentication | Required by Google and Yahoo for bulk senders | Your DNS records |
| Complaint rate | Direct and fast | Consent and frequency |
| Bounce rate | Direct | List hygiene |
| Vocabulary and formatting | Small, and not nothing | The copy on this page |
Fixing a flagged subject line
Take the flags as a prompt to write plainly, not as a list of forbidden words. An offer that is genuinely free can say so. What reads badly is the stack: the free, the guarantee, the urgency and the capitals all in the same nine words.
Cut the shouting first. Exclamation marks and all-caps words do more damage with the reader than with the filter, and the reader is the one holding the report button.
Then check the claim. If the subject promises something the body can't support, the complaint follows whatever the words were. The surest way to keep a good reputation is to send mail people expected, to addresses that exist. The bulk email verifier handles the second half, and pricing starts with free credits every month.
Questions people ask
What are spam trigger words?
Spam trigger words are phrases such as act now, 100% free and click here that show up far more often in junk mail than in wanted mail. Older filters scored them directly. Today they are a small input next to sender reputation, authentication and complaints, but readers still react to them.
Do spam words still matter in 2026?
Far less than they did. Filters at Gmail and Microsoft weigh sender reputation, authentication and how recipients treat your mail well above vocabulary. A message from a sender with a good history can say free and still reach the inbox.
Why a list of findings instead of a spam score?
Only Google and Microsoft know the weights their filters apply, and they change often. A list of what was found, and where, gives you something to act on. To see how a real message is scored on arrival, send it to the email spam checker.
What triggers a spam filter more than words?
Sending from an unauthenticated domain, sending to addresses that do not exist, a high complaint rate, a sudden jump in volume from a cold IP, and a message that is mostly a single image with a link.
Is it safe to use the word free in an email?
Yes, on its own. What looks bad is free next to guaranteed next to act now, in capitals, with three exclamation marks. One flag is a word; six is a pattern.
Test a real send next
The word list covers the copy. The spam checker reads a real message as it arrives: authentication, blocklists and content in one report.