#but strangely it feels appropriate for us to be reduced to something this dumb

[brucethewannabebard]

Bad food and fast metaphors.

I find that my mind is getting weird with the way it relates the tragedy of us to the world around me. They say that heartbreak and love make poets of us all, but not necessarily a good poet it seems. Maybe my mind is just not creative enough, maybe even my imagination and creative drive is tired of my still being hung up on this after such a long time. Regardless of the reason, I find myself comparing our relationship, and us, to a couple of fast food chains now. Maybe I am just losing my mind.

See I was thinking about how I go to Culver's quite often now. Every time I go I think about how we never went together, despite there being one close by our house, because you assured me they sucked. I never questioned it, as at this point you were still playing the role of someone with similar tastes and values to me. The charade hadn't yet been dropped. So I trusted your assessment, despite never having been, and continued to rely on my old favorite: Steak N' Shake.

I would hit it all the time, you didn't mind since we always made sure to get you a shake when we went. Now I think of you as Steak N Shake, I saw you in the same way. You were both things from my past that I had a fondness for and saw as they used to be. I saw the restaurant as a quality place all things considered, a good burger, great fries, affordable. Really I saw it as comfort and dependable. It took a while before I really noted how much the chain had changed since I was a kid. My favorite menu items were slowly removed, the old school ketchup bottles and general aesthetic changed, they stopped using wait staff. Little by little the fun restaurant I went to with my family and friends for lunch on a day out turned into a generic overpriced and lazy fast food chain.

Similarly, you were not as I remembered you. Though much like SnS you put up the front of being so. The empathy I thought you had it turns out was false. The passion I assumed you had was actually just a picture of a fire propped up in the fireplace. The loyalty and honesty you valued back in high school when we met had both become traded commodities to you. I, of course, saw this all too late. So much like one of my favorite restaurants, one of my favorite people had lost its heart and value in favor of cheap imitations, thinking that the average consumer is an idiot and it is about what can be taken from them, not what you give in return.

So if you are steak N shake, and out relationship is the view I took of the restaurant, ignorant of its decline, where does Culver's fit in?

Well it is a place that still provides what it advertises. No, it isn't some high end classy place serving master class dining. But it is a place that give a quality product at a good size, and consistently delivers it for a reasonable price. So I guess Culver's is me. Sitting around, being something of surprising quality for its price tag, with a few items special to them that they take pride in doing well, and completely overlooked by you as a place that sucks. Not because I couldn't give exactly what I advertised and what you said you wanted from me, but because you have bad taste and are more concerned with taking than providing.

I don't mean to prop up Culver's, it is a fine enough place but it is still fast food. I am not sure if this metaphor makes it out to be better than it is, or if it just downplays my own value to keep with the theme. Maybe it is actually apt to compare myself to some run of the mill franchise. Maybe it is stupid of me to use a franchise at all given Culver's is very capable of making the same type of decisions as Steak N Shake. After all, it is still a franchise. Maybe I should compare myself to something more stead and less business focused. Too late now.

I still occasionally frequent steak N shake, accepting it for what it is now, realizing that its motives shouldn't have surprised me. It is a franchise and does what most franchises do. I made the mistake of assuming it was something else. So I can get my steak burger and remember the good times I spent there back in the day.

I still visit your memory. You are a liar, a user, and a cheater. That is who you are and what you do. I was a fool for thinking you wouldn't be that with me. So I sit down, and listen to our song. And I think of the illusion you kept up and pretend it was real for a time. I play it like an old movie, and enjoy the performance for what it is. Knowing it isn't what I once thought, and never can be what I believed it to be.

[the-bounce-back]

THE CONFIDENCE CHRONICLES PART V - CONFIDENCE IN YOUR CONFIDENCE

This is post 5/5 of my “Confidence Chronicles” series, in which I discuss the mindsets, actions and thought processes I’ve applied to build/rebuild my confidence in different aspects of my life. The goal of these 5 posts is for you readers to be able to apply relevant points to your own insecurities in order to combat them, and hopefully build your own confidence over time.

—————————————————————

So… we’re finally at the last post of the Confidence Chronicles. It’s taken its sweet (long-ass) time, but we finally got there in the end. Furthermore, it’s almost exactly a year ago since the idea for this series popped into my head, so this really has ended up coming full circle… albeit unintentionally. Not going to lie, it’s kind of a bittersweet feeling - it’s going to feel strange to not focus so heavily on confidence anymore, but on the other hand… I don’t have to focus so heavily on confidence anymore. Finally, I can bring my other post ideas that have been collecting dust in my drafts to life!

The funny thing is that although I started this series with a plan for what I was going to write about in each post, I never actually settled on what aspect of my confidence I wanted to end this series with. I figured that when the time came to write this, I would have a clear idea of what would be an appropriate note to wrap up the series on. 

Of course, at that point in time I didn’t know that the latter half of 2019 was going to turn my life upside down. I didn’t know that I was going to find myself in a massive slump due to stress, confusion and anxiety over my career, my direction and purpose in life and my role in the grand scheme of the world. I know it all sounds very melodramatic and like an excuse to not apply myself to complete my projects - which might be partially true - but the truth is that these questions have been weighing on me for a long time. Long before I started working on my mental health, long before I started this blog, long before moving back to the UK. I’ve been able to ignore these feelings for a long time, but lately they’ve been making themselves extremely hard to avoid. I think that the reason lies in that I’m soon going to be on what society likes to call the “wrong” side of 25, and that I still feel like I’m figuring out where my life is going… i.e. running around like a headless chicken.

However, this blog has really forced me to confront my fears in a way that counselling or confiding in someone I trust ever could - simply because it makes me work through my innermost thoughts and feelings alone. Attempting to address deeply buried issues in order to make my peace with them so I can move past it has been a very triggering process, and also extremely reliant on trial and error.

When you make an error in your healing process, it can be devastating and a major setback in your daily life. But when you get it right… the pain and hard work all becomes worth it. Trust me. There is nothing more satisfying than thinking of a past situation that used to make you feel like you had the weight of the world of the shoulders, and realising that although it felt like it at the time, it didn’t kill you. Hell, you’d even be able to go through it again and be confident you can make it through again, if you had to. One day you’ll even be able to laugh at the situations that once tore you down, and with your newfound confidence be able to realise that at the end of the day… it wasn’t that deep (or, at least, not deep enough to kill you).

For this reason, I want to tie the messages from the previous posts of this Confidence Chronicles series together to make this post - confidence in your newfound confidence. Once you build a solid foundation of confidence in all aspects of your life, the next step is learning to adjust to the newfound energy, positivity and motivation that this confidence manifests itself as. I personally learned (and - in certain cases - am still learning) how to harness this “power” in the following ways: 

1. Slowly but surely trusting myself to believe in my own capabilities.

Do you want to know something that’s funny but at the same time not  funny? If not, tough sh*t because here it comes: despite writing so extensively about confidence, my own levels of confidence are somewhat unreliable at best.

As I’ve mentioned countless times before, I never write blog posts when I’m in a bad place mentally. In fact, every single post (except one) on here is written when I’m in a great mood, my mind is clear, my confidence levels are unbeatable and I can write about my bad times in an objective manner that doesn’t end up making me sad. A quick scroll through my past posts prove that it’s so easy to assume that I’m 100% over the hard things that I’ve written about on here, simply because I’ve become so good at realising my own past mistakes and how I should move forward. However, in reality, there’s usually not a day that goes by without the topics crossing my mind.

I’ve been told many a time by friends that while I’m excellent at giving advice and knowing exactly what measures to take to get over a situation, I’m not very good at applying said advice to myself. It’s very true, and very frustrating - reading my own posts back makes me realise that I already have the tools and capabilities required to be able to heal, but so far I only seem to be able to use these tools when I’m in a good place. For this reason, I struggle a fair amount with self-doubt in my authenticity as a mental health blogger, because what’s the point of preaching about self-love, self-care and bettering your mental health if your own mental health is in a complete shambles from time to time?

However, it’s not all bad, because the more I apply myself to think of solutions, apply said solutions to my own life and start seeing the benefits of constantly working on myself, the more confident I become that one day I’ll get to a stage where I can confidently write about my issues without this nagging feeling that I’m a fraud. Additionally, g-checking myself from time to time and making sure that I am actually following my own advice makes me increasingly more secure in the knowledge that I am extremely emotionally intelligent and do have enough experience to change my own life, as well as others’. 

I think the main thing here is to keep on doing whatever it is you’re trying to improve upon, and allow yourself to appreciate how far you’ve come on your journey as opposed to solely focusing how long you have to go. Regardless of if you’re doubting your capabilities in the workplace, your body goals, your ability to adapt to new situations or your creative ventures - or a combination of all four - it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate your progress.

Giving yourself a well-deserved pat on the back and focusing on how far you have come since the beginning gives you the chance to fully appreciate the hard work you’ve put in towards bettering yourself - which leads to you gradually feeling confident in trusting the power in your own capabilities over time.

2. Stopping the negative self-talk.

As it so happens, I have quite a dark and self-deprecating sense of humour - and so do many of my friends and my sister. Calling myself and others every offensive name under the sun as a joke is something that used to occur on a near daily basis, under the guise that it was all harmless banter. I’ve literally been doing this for as long as I can remember, but the past few months or so, I’ve really been trying to stop for a few reasons.

The main reason is that regardless of how harmless belittling your intelligence and capabilities as a joke may seem, doing it on a regular basis can lead to you internalising these notions and gradually starting to believe them. Although I genuinely thought that I was mentally resilient enough to be able to separate jokes from reality, whenever I’d fall into a bit of slump the first things that would come into my head were the things I’d said about myself as a joke. They would sting a lot, because in those moments I would genuinely believe them.

“God, I’m such a dumb b*tch”.

“Ugh, when did I become such a d*ckhead?”

“I swear to God.... I f*cking hate myself”

“Oh, great, so on top of being a dumb b*tch - I’m also a fat b*tch. Excellent”.

The mad thing is that I’m actually laughing while writing this, simply because I’m in a positive state of mind and know that it’s all a joke. I know I’m neither dumb, a d*ckhead, or fat. Nor do I hate myself anymore. But as soon as that Sunday night sadness hits (I know you all know what I’m talking about!), there I am - trying to choke back tears because I’ve managed to delude myself into thinking that the above is, in fact, true. For this reason, I’ve also tried to stop doing it to my friends, because I’d hate to think that they may be internalising something mean that I’ve said to them as a jOkE.

It’s also interesting to think why self-deprecating humour comes so easily to a lot of us. I can only speak for myself and certain friends that are similar to me in this aspect, but I genuinely think it’s because we’ve - very sadly - grown accustomed to being verbally abused and/or having our weaknesses constantly being picked at during our formative years - either in our home environments, school environments, or both. Instead of devising healthier methods of coping with and eliminating these internalisations, we’ve become reliant on using humour as a source of escapism from our nagging insecurities cast upon us by people around us. 

When I started seeing self-deprecating humour in this light, it actually made me quite sad. There I was, thinking that I should get into comedy for being so hilarious, when really it turned out to be just me being too scared to deal with my own insecurities. That’s when I knew things needed to change, and I’ve been working on this ever since.

Personally, the easiest way for me to reduce my negative self-talk has been to try to visualise how I would feel if a stranger (it used to be friends, but then I remembered that most of my friends are as tapped as I am) was saying it to me. I soon realised that if it had come from anyone else but myself or my friends, I’d be ready to throw hands over this literal verbal abuse. I am now trying my best to speak to and treat myself in the same way that a stranger or acquaintance would - with dignity, respect, honesty and with a regard for my own feelings (because, lo and behold, it is possible to be brutally honest and kind at the same time).

Of course, this is so much easier said than done - especially if you, like me, love a cheeky self-drag and dragging others (out of love, of course). However, this doesn’t have to mean that you can stop having fun - I’ve found that an eloquently worded drag meant to act as a wake-up call for me/someone else to improve my/their situation without having to resort to insults and name-calling is infinitely more creative, satisfying and efficient. Furthermore, I’ve found that g-checks that are based on constructive criticism as opposed to cruel insults give you a clearer image of how to improve yourself moving forward - which can only be a good thing.

Basically, just be patient and kind to yourself and others. Take on the constructive criticism received from yourself and your friends/family to work towards bettering yourself, and your confidence will follow.

3. Learning to trust the feelings of positivity and self-love.

This is by far the hardest one for me - and for good reason. When you’ve spent a large part of your teenage years and early adulthood believing that your capabilities and strengths are inadequate, that you’re ugly, that you’re not worthy of love and happiness, that your life has no purpose and that your family and friends would be better off without you, it’s nearly impossible to break free from this toxic downward spiral and to unlearn all of the behaviours and thought processes that have manifested as a result of these feelings. 

The keyword here is nearly.

Obviously, I can only speak for myself, but I would like to think that this could be applied to others as well. When I started this jOuRnEy, I honestly thought I’d never get to a place where I genuinely love every aspect of myself. Despite this, I kept pushing myself through the extremely triggering task of unpacking my toxic feelings - until one day I suddenly didn’t have them anymore. Or, at the very least, they suddenly no longer hurt me. Seemingly out of nowhere... I felt okay.

The sad but still understandable thing about suddenly coming to terms with who you are, what you’ve been through and feeling confident enough to move forward is that you don’t trust the feeling at first. At all. You tell yourself that it’s just one of the little upswings before everything comes crashing down around you again, dragging you back to step one, and you try to mentally prepare yourself for said downfall to happen.

But it doesn’t.

Sure, you might have little dips every now and again. You know that healing isn’t a linear process, so you assume that these little dips will lead to you spiralling again. But, to your surprise, they don’t - and you find yourself picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and moving forward with your life relatively unscathed and with more experience and wisdom than before. You start to get suspicious and a little scared because things are actually going alright for once. You’ve become so used to your life being so riddled with anxiety, insecurity, sadness and chaos and the good times being fleeting, that this new reality is extremely alien to you. 

This is where things can go one out of two ways.

Either your anxiety kicks in and you start self-sabotaging in different ways because you’re afraid that the longer things are going well, the harder the fall is going to be - so you might as well save yourself the pain by not pursuing things that could allow you to be happy. Or, you are able to tentatively start trusting and accepting the waves of love and positivity as your new reality - making you find the strength and confidence to move forward despite the past pain and hurt.

Personally, it took several rounds of self-sabotaging before getting to the point of learning to trust the positive feelings and  my confidence in all aspects of myself. I try not to beat myself up over all the opportunities I’ve turned down simply due to genuinely believing that I’m not good/smart/pretty/talented enough, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t make me sad from time to time. However, the more time that passes I get more and more confident that new, even better opportunities will come up for me - and I’ll be confident enough to embrace them without any hesitation when the time comes.

To wrap up this whole Confidence Chronicles series, I want to leave you all with this simple but true statement:

It gets better - if you’re willing to put in the work.

Regardless of which of the posts resonated with you the most, I need you to understand that building confidence takes time. I would even go as far as saying that it’s a never-ending journey, and that the learning to fully love and trust yourself and your capabilities is a never-ending process as life progresses. However, the more you work hard on your own betterment, the easier and smaller the challenges that arise from time to time become.

My ultimate wish is that we all one day can get to a place where we can trust ourselves enough to be happy and confident, regardless of what life throws at us. That whenever things that would usually send us down that spiral again pop up, we can just take a deep breath, count to ten, and be confident in the knowledge that the situation no longer has power over us, and that we will easily be able to work through it.

Until that day comes - never stop fighting.

Love,

Liv

[the-sixth-lion-blog]

Things Happen For a Reason... Unless You Write For Voltron

There are tons of continuity errors and full on missing character arcs. So many, in fact, that I wonder if they didn't know how many seasons they were cleared for or how much time they had.

Has Lance Always Been Like That?

The Lance I met was a relatable character. Erratic, rash, defensive, but also empathetic, loyal and infectiously optimistic. Still, he's... The dumb one. That's his main title, the running joke, the flatness of his character.

So where did this suave, sweater wearing, humble nerd come from? He uses words that indicate a college reading level. He is capable of expressing his thoughts and emotions with beautiful fluency. It doesn't feel right.

This is a massive change from his fairly well developed character arc of him finding a place in the team, growing as a sharp shooter, being uplifting and learning selflessness. It also completely undermines his budding brotherhood with Keith to let him go have fun with Allura. Sure, we all like a well dressed Lance who uses big words and likes... Farming?

Yeah, so nothing about Lance's love for piloting persisted past Voltron I guess. His extreme passion for being in a team, his clear ability to shoot and his love of flying and exploring must have diminished the second he touched Earth and transformed into a completely different and unrelated field of work. I understand that, I promise, but it doesn't seem like Lance, who spent years overcoming his intrinsic dumbness to be a pilot at the garrison. We see him struggle for this! He wanted it.

He loved it.

And Speaking of Love

Guess what, this isn't going where you think it is!

That's right! Friend love!

These guys are best friends. They hang out, they know each other, they spend excruciating amounts of time stuck with each other at the Garrison on ships. So why does that all nearly disintegrate come Voltron? Lance and Hunk almost never exchange memories of their time at the Garrison. Anyone who has moved knows how fast those memories of their old life flow. And Pidge completely isolates herself. If you didn't know it you would never guess the three had been a lovely little friend group.

No wonder Lance had such a crisis when Keith showed him up as a pilot. Hunk and Pidge are immediately emotionally distant, his hero Shiro thinks he's a dumbass and he has to live on a crazy space castle with the usually angry and creepy closeted emo kid (adored by Shiro, who don't forget is Lance's #1 role model) who is somehow also clearly better than him.

Their friendship has been reduced to filler episodes.

Was That Shiro Cowering in a Corner or am I Imagining Things?

Nope. There it is.

Wow. Well. If I'm not mistaken this man has a rocket arm that delivers swift and capable punches. Now, that is clearly not as important to the show as his arm wrestling capability but if the writers wanted Shiro to have true, consistent and well written PTSD I would have accepted that as an explanation for his sudden inability to fight. But seeing as Shiro's nothing but traumatizing past (torture, losing his arm, being made to fight for his life in a space Colosseum while grappling with the existence of fully developed alien life that is trying to end earth, losing Sam and Matt, being trapped in a Lion, suffering the loss of Adam) has had almost no effect on his life past serving to provide minor exposition or to give Keith a chance to do something.

To further this point, here is a list of every time Shiro (not Kuron) got into a fight before and after Keith became black paladin. Here, a fight is if Shiro was outside of Voltron and engaged in any hand to hand combat or was injured by a malevolent being that was targeting him.

Ep 3 S1

Ep 4 S1

Ep 8 S1

Ep 9 S1

Ep 12 S1

Ep 13 S1

Ep 1 S2

Ep 3 S2 (in flashbacks)

Ep 4 S2

Ep 6 S2

Ep 7 S2 (in the astral plane)

Ep 10 S2

Now let's skip ahead.... 4 seasons... Oh man

Ep 12 S7

that's it

Ah. Hm. I think the data speaks for itself, don't you?

So what in the world happened to Shiro, gladiator and protectorate who would die for his team? When the enemy infiltrates his ship and attacks his friends, he is transformed into an inexplicably incapable soldier.

Shiro Actually Married "Adam", if You're Hard of Hearing

Have you happen to have heard the video guide for the ending of the last episode?

I'm a little skeptical of the source so let me know if this is incorrect. If it's real audio then I'm just disappointed.

Full Metal Paladin, Brotherhood

Sorry for forcing the title but it's the best thing that came to mind.

Keith and Shiro are close. Since they met, Shiro has been gently guiding Keith to his best path. Their bond is undeniable.

Out of all of the paladins, Keith should understand Shiro the best. So why in the world does Keith never bother to check in with Shiro? Strange migraines, not feeling like himself, making unnatural decisions? I doubt that anyone would see this as a warning sign for "clone," but anyone who has claimed a close friendship with someone will be concerned when they begin acting erratically. When Shiro mentions how terrible he's feeling-

(here is where I used up my image allowance so just imagine what I put in brackets)

He gets no response, and even Keith ignores his joyous outburst of "I feel so much better!". There's an appropriate "friend" response to that that Shiro does not receive from anyone. Keith, above all other paladins, is likely to know just how much Adam meant to Shiro, but Keith doesn't supply a shoulder to lean on at any moment. The writers want us to know that Keith loves Shiro. In what exact way I care not to delve into, though I would personally argue in a brotherly way. So why does Keith let Shiro's heart waste away like this?

[Shiro being sad which happens a lot actually]

Me too, Shiro. Me too.

The Allura of Power is Too Great

Why did the white lion choose Allura if not because of her intrinsic incorruptible self? And what changed in her heart or the story to make her seek dark power? She got infected with S1 Lance disease I suppose, because all of a sudden she's being dangerous and thoughtless.

[Allura opening up the stupid case and letting that thing out]

In s8, the situation is pretty dire. But it was dire before. She already learned not to trust Lotor, but then you know, he shows up and looks like Lance a little bit and that's enough for her to open up her arms and give dark alchemy a great big hug.

The white lion chose her over Lotor because she was bright and accepted her fate for the future of everything she held dear. What became of her, and why did we only see this change truly take form with less than an hour of the entire series left?

[White Lion jumping around with Allura]

Thanks for Making it Through This Post

There are hundreds of other things that I could mention, and feel free to add on to this with your own opinions! I know this isn't exactly plot continuity but characterization continuity. I hope that is okay! If you want me to focus more on plot next time, let me know 😊

[sandersstudies]

I Do(n’t) Understand - Part I

Hey, friend-os! I was so flattered and blown away by the response to my first short Sanders Sides fic that I decided to try my hand at a longer piece. Please let me know what you think, I really do go through tags and comments regularly, and input makes my heart happy! 

Warnings: (SPOILERS) Some arguing/crying, minor panic attack, a minor physical injury. There is NO sexual content, swearing, or blood - it’s important to me to keep my Sanders Sides fics accessible, especially considering that so many Fanders are <18. If more warnings are needed, let me know. 

Pairings: Not romantic (but could be interpreted that way); expect platonic moxiety; platonic analogical. (More platonic pairings in later chapters.) 

Words: 2987

A healthy mix of fluff and angst this chapter, please enjoy! Feel free to message me and let me know if you want to be added to a tag list. (Also, just message me about whatever - I like getting to know Fanders!)

I Do(n’t) Understand - Part  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman was ready to conjure a samurai sword and take Logan’s whole face off. “Get on with it, Bitter Holmes and Gardens.”

Logan was leaning against the door to his room, listening for noise from the hallway. “Keep your volume low.”

“Gan,” Roman said.

“This is no time for paronomasia, and Patton has already made that joke.” Logan pulled away from the door.  

“And why isn’t Patton here to make it again, might I ask?”

“Roman, it is my intention to keep the mindspace as undisrupted as possible, and that means ensuring that neither Thomas’ heart nor anxiety feels too distressed.”

“But Thomas knows about Deceit now! Keeping things from those two isn’t going to help anything.”

“I am confident in my ability to remove Deceit or, at the very least, to reduce his influence.” Logan paced the room with his hands held at the small of his back. His knuckles were white, but his palms were pink where they clasped. Roman couldn’t tell if they shook or not.

“So what do you need me for if you’re so all-powerful?” Roman asked.

Logan’s hands were definitely shaking now. He looked at Roman, pink in the face.

“In the… absence of reason, sometimes another approach is needed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In light of recent events, I think it is only appropriate to consider utilization of a Plan B, should it become necessary.” Logan’s eyes were bright behind his glasses. He took a deep breath which shuddered around his sternum. “If Deceit were to try to deceive us again, it’s not improbable that he would try to do so through me, especially considering my current confidence that I can overcome his attempts with logic.”

Roman couldn’t look at Logan’s eyes. Logan had never asked for help like this before; it seemed like he had never needed it. Roman felt an uncomfortable twinge in his stomach.

“So what do you want me to do?” Roman asked.

“I won’t pretend I believe that the sword will ever conquer the pen,” Logan said. “But in some cases, the sword is necessary.” He sat on his bed and took off his glasses. They dangled from one hand as he pinched the bridge of his nose with the other. He screwed his eyes up, and the twinge in Roman’s stomach elongated and coiled around his intestines.

“Do you really think it’ll work?” Roman asked.

“My deductions are inconclusive,” Logan said. “Evidence is scarce, but it’s there. If nothing else, you should be able to intimidate Deceit enough to drop his act.” Logan chuckled one syllable. “You’re quite intimidating when you want to be.”

“What’s this evidence you have?” Roman asked. He’d never asked Logan that before.

“They’re just fragments,” Logan said. He stood up by pushing off his knees with his palms. He shoved his glasses up his nose as he shuffled a few pieces of scrap paper. “Short notice, and all that.” He tried to block the scraps with his body. “It’s usually not this disorderly in here, really,” he whispered.

“It’s okay.”

Logan cleared his throat. “I wish I had more knowledge a priori, but-”

“English, Doc,” Roman interrupted. “Or Spanish.”

“I have a predilection for theoretically established knowledge derivable from universal principle deduction, rather than exiguous empirical data,” Logan said. He turned around and held up a scrap of paper. “Here: remember Thomas’ imperfect audition?”

“Of course, I was sore for days.” Roman decided to not bother asking for English a second time. “Predilection” was as far as he’d followed, and that sounded like a medical procedure.

“Bruised? In pain?”

“Yes.”

“And wasn’t Virgil lightheaded when we rose out of Patton’s room? And then, what did Deceit say right before Patton reappeared?” Logan’s words tumbled out.

“That…that it didn’t hurt him at all?”

“Correct!” Logan said. “He was lying, which means that he was in pain.”

“So sides can get hurt. Physically.”

“In a way,” Logan said. “Which means…”

“I can take Deceit’s whole face off.”

***

Virgil slid his headphones around his neck. “Everything okay, Pat?”

“Hmm?” Patton broke out of his reverie and blinked at Virgil several times.

“You’ve been staring at the stairs for ten minutes now.”

“Just thinking, kiddo,” Patton said, looking at his hands in his lap. “Roman and Logan sure have been up there for a while.”

“I’m sure everything’s okay,” Virgil said. Patton didn’t respond. “You want me to go check on them, or -”

“It’s okay.” Patton stood. “I think I’ll make dinner.”

Virgil glanced at the clock. It was three-thirty. He leaned against the couch, eyes closed, and listened to Patton moving things in the kitchen.

Virgil’s heart wasn’t pounding; his body wasn’t shaking. He could hear the faint crackle of music playing in his headphones. Nothing serious could be wrong with Thomas when Virgil felt so calm. The only thing bothering him was Patton’s behavior.

He opened his eyes. Patton was walking back and forth in the kitchen, picking things up and putting them back just where he’d found them.

***

“We have to tell the others,” Roman insisted. “You said yourself that knowledge is power.”

“It is my intention to preserve peace in the mindspace, Roman,” Logan insisted. “I’m hesitant to involve emotions in such a sensitive topic.”

“You’ll only be hurting the both of them if you keep things from them,” Roman said. “You’re so attached to your knowledge that you can’t bear to share it.”

“And you’re so determined to show off your ideas that you won’t keep them to yourself even for the safety of others,” Logan snapped. “Aren’t you always trying to be the protective one?” He took a step closer. Roman could hear a heart pounding, and wasn’t sure if it was his own or Logan’s. “I’m trying to keep the two of them safe.”

“And aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?” Roman asked. “What happened to seeking knowledge if you’re afraid of getting hurt?”

“There are many factors at stake that you fail to understand, and I can’t expect myself to dumb them down to your level-”

“Others have feelings, Logan. But I guess you don’t know what those are!”

Logan took a step back. His lips were parted; his eyebrows arched, then narrowed. He pressed his fists against his sides.

Roman whirled and pulled Logan’s door open. He stopped just short of barrelling over Patton, who stood with one hand raised as if about to knock.

“Hey, kiddo,” Patton whispered. The twinge that had been snoozing in Roman’s abdomen reared up to clamp around his esophagus. Roman felt his shoulders shaking, and he braced himself against Logan’s door frame.

“What do you want?” The words came out harsher than he had meant.

Patton’s brows furrowed, and Roman felt pinned like a bug between two sets of bespectacled eyes. The twinge was in his throat, and his ribcage was shivering as his heart convulsed inside. He bit his lip. Was this how Virgil felt during a panic attack?  

“Was just making dinner, and-”

“We’ll be down later, Pat, it’s really not a good time.” Roman shoved past Patton and slammed Logan’s door behind him. He ducked into his own room before he had a chance to see Patton’s face sink.

***

Virgil had started cutting up carrots for Patton, humming along to his music as he did so. A door slammed somewhere in the mindspace, and he took his headphones off again. A second door slammed. He looked around. Patton wasn’t in the kitchen anymore.

Virgil heard slow feet on the stairs.

“Hey, I didn’t notice you leave, Pat,” Virgil said, moving the sliced carrots from the cutting board to a bowl. “Guess my volume’s turned up too high again, huh?” Patton had been getting after him about that for weeks, and even Logan had added something about safe decibel levels.

Patton didn’t respond. Virgil turned around, but Patton’s back was to him. Patton pulled onions out of the fridge and put them on another cutting board.

“What’re we making, soup?” Virgil asked. How strange to be the one starting conversation, for once. Patton made a small sound of assent.

Virgil’s stomach shifted. Something wasn’t right.

Deceit again? Virgil thought. No, this wasn’t like that.

Patton sniffed over the crisp crunching of the onion he was chopping.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Virgil asked, moving to stand next to Patton.

“Onions,” Patton muttered, dropping the knife and fumbling with his wrist under his glasses to rub his eyes. His shoulders started to heave, and a sob broke free from his throat. He slapped one hand over his mouth. The deceitful motion made Virgil’s stomach churn again.

“Onions don’t do that, Pat.” Virgil rested his hand on Patton’s shoulder. It was warm. Virgil moved his hand to the other arm and pulled Patton into an embrace. He couldn’t tell which of them was shaking but heard his own voice whispering. “Hey, you’re okay, you’re okay.” He felt dampness on his shoulder as Patton’s face reddened and sweated. Tears and snot smeared into Virgil’s hoodie, and Patton’s glasses dug into Virgil’s neck as they were knocked askew. Patton’s fingers grasped the cloth of Virgil’s hoodie, and Virgil placed his hand on the back of Patton’s head.

***

Virgil played his music low as he sat on the coffee table to think. He had finally convinced Patton to drink two glasses of water and go to bed. He had listened at the door until Patton’s even breathing convinced him that all was well. He considered confronting Roman or Logan; they would apologize to Patton if they realized how upset they’d made him. 

Patton had told Virgil he’d heard arguing in Logan’s room. Virgil cupped his own face in his hoodie-paws. What would creativity and logic be arguing about? Granted, the two of them were both opinionated and often at odds, but their tiffs never escalated into anything serious. Sure, Roman overreacted over anything: the other sides all remembered the Mrs. Fluffybottom incident. But Logan was much calmer. Anybody could push his buttons with a falsehood, but a full-on argument was rare. Virgil was proud at the way Logan had struck down Deceit with his level-headed reasoning.

Deceit. Could he be the reason that Roman and Logan were fighting? Virgil hadn’t felt uneasy all day, so he was confident Deceit hadn’t entered the mindspace.

Virgil watched the stars come out through the window, but he didn’t turn on any lights. He’d have to be more aware the next time, so Deceit couldn’t lead them along. He still felt he had to protect Patton, but suspected that Deceit was too smart to try the same stunt twice. The one he worried about the most was Roman; Princey was more easily manipulated with compliments than Patton, and more emotionally charged than Logan; a bad combination.

Virgil heard footsteps on the stairs. Logan walked into the kitchen, his hands held behind him. He didn’t look up from his feet.

“Hey,” Virgil said.

Logan started. He clasped one hand over his heart and flicked the light switch with the other. He relaxed when the obscure dark figure in the living room was illuminated; Virgil perched like a cat on top of the coffee table. The shadow of his bangs turned him into little more than a mouth and hair, framed by a hood pulled over bulky headphones.

“Virgil,” Logan said in a strangled tone. He cleared his throat. “Virgil. I apologize for my overreaction. I assumed everyone would be asleep considering the late hour. What are you doing awake at this time?”

“Could ask you the same thing.” Virgil pulled off his hood, and the headphones tumbled to rest around his neck like jewelry.

Logan “hmm”ed. His eyebrows wagged and he nodded like he was unsure what to do with his face. He turned and went into the kitchen.

“I’ve been pondering some ideas.” Logan started filling the teakettle with water from the tap. “Some ideas more complex than I’ve considered in some time.”

“I probably wouldn’t understand, then,” Virgil joked, hoping his tone would cheer Logan up. Logan fumbled the teakettle as it overflowed. He turned off the tap and put the kettle on the stove.

“Yes, well…” Logan rubbed his hands together as if drying them off. “You shouldn’t give yourself too little credit, Virgil.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Logan stood suspended in the kitchen facing Virgil for a few long seconds.

“There’s plenty of couch. If you want,” Virgil said.

“No, no thank you.” Logan jerked his hand into a cabinet, searching for tea bags. “I’ll just be making my tea and going back to my room.”

“You might want to turn the stove on first,” Virgil suggested.

Logan paused with one hand still groping inside the cabinet. He blinked at Virgil, and then at the stove. “Ah, yes, well.” He walked to the stove and turned it on. “A foolish oversight on my part.”

“Everything okay, Professor?” Virgil asked.

“Yes, certainly,” Logan responded, almost cutting Virgil off. “I don’t know why you would infer otherwise.”

“You seem a little off,” Virgil said.

“I suppose I’ve been thinking about other things,” Logan admitted. “But I’m…Gucci, Virgil.” He bared his teeth with pride at his use of a modern slang term.

“You’re more Ralph-Lauren to me,” Virgil said. Logan blinked, and Virgil didn’t try to revive the joke. The teakettle steamed.

“Listen, Patton’s pretty upset,” Virgil said. He watched Logan’s stiff grin fall. Logan turned around to stare at the tea kettle; faint bubbling was audible inside.

“I would like to confer with him,” Logan said after a few seconds. He took his favorite mug from the counter. “Is he also awake?”

“He’s asleep.”

“I see. I don’t wish to disturb his circadian rhythms.”

Virgil didn’t respond. He couldn’t tell from Logan’s tone whether he was concerned about sleep cycles or if he was abashed to face Patton.

“I regret that he is upset, but I believe that Roman is the one who ought to make an apology,” Logan went on as he took the teakettle off of the stove. “He was terse with Patton, and I believe it may have been that which led to Patton’s distress.” The teakettle was heavy with water, and Logan strained to pour it.

“Listen, Logan-” Virgil said. The sound of Logan’s mug shattering against the floor cut him off.

Logan clasped his hand into a fist. He ought to have known better than to try and pour boiling liquid from such a heavy container. He felt his body responding to the shocking feeling and noise by shaking. His hand throbbed where the boiling water had spilled, and he could feel his heart pounding both in his chest and in his hand. Logan was surprised; he’d expected a burn of this kind to cause pain on the surface, but the scald dug deep into his hand, stabbing from the inside. This was further evidence for his research, and now he’d experienced the sensation for himself.

Virgil was at his side. He towed Logan by the arm around the broken mug to yank his hand under the tap. The cool water ran, and Logan felt immediate relief. The shaking subsided.

“What’s wrong with you?” Virgil asked, suppressing the shaking in his own voice. “Lost your sense of feeling?” He continued to hold Logan’s hand under the running water, even though Logan would have held it there himself if permitted.

Logan touched the red place where the water had scalded him. It stung.

“Stay there,” Virgil said, turning around to grab a handcloth.

“Be cautious,” Logan said. “There is glass on the floor.”

“Obviously,” Virgil said. He covered his hand with a towel and started to pick up the pieces. He reached under the stove and fridge to capture shards which had been flung out by the force of impact. He deposited them in the trash can and wiped the floor dry. “How’s your hand?”

“Improving, I believe,” Logan said. He tried to remember reading about how to treat burns.

“Let me see,” Virgil said. He turned the tap off. “Can I?” He was holding another towel.

“Certainly. The area should be cleaned.” Logan remembered that from an article he’d read.

Virgil touched Logan’s hand with the cloth and felt him flinch.

“Does that hurt?” Virgil’s eyes gazed through his bangs, but Logan wasn’t making eye contact.

“Only a little.”

“Don’t lie to me, Teach.”

“It does hurt quite a bit.”

“Put it back under the water,” Virgil said. “I’ll be back.”

Logan watched the water run over his hand as Virgil’s steps faded. The epidermis was flushed, but not blistering. From his preliminary observations, there was no damage to the subcutaneous tissue, despite the deep tingling sensation he felt. He opened and closed his fingers, considering which movements caused pain and which did not. How frustrating that it was his writing hand.

Virgil appeared back at his side. He was so light-footed that Logan hadn’t heard a thing.

“Keep it there another minute,” Virgil said. He unloaded the contents of a first-aid kit on the counter.

“You seem to know a lot about burns,” Logan said. He felt a slight flutter of pride in his chest.

“Only because Princey burns me every day,” Virgil said.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll make you a vocab card later,” Virgil said. “Okay, give me your hand.”

Logan flexed once Virgil taped the gauze in place. He’d retained most of his range of motion despite the inflammation of the epidermis and the bulk of the bandage.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” Virgil looked at the ground. “Sorry you never got your tea. Want me to make you some?”

“No thank you, I think I’d better get to sleep.” Logan started for the stairs, still flexing his hand. “Oh, and Virgil?” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “For an optimal sleep cycle, you should do the same.”

“Okay, Teach.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Do(n’t) Understand - Part  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

Let me know if you want to be tagged, please! I expect to post chapters ~weekly if not more often. (Should it be more often? Less? Give me your thoughts).

Y’all are fam(ily) :)

[qtalphonse]

secret santa for @imaginesharks!! sorry it’s so late!! will be up on A03 in the morning!

“Fuhrer Bradley has enacted a new law.  Clause 28, an addendum to Regulations for Civic Amestrian People: anybody found promoting homosexuality will be found in breach of public decency laws and fined.  Failure to pay will result in imprisonment.  Back to work.”

Captain Buccaneer watches General Armstrong storm off.  For the first time, her walk does not inspire fear. There is a rare tenseness to her shoulders, and he very much doubts that she is feeling optimistic enough to strip him of his rank.  He hangs back for a moment, then follows her with a thrum of excitement.

He finds her at the shooting range.  It is unsurprising: when she’s angry, she reprimands soldier; when she’s upset, she shoots cardboard.  He still waits until she’s put the gun down before speaking.  She may seem withdrawn, but he does not trust her not to accidentally (or otherwise) shoot him if he startles her.

“You’re upset,” he says.

“I have no reason to be upset,” says General Armstrong, and puts a bullet clean through the target’s head.  Very impressive.  Buccaneer likes that target, though, and considers it something of a shame that whoever painted it has had their work ruined.

“I’m upset,” offers Captain Buccaneer, because he wonders if empathy will get through to her.

“I’m not your mother,” says General Armstrong.

“No,” says Buccaneer.  “You’re my General. You think Bradley will use this to tear Briggs to the ground.”  

He lurches forward, then, because General Armstrong has just grabbed his sleeve and is dragging him into her office.  He looks around.  She has placed the single personal photo she keeps on her desk face down so that nobody can see it.  Jackpot.

“Okay,” she says.  “Talk.”

“You used to live with a woman,” says Captain Buccaneer, because she used to live with a woman.

“Astute.  I have three sisters.”  Damn.

“General.”

“Captain.”

Buccaneer truly cannot think of any way to get through to her. General Armstrong had lived with a woman before she had taken up command in Briggs, and she keeps a picture of them on her desk.  He knows because he recognises General Armstrong’s lacrosse trophy (she is well known for this, because there is a story in an old issue of Central Times which details how she broke three girls’ arms for it, and Major Miles has it pinned to his wall) on the mantelpiece behind them.  (The lacrosse trophy is General Armstrong’s prized possession, and she uses it to remind lower ranked soldiers that she can break their knees.)

“Get out of my office,” she says, and it strikes terror back into Buccaneer’s heart.  He flees.

Hours later, he sits in the breakroom and listens to a dull radio drama with Major Miles.  

“You tried to speak to the General, didn’t you?” says Miles.

There’s a moment’s silence, and then – “yep.”

“She’s being weird, isn’t she?”

“…”

Miles sighs and pulls his glasses off, and his eyes startle Buccaneer, just as they do every single time.  “Is she freaked, or just mad?”

“I don’t know, I can’t read her.”

“Right.” Major Miles rubs his chin.  “I’ll handle it.”  Buccaneer hopes that leaving this in Miles’s hands is safe, though he trusts the Major implicitly.

Buccaneer waits for Miles outside Armstrong’s office, but it is her, rather than him, who emerges.  He wonders faintly if she has murdered Major Miles, because she has a glint in her eyes that Buccaneer has never seen before, and he is not ashamed to say that it haunts his dreams.  Adventure books tell stories about people with these sorts of glints to their eyes losing it and turning to evil.  

“In,” she says.  “Gentlemen, we are starting a revolution.”

Buccaneer feels his face going very grey, but Major Miles is smirking next to him, and he is not sure if he feels comforted by it or not. Sometimes, Major Miles’s smirks indicate pragmatic solutions to taxing problems.  Other times, they indicate that he has wrapped the oil for Buccaneer’s automail in tinfoil, just to make it harder for him to oil it when it’s stiff.

When General Armstrong unveils a large piece of paper on which she has simply written ‘MISSION: FUCK YOU, BRADLEY’ with a crudely doodled image of herself killing Fuhrer Bradley next to it, he decides he is not comforted in the slightest.  

“If I may, General, I think that’s libellous.”

“Oh,” says General Armstrong, with manic joy painting her voice a very interesting tone.  “I know.”

“So,” says Major Miles.  “I vote that we find a way to breach the ‘promotion’ clause without outwardly appearing to be promoting homosexuality.”  Buccaneer thinks that this is a very good idea.

General Armstrong snorts.  “Fuck that,” she says.  “How spineless.”

The next morning, Captain Buccaneer stands behind a young Lieutenant and watches General Armstrong stride in front of battalions upon battalions of her men to give the morning address.  The glint in her eyes has not gone, but they are shadowed by too little sleep and far, far too much coffee.

“Raise your hand if you’re a snitch.”  

Nobody raises their hand.  Buccaneer wonders if General Armstrong thought this through.

“Good.  If any of you do snitch, you are on firewood duty for the next six months, and you lose electric blanket privileges.”  That’s harsh. Buccaneer is certain that even General Armstrong sleeps with an electric blanket.

When she turns, Buccaneer wonders momentarily if she has well and truly lost it, but then she is turning on the projector.  “Turn around, men.”  Pasted onto the back wall is an image of two undoubtedly female hands intertwined with one another.  Buccaneer is very impressed by General Armstrong’s skill with a marker pen.

“Leaving aside my skill with a marker pen, we are starting a resistance, Briggs.”

Buccaneer is very glad that General Armstrong can’t see anyone’s faces, because someone is sure to be betraying something.

“If any higher-ups show, this is part of the movement to reduce sexism in the military.  Got it?”

There’s a muffled chorus of ‘yes, sir’, and then all the men begin to file off.  Buccaneer notes that all dissent must have been suppressed, because he hears nothing else.

Buccaneer catches the General in the hallway after lunch, where men are parting like the ocean in an old story Buccaneer once read to let her through.  “Do you think anyone is going to buy the sexism thing?”

“Oh,” says the General.  “Who cares?”

Fair enough.  “…Understood,” says Buccaneer.

“By the way,” she says.  “Fuhrer Bradley is visiting next week.  Find Miles and bring him here.”

Buccaneer does, and brings Miles to her office, and they stand side-by-side and hope General Armstrong doesn’t plan on having them both killed. “The Fuhrer,” she says, “is going to leave Briggs feeling as annoyed as possible – understood?”  Well, there goes that.

“Sir,” say Miles and Buccaneer, but only because they are slightly more afraid of General Armstrong than they are of Fuhrer Bradley.

The Fuhrer arrives with an entourage of men.  They visit the address hall first, and the way Bradley stares at the image makes Buccaneer’s flesh crawl.  “Is this a breach of Clause 28, General Armstrong?” he says, and Buccaneer feels Miles tense up next to him.

“No, sir,” says General Armstrong innocently.  “It’s supposed to encourage workplace unity.”

There is a long, long pause.  “Good,” says Fuhrer Bradley.  “I hope, for your sake, that it is nothing else.”

Then, his face breaks into a friendly smile, and he shepherds the three into General Armstrong’s office.  

“I am,” he says, “willing to forget each of your misdemeanours. The past is in the past, after all!”

“Tempting,” says General Armstrong, and Buccaneer knows that she does not find it tempting at all.  “It’s unfortunate that yours will be going down in history.”

“You’re walking dangerous ground, General,” says Fuhrer Bradley. “I suggest you take care, otherwise you might find yourself revisiting – what was it? – Alma, with your two men, here.”

“Yes, sir,” says General Armstrong, very quietly.

The next few days are quite terrible.  General Armstrong removes the projector from the briefing room, and spends all her time scheduling the next plan of action against Drachma.  It’s as if the spark of resistance has gone, and duty has taken its place.  It is like the moral struggle in a Currer Bell novel, and those are always tiresome.

Finally, after she makes a young sergeant do 50 sit-ups for tripping in the lunch hall, which is very unfair, because Buccaneer has already had words with him about reporting the workplace bullying, Buccaneer storms into her office.  Damn the consequences.  “This is dumb,” he says.  

“Enjoy firewood duty, Captain.”

“Who’s Alma?”

“Go.”

Buccaneer goes, because he is far too afraid of her to overstep the mark, but he will be damned if he lets Alma end this.  He doesn’t even know who Alma is.

“I think she’s lost the spark,” says Buccaneer.

“No,” says Miles.  “She’s scared.”  He pauses. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither,” says Buccaneer.  “What do we do?”

“We find out who Alma is.”

Buccaneer is rather enamoured with the plan.  Miles suggests breaking into the General’s office. Buccaneer is not enamoured with this. A heist seems too dramatic for the early stages of a résistance.  Also, it seems pointless.

“Veto,” he says.  “I vote we talk to her.”

As it turns out, neither of those come to fruition because General Armstrong orders both men into her office a moment later.  She has a strange habit of appearing right behind people at the most appropriate moments.

“Men,” she says.  “I am 40 years old, and I have had only one partner in my life.  Alma.”

“She left you?” says Miles sagely.  (And tactlessly, in Buccaneer’s opinion, but Miles can get away with that kind of stuff).

“No,” says the General.  “She died.  Car accident.”

The men fall silent.  

“That’s not why I called you in here.  I called you in here because the first doctor refused to treat her, and the backup couldn’t do his job properly.  Bradley is not the start of the issue.”

“We stop it,” says Miles.

“Yes,” says General Armstrong.  “Fuhrer Bradley be damned.”

“Great,” says Captain Buccaneer.  “Tiny snag – he’s already enacted Clause 28.”

“So?” says General Armstrong.  “We just have to ignore it completely and make sure everyone else does.”

Very occasionally, Buccaneer wished that he could reckon with General Armstrong.  One day, she would get herself killed.  Instead, he just says: “how?”

“I need to make some calls,” says General Armstrong.

The calls are evidently urgent, because she doesn’t wait for Buccaneer and Miles to leave before picking up the phone.  Buccaneer hazards a glance at Miles, who just shrugs, and they take their seats in front of General Armstrong’s desk.  They are not comfortable seats, because General Armstrong tries not to encourage things like comfort being a part of her men’s lives.

“Hello, idiot brother!” General Armstrong half-shouts, half-growls into the receiver.  Both men flinch halfway to the ceiling, and Buccaneer rather imagines that Major Armstrong is doing the same thing on the other side of the phone.

Buccaneer is certain that Major Armstrong does not have any time to respond before General Armstrong is shouting at him again.

“You are going to make sure that every soldier you know who has ever been hot for someone their own gender makes a show of it in front of everyone, do you hear me?”

Once again, Miles shrugs and leans back in his chair.

Beat.

“If you’re going to be spineless, at least be a bullet ant!” she shouts, and then mutters, “my men could decimate you like a centipede, Alex.”

She slams down the phone.  

“Who are you calling next?” asks Major Miles.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye,” says General Armstrong.  “She can relay my messages to the idiot Colonel.”

Buccaneer and Miles nod their approval.  Lieutenant Hawkeye is a fine soldier.

“Put me onto Lieutenant Hawkeye… Fine, put me onto Colonel Mustang.”

Buccaneer shoots a ‘yikes’ look in Miles’s direction.  He’s not sure he wants to stay for this.

“Idiot Colonel,” she greets. “I am your superior officer.  I want you to send a love letter to every single one of your male subordinates.”

Beat.

“That is an order, Colonel!”  Beat.  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about one of your subordinates, Mustang!  Get him roses and let him shoot you in the face – it’ll make for a good evening.”

After a moment, the phone hits the cradle again, and General Armstrong positively glowers at them.  “Central cultivates weak-willed men,” she says, matter-of-factly.

That’s it for a little while.

Two weeks later, General Armstrong interrupts breakfast (not just any breakfast, either, but Friday breakfast, which is when Buccaneer gets his yogurt, so he hopes that the General has good reason to take him from it) by dragging Miles and Buccaneer into her office once more.

“Catch us a bear, Captain,” she says.

A – bear…?  “I’m sorry – what?”

“A bear, Captain.  We need a bear.”

“A… bear.”

“Alive, preferably.”

A live bear.  General Armstrong wants a live bear.  He doesn’t know whether relinquishing his yogurt was worth it for a live bear.  “A live bear.”

“Yes, Captain.”  

“Why?”

“To freak out Fuhrer Bradley.  He’s coming to visit again.”

“…”

Fuhrer Bradley arrives with his wife and his son in tow, and Buccaneer turns to General Armstrong with horror rising in his chest.  “What if the bear kills his kid?”

General Armstrong shrugs.  “Then the bear kills his kid.”  Well, there’s no arguing with that kind of logic, so Buccaneer doesn’t. General Armstrong sidles (a General Armstrong sidle is a perfectly normal walk from someone who is very, very angry).  “Hello, Fuhrer.  I hope you enjoy Earl Grey tea.”

The Fuhrer smiles, his eyes wrinkling in that good-natured old man way that they do.  Buccaneer is no longer fooled by them.  “That sounds lovely, General.”

Miles and Buccaneer wait outside the door.  Sure enough, there is a scream moments later, and the door flies open as Cordelia Bradley flees the room with Selim in tow.  Buccaneer feels a bit sorry for them – sure, she’s the wife of a devil-man, and he’s fairly sure that her sisters, whose names are ridiculous and whose father went mad last year, are also quite evil.  She’s the nicest person in her family.

“Please remove your bear, General Armstrong.  I’m afraid my family aren’t too fond of it.”

General Armstrong crosses her arms.  “He’s a pet.”  Buccaneer sort of wishes that she would just take it outside and avoid the unnecessary upheaval.

Fuhrer Bradley sticks a sword through it.

“So,” says Miles.  “That didn’t work.”

Buccaneer is feeling rather faint.  “He killed a bear,” he says.  He’s like a bear, and he feels faintly as though Fuhrer Bradley has just killed his younger brother.  Miles pours him a cup of tea.

“Don’t drink that,” says General Armstrong.  “There’s arsenic in it.  I wanted to see what it’d do to Bradley.”

The next month, the glint has returned to Olivier’s eyes, and she is waving a newspaper clipping in Buccaneer and Miles’ faces.  “Central have begun to revolt,” she says.  Disgust lingers on her breath.  “Colonel Mustang is leading the charge.”

“Great!” says Buccaneer.

“We,” says General Armstrong, “are going to go down there and make sure he doesn’t fuck everything up, which he probably already has, because he’s a dumbass.”

Central is a very strange place.  For one, Buccaneer isn’t used to this amount of smog, and they have to stop off and buy ginger to open up his windpipe again.  Also, it’s populated, and the people don’t have to hunt for their food.  It’s very strange and futuristic.  Buccaneer can’t imagine living a life where he goes from birth to death without ever hunting anything.  

A man walks past them on the sidewalk.

“Good morning,” says the man.

“Don’t talk to me,” says General Armstrong.

Mustang’s office is nowhere near as tidy as General Armstrong’s office, and Captain Buccaneer is half-inclined to blame it on his subordinates, who make the place look untidy just by being present.  He slaps the ginger one upside the head with his flesh arm as he walks past, just for the hell of it.

“Ow!” yelps the ginger man, rubbing the back of his head.

“Good,” says General Armstrong, and opens the door to Mustang’s office.  “Idiot Colonel,” she greets.  “Lieutenant Hawkeye!”

“Hello, General Armstrong.” Lieutenant Hawkeye salutes.

“At ease,” says General Armstrong, and – seeing Colonel Mustang begin to lower his arm, follows it up with a “not you.”

In the hour-long meeting, they discuss plans of action, good firearms and how best to revolt without being demoted, and Colonel Mustang’s arm is stuck in a salute for the whole time.  As Major Miles closes the door, Buccaneer swears he can hear Mustang sob.  General Armstrong snorts.  “Weak,” she says.

Captain Buccaneer nods in agreement.  He went three hours without crying, once, and he was only a Sergeant.

A blonde man stands up, then, and opens the door for them.  He smiles at General Armstrong, and hands her a piece of paper.  “That’s my home telephone number, sir.  I hope this isn’t inappropriate – but I would love it if you’d give me a call.” General Armstrong stares at him for a moment, then tears the number in half and swans out of the door.

Another one of Mustang’s men can be heard sobbing.  “Yes,” whispers General Armstrong to herself.

“You… really hate Mustang, don’t you?” says Major Miles.

“I don’t hate Mustang,” says General Armstrong.  “I hate that Briggs doesn’t have Hawkeye.  I take it out on Mustang because he’s an ass, and he deserves it.”  She pauses. “Yeah, I really hate Mustang.”

They almost make it all the way to the train station without incident.

That’s a lie.  They don’t even make it out of Central Headquarters.  Bradley takes Major Miles and Captain Buccaneer to his office whilst General Armstrong is in the bathroom.  He sits them down and fixes them tea.

“Hello, gentlemen,” he says.  “I gather you’re rather attached to your little revolution.”

“Sir,” says Miles quietly, because he may express some amount of hatred for Bradley where Buccaneer cannot, because Bradley would kill him in a heartbeat and receive no hatred, whereas Buccaneer’s death might cause a bit of a stir.

“I think your General prefers you both alive, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” says Buccaneer, because he likes to think that General Armstrong likes him and Miles, a bit.

“I can’t hurt one of my most important Generals,” says Bradley. “There would be uproar were I to do so… however,” he pauses, and Buccaneer has to swallow down his nervous system’s twinge of approval at such blatant dramatic effect.  “I received a lot of criticism for letting you into my military, Major Miles.  And you – Captain Buccaneer – tread lightly.  You’re no different than that bear, in my eyes.”  He pauses.  “Sorry – I made a mistake.  Bears don’t usually lose their limbs in silly childhood accidents.  They’re rather better survivors than that.”

Silence falls upon the room.  Buccaneer is conscious of Major Miles working his jaw, and of his automail arm making a faint rattling noise as he works not to punch Fuhrer Bradley in the face with it.  Then they’d see how he felt about silly childhood accidents.  (It was also not a silly accident, as far as Buccaneer was concerned, but enough about that).

“Well, boys!” says Bradley, having wallpapered over the threat in his tone with cheerfulness.  “Drink your tea.”  Buccaneer is aware of him watching as he and Miles stare down at their tea.  “Oh,” he says.  “That’s how it is, is it?”  Beat. “I can assure you, I haven’t poisoned your tea.  This was just a warning.”

Buccaneer’s flesh fingers tremble.  “I don’t understand the issue, sir.”

“Don’t you, Captain?” says Bradley.  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the proportion of homosexuals in Amestris is rather large.  We need a workforce, and we can’t have one if nobody is reproducing.”

“…What?”

“You,” says Bradley.  “General Armstrong, Colonel Mustang, Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Hawkeye and Lieutenant Ross.”  He pauses. “I am a busy man, Captain.  I only see a 10 to 20 people per day.  Today, I have seen 16, and six of those people have been homosexual.”

Major Miles raises his hand. “Permission to speak, sir.”

“Denied, Miles.  I know Colonel Mustang is bisexual.  You don’t have to tell me.”  He pauses again, and Buccaneer begins to wonder whether it is really for dramatic effect, or if Bradley has a tic. “Six out of sixteen people,” he says. “Ten of those people have children. Only seven of those have children. We lose energy…” beat, “for our workforce.  Do you see my point?”

Buccaneer runs his flesh thumb over one of the screws in his automail. “Not really, sir.  Your sample size is… small.”

“I assure you,” says Fuhrer Bradley, “it is not.”  There’s that strange, piercing look again, but it’s underpinned by dishonesty (Buccaneer can smell it.  He trains Sergeants.)

Buccaneer heads towards the door with the distinct impression that Fuhrer Bradley is a very stupid man.  

“I hope for your sake that your General doesn’t hear about this conversation,” says Bradley.

“So,” says Miles, when they return to Briggs.  “Fuhrer Bradley threatened to kill both of us.”

“Oh,” says General Armstrong.  “Excellent.  We’re getting to him.”  She pats Major Miles on the shoulder.  “Good work, you two.”

Soon after the encounter with Fuhrer Bradley, they receive news from East City: they have joined the revolt.  Miles phones his mother, who lives between Resembool and Ishval, and tells her precisely what’s going on.  She cries, and tells him that he is brave, and that she will pray for him.  She does not specify whether she will join the revolt, which Buccaneer supposes is fair, but Olivier doesn’t like at all.

Two months later, they head down to Central for a march led by Colonel Mustang (‘public appeal’, says General Armstrong disparagingly. Buccaneer privately thinks that it is a good thing.)

“Hello, Idiot Colonel,” says General Armstrong.

“Hello, sister,” says Major Armstrong.

“I wasn’t talking to you, slug!” says General Armstrong, and then: “I made posters.”

The posters vary from being politically intelligent but incomprehensible (‘Clause 28 will lead to the disenfranchisement of the majority of Amestris and increase the number of political casualties to an irreversible majority before the end of the decade’), to genuinely politically intelligent (‘We speak together as one to retain our Amestrian rights’) to very crude and incomprehensible (‘Your sister-in-law is called Goneril and nobody is surprised because she fucked a dude out of wedlock and we all saw the sexual health scandal after that, so who’s talking family sanctity now?’), and Buccaneer’s favourite is one that simply says ‘Drop Dead, Fuckhead,’ in a bright red marker, because he knows that nobody will ever use it because it has absolutely no relation to their cause.

The turnout in Central Plaza is impressive.  All of Mustang’s men are present, barring the Elric boy. Buccaneer is surprised by civilians, who seem eager to join them.  One young woman with two automail legs, who seems to have been picking up automail supplies, even grabs the poster that says ‘Drop Dead, Fuckhead’, and screams it at the top of her lungs as she goes.

They slump down in Mustang’s office, and the tiny Sergeant (bless him) fiddles with the radio until, once he has flicked past Buccaneer’s favourite radio drama (everybody in the room refused to allow him to listen to it), he comes upon the news.

“…And now for Fuhrer Bradley’s address.”  Everyone sits up dead-straight.

“It has come to my attention,” says Bradley, “that Clause 28 has been subject to widespread criticism.  There is nothing more important to me than the people of Amestris,” he says, “which is why I will be repealing the Clause.  However…”  There is a pause, “I stand by my convictions, and I hope that some of you will stand with me.”

They count it as a victory anyway, because that’s what it is.

As they leave Central, Bradley corners Buccaneer one more time. “I believe,” says Bradley, “that we will be meeting again, Captain Buccaneer, and I don’t expect the consequences to be good for you.  Good day.” Buccaneer responds by grabbing a civilian and kissing him, just to annoy Bradley some more.

[moffixxey]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[ronaldsmcrae86]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[sandranelsonuk]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[janesnodgrass]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[cherylxsmith]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[laurendcameron]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Lauren Cameron Updates https://smartblogger.com/power-words/

[alanajacksontx]

595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer

Looking for a quick way to give your writing more punch?

Maybe a little personality or pizzazz – that extra little “oomph” that makes the reader pay attention?

Well, good news:

“Power words” are the answer, and you can wake up put them in place in a matter of minutes. This post gives you areference lists of power words, examples of power words being used — everything you need to hit the ground running.

Let’s jump in.

Table of Contents

What is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

595 Powerful Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

The 7 Different Types of Power Words

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

What Is a “Power Word,” Exactly?

Rather than describe what I mean, let’s deconstruct an example from the great Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Inspiring, right?

Well, there was a lot on the line. Under attack from Germany, Britain was fighting for its survival, and somehow, someway, Churchill had to find a way to inspire his countrymen to greatness.

He chose words. Or, to be more accurate, power words.

Let’s take a look at the passage again, this time with all the power words underlined:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

Each underlined word makes the audience feel something. In this case, Churchill intermixes words that cause fear, such as “struggle,” “tyranny,” and “terror,” with words that cause hope, such as “strength,” “God,” and “victory.” The last, in particular, is repeated over and over, practically drilling the emotion into the minds of the audience.

It’s no accident. Smart speakers, as well as their speechwriters, sprinkle their speeches with carefully-chosen power words, drawing the audience from one emotion to another as skillfully as any novelist or screenwriter.

Granted, that’s not all they do. The best writers use an entire tool chest of techniques to create emotion, and power words are only one such tool.

But there’s good news.

For beginning writers, power words are one of the easiest tools to master. Unlike many storytelling strategies which can take years of practice to master, you can start sprinkling power words into your writing, and you’ll notice an immediate lift in the quality of your prose.

All you lack is a list of power words to use, but of course, I have you covered there too. 🙂

Go to top

  595 Power Words and Phrases to Start Using Immediately

For years now, every time I mentioned power words to my students, someone always asked:

“Where can I get a list? Is there a book I can buy?”

Sadly, not that I’m aware of.  That’s why I created this list.

Slowly, over a period of several weeks, I catalogued all the power words that jumped out to me, organizing them into categories based on the emotion you want to create, so you can easily find the right word. In the future, I’ll also update the list, adding new words on a regular basis to make it the most comprehensive list of power words available anywhere.

It costs nothing. All I ask in return is you share it with your friends and readers when appropriate, helping it reach the people who need it most.

Enjoy.

Our Giant Curated List of Power Words

  FEAR ENCOURAGEMENT LUST ANGER Agony Amazing Allure Abhorrent Apocalypse Ascend Arouse Abuse Armageddon Astonishing Bare Annoying Assault Astounding Begging Arrogant Backlash Audacious Beguiling Ass kicking Beating Awe-inspiring Brazen Backstabbing Beware Awesome Captivating Barbaric Blinded Backbone Charm Bash Blood Badass Cheeky Beat down Bloodbath Beat Climax Big mouth Bloodcurdling Belief Crave Blatant Bloody Blissful Delight Brutal Blunder Bravery Delirious Bullshit Bomb Breathtaking Depraved Bully Buffoon Brilliant Desire Cheat Bumbling Celebrate Dirty Clobber Cadaver Cheer Divine Clown Catastrophe Colossal Ecstacy Cocky Caution Command Embrace Corrupt Collapse Conquer Enchant Coward Corpse Courage Enthralling Crooked Crazy Daring Entice Crush Cripple Defeat Entrance Curse Crisis Defiance Excite Debase Danger Delight Explicit Defile Deadly Devoted Exposed Delinquent Death Dignity Fascinate Demolish Deceiving Dominate Forbidden Desecrate Destroy Effortless Frisky Disgusting Devastating Empower Goosebumps Dishonest Disastrous Epic Hanker Distorted Doom Excellent Heavenly Evil Drowning Excited Hottest Exploit Dumb Extraordinary Hypnotic Force-fed Embarrass Eye-opening Impure Foul Fail Fabulous Indecent Freaking out Feeble Faith Intense Full of shit Fired Fantastic Intoxicating Greedy Fool Fearless Itching Gross Fooled Ferocious Juicy Harass Frantic Fierce Kinky Hate Frightening Force Kiss High and mighty Gambling Fulfill Lascivious Horrid Gullible Glorious Lewd Infuriating Hack Glory Lick Jackass Hazardous Graceful Lonely Kick Hoax Grateful Longing Kill Holocaust Grit Love Knock Horrific Guts Lure Knock Out Hurricane Happy Luscious Know it all Injure Heart Lush Lies Insidious Hero Lust Livid Invasion Honor Mischievous Loathsome IRS Hope Mouth-watering Loser Jail Incredible Naked Lying Jeopardy Jaw-dropping Naughty Maul Lawsuit Jubilant Nude Misleading Looming Legend Obscene Money-grubbing Lunatic Life-changing Orgasmic Nasty Lurking Magic Passionate Nazi Massacre Marvelous Pining No Good Meltdown Master Pleasure Obnoxious Menacing Mind-blowing Provocative Oppressive Mired Miracle Racy Pain in the ass Mistake Miraculous Raunchy Payback Murder Noble Risque Perverse Nightmare Perfect Rowdy Pesky Painful Persuade Salacious Pest Pale Phenomenal Satisfy Phony Panic Pluck Saucy Pissed off Peril Power-Up Scandalous Pollute Piranha Praise Seduce Pompous Pitfall Prevail Seductive Pound Plague Remarkable Sensual Preposterous Played Revel Sex Pretentious Plummet Rule Shameless Punch Plunge Score Sinful Punish Poison Seize Sleazy Rampant Poor Sensational Sleeping Ravage Prison Spectacular Spank Repelling Pummel Spine Spellbinding Repugnant Pus Spirit Spicy Revile Reckoning Splendid Steamy Revolting Refugee Spunk Stimulating Rotten Revenge Staggering Strip Rude Risky Strengthen Sweaty Ruined Scary Striking Tantalizing Ruthless Scream Strong Taste Savage Searing Stunning Tawdry Scam Shatter Stunt Tease Scold Shellacking Supreme Tempting Sick and tired Silly Surprising Thrilling Sink Slaughter Terrific Tickle Slam Slave Thrive Tight Slander Strangle Thwart Tingle Slap Stupid Titan Turn on Slay Tailspin Tough Unabashed Smash Tank Tremendous Uncensored Smear Targeted Triumph Untamed Smug Teetering Unbeatable Untouched Sniveling Terror Unbelievable Urge Snob Terrorist Unforgettable Voluptuous Snooty Torture Unique Vulgar Snotty Toxic Unleash Wanton Spoil Tragedy Uplifting Wet Stuck up Trap Valiant Whip Suck Vaporize Valor Wild Terrorize Victim Vanquish X-rated Trash Volatile Victory Yearning Trounce Vulnerable Win Yummy Tyranny Warning Wonderful Underhanded Worry Wondrous Up to here Wounded Violate                 GREED SAFETY FORBIDDEN   Bank Above and beyond Ancient   Bargain Anonymous Backdoor   Best Authentic Banned   Billion Automatic Behind the scenes   Bonanza Backed Black Market   Booked solid Bankable Blacklisted   Cash Best-selling Bootleg   Cheap Cancel anytime Censored   Costly Certified Classified   Discount Clockwork Cloak and dagger   Dollar Endorsed Concealed   Double Foolproof Confessions   Explode Guaranteed Confidential   Extra Ironclad Controversial   Feast Lifetime Covert   Fortune Money-back Cover-up   Free No Obligation Exotic   Freebie No Questions Asked Forbidden   Frenzy No risk Forgotten   Frugal No strings attached From the vault   Gift No-fail Hidden   Golden Official Hush-hush   Greatest Permanent Illegal   High-paying Privacy Insider   Inexpensive Professional Little-known   Jackpot Protected Lost   Lowest price Proven Never seen before   Luxurious Recession-proof Off the record   Marked down Refund Off-limits   Massive Reliable Outlawed   Money Research Private   Money-draining Results Restricted   Money-saving Risk-free Sealed   Nest egg Rock-solid Secret   Pay zero Science-backed Smuggled   Prize Scientific Strange   Profit Secure Tried to hide   Quadruple Sure-fire Unauthorized   Reduced Survive Uncensored   Rich Tested Under wraps   Savings That never fails Undercover   Six-figure Thorough Underground   Skyrocket Trustworthy Under-the-table   Soaring Try before you buy Undisclosed   Surge Unconditional Unexpected   Treasure Verify Unlock   Triple World-class Unreachable   Waste   Unspoken   Wealth   Unveiled   Whopping   Withheld  

  The 7 Different Types of Power Words

As you can see in our giant list above, we’ve organized our power words into seven different types:

Fear

Encouragement

Lust

Anger

Greed

Safety

Forbidden

These different types of power words all accomplish the same goal: They inspire emotion in your reader.

Let’s go over each type and see why they work.

Fear Power Words: Calling All Fearmongers

Let’s do a little experiment.

Just for a moment, stop reading this post, turn on the television, and go to a major news channel. Watch it for five minutes, listening for the words below.

Chances are, you’ll hear dozens of them. Here’s why:

Fear is without a doubt the most powerful emotion for grabbing and keeping an audience’s attention. To make sure you don’t change the channel, news networks load up with fear words, making you worry you might miss something important.

It’s effective. Granted, you can overdo it, but in my opinion, most writers don’t use these types of words nearly enough. They really do connect with people.

Here’s a bunch to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Fear Power Words.

Agony Fool Plunge Apocalypse Fooled Poison Armageddon Frantic Poor Assault Frightening Prison Backlash Gambling Pummel Beating Gullible Pus Beware Hack Reckoning Blinded Hazardous Refugee Blood Hoax Revenge Bloodbath Holocaust Risky Bloodcurdling Horrific Scary Bloody Hurricane Scream Blunder Injure Searing Bomb Insidious Shatter Buffoon Invasion Shellacking Bumbling IRS Silly Cadaver Jail Slaughter Catastrophe Jeopardy Slave Caution Lawsuit Strangle Collapse Looming Stupid Corpse Lunatic Tailspin Crazy Lurking Tank Cripple Massacre Targeted Crisis Meltdown Teetering Danger Menacing Terror Deadly Mired Terrorist Death Mistake Torture Deceiving Murder Toxic Destroy Nightmare Tragedy Devastating Painful Trap Disastrous Pale Vaporize Doom Panic Victim Drowning Peril Volatile Dumb Piranha Vulnerable Embarrass Pitfall Plague Fail Plague Worry Feeble Played Wounded Fired Plummet

  Encouragement Power Words: Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Let’s face it.

When they’re reading, most people aren’t exactly bouncing off the walls with energy and enthusiasm. They’re probably bored, maybe a little depressed, and almost definitely tired. And they’re looking for something, anything, that’ll wake them up and make them feel better.

The good news?

Your writing can do that for them. Use these power words to give them a pep talk and get them charged up again:   → Click here to unfold the list of Encouragement Power Words.

Amazing Fearless Score Ascend Ferocious Seize Astonishing Fierce Sensational Astounding Force Spectacular Audacious Fulfill Spine Awe-inspiring Glorious Spirit Awesome Glory Splendid Backbone Graceful Spunk Badass Grateful Staggering Beat Grit Strengthen Belief Guts Striking Blissful Happy Strong Bravery Heart Stunning Breathtaking Hero Stunt Brilliant Honor Supreme Celebrate Hope Surprising Cheer Incredible Terrific Colossal Jaw-dropping Thrive Command Jubilant Thwart Conquer Legend Titan Courage Life-changing Tough Daring Magic Triumph Defeat Marvelous Tremendous Defiance Master Unbeatable Delight Mind-blowing Unbelievable Devoted Miracle Unforgettable Dignity Miraculous Unique Dominate Noble Unleash Effortless Perfect Uplifting Empower Persuade Valiant Epic Phenomenal Valor Excellent Pluck Vanquish Excited Power-up Victory Extraordinary Praise Win Eye-opening Prevail Wonderful Fabulous Remarkable Wondrous Faith Revel Fantastic Rule

  Lust Power Words: Take a Page from Cosmopolitan (or Playboy)

Like it or not, lust is one of the core human emotions.

Just look at the men’s and women’s magazines in the checkout aisle, and you’ll see what I mean. Nearly every headline on the cover is either blatantly or indirectly about sex.

And it works, not just for men’s and women’s magazines, but for anything. As a writer, you can use words that inspire lust to make almost anything intriguing.

Here’s a lascivious list to get you started:   → Click here to unfold the list of Lust Power Words.

Allure Itching Sinful Arouse Juicy Sleazy Bare Kinky Sleeping Begging Kiss Spank Beguiling Lascivious Spellbinding Brazen Lewd Spicy Captivating Lick Steamy Charm Lonely Stimulating Cheeky Longing Strip Climax Love Sweaty Crave Lure Tantalizing Delight Luscious Taste Delirious Lush Tawdry Depraved Lust Tease Desire Mischievous Tempting Dirty Mouth-watering Thrilling Divine Naked Tickle Ecstasy Naughty Tight Embrace Nude Tingle Enchant Obscene Turn on Enthralling Orgasmic Unabashed Entice Passionate Uncensored Entrance Pining Untamed Excite Pleasure Untouched Explicit Provocative Urge Exposed Racy Voluptuous Fascinate Raunchy Vulgar Forbidden Risque Wanton Frisky Rowdy Wet Goosebumps Salacious Whip Hanker Satisfy Wild Heavenly Saucy X-rated Hottest Scandalous Yearning Hypnotic Seduce Yummy Impure Seductive Indecent Sensual Intense Sex Intoxicating Shameless

  Anger Power Words: Start a Riot

As writers, sometimes our job is to anger people.

Not for the fun of it, mind you, but because someone is doing something wrong, and the community needs to take action to correct it. The problem is, with wrongdoing, most people are pretty apathetic — they’ll wait until the situation becomes entirely intolerable to do anything, and by then, it’s often too late.

So, we have to fan the flames. By using the below power words, you can connect with people’s anger, and slowly but surely, you can work them into a frenzy. Just be careful who you target. Lawyers can eat you alive if you pick on the wrong person. 🙂   → Click here to unfold the list of Anger Power Words.

Abhorrent Gross Punish Abuse Harass Rampant Annoying Hate Ravage Arrogant High and mighty Repelling Ass kicking Horrid Repugnant Backstabbing Infuriating Revile Barbaric Jackass Revolting Bash Kick Rotten Beat down Kill Rude Big mouth Knock Ruined Blatant Knock out Ruthless Brutal Know it all Savage Bullshit Lies Scam Bully Livid Scold Cheat Loathsome Sick and tired Clobber Loser Sink Clown Lying Slam Cocky Maul Slander Corrupt Misleading Slap Coward Money-grubbing TSlay Crooked Nasty Smash Crush Nazi Smear Curse No good Smug Debase Obnoxious Sniveling Defile Oppressive Snob Delinquent Pain in the ass Snooty Demolish Payback Snotty Desecrate Perverse Spoil Disgusting Pesky Stuck up Dishonest Pest Suck Distorted Phony Terrorize Evil Pissed off Trash Exploit Pollute Trounce Force-fed Pompous Tyranny Foul Pound Underhanded Freaking out Preposterous Up to here Full of shit Pretentious Violate Greedy Punch

  Greed Power Words: Stomp on Their Greed Glands

The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert once said, “If you want people to buy something, stomp on their greed glands until they bleed.” Graphic, yes, but also true.

Skim through good sales copy, and you’ll find a lot of these power words. Many of them are so overused they’ve become cliché, but that doesn’t stop them from working.

The truth is, nearly every human being on the planet is interested in either making or saving money. Use these words to tap into those desires:   → Click here to unfold the list of Greed Power Words.

Bank Freebie Pay zero Bargain Frenzy Prize Best Frugal Profit Billion Gift Quadruple Bonanza Golden Reduced Booked solid Greatest Rich Cash High-paying Savings Cheap Inexpensive Six-figure Costly Jackpot Skyrocket Discount Lowest price Soaring Dollar Luxurious Surge Double Marked down Treasure Explode Massive Triple Extra Money Waste Feast Money-draining Wealth Fortune Money-saving Whopping Free Nest egg

  Safety Power Words: Make Them Feel Safe

Greed isn’t the only emotion you want buyers to feel. You also want to make them feel safe.

They need to trust both you and your product or service. They need to have confidence you’ll deliver. They need to believe they’ll get results.

Of course, building that kind of trust starts with having a quality brand and reputation, but the words you use to describe yourself and your product or service also matter. To help your customers feel safe, try to use as many of these power words as possible:   → Click here to unfold the list of Safety Power Words.

Above and beyond No obligation Risk-free Anonymous No questions asked Rock-solid Authentic No risk Science-backed Automatic No strings attached Scientific Backed No-fail Secure Bankable Official Sure-fire Best-selling Permanent Survive Cancel anytime Privacy Tested Certified Professional That never fails Clockwork Protected Thorough Endorsed Proven Trustworthy Foolproof Recession-proof Try before you buy Guaranteed Refund Unconditional Ironclad Reliable Verify Lifetime Research World-class Money-back Results

  Forbidden Power Words: Offer Them a Forbidden Fruit

Remember when you were a kid, and someone told you NOT to do something? From that point on, you could think about little else, right?

The truth is, we’re all fascinated by the mysterious and forbidden. It’s like it’s programmed into our very nature.

So why not tap into that programming?

Whenever you need to create curiosity, sprinkle these power words throughout your writing, and readers won’t be able to help being intrigued:   → Click here to unfold the list of Forbidden Power Words.

Ancient Forbidden Smuggled Backdoor Forgotten Strange Banned From the vault Tried to hide Behind the scenes Hidden Unauthorized Black Market Hush-hush Uncensored Blacklisted Illegal Under wraps Bootleg Insider Undercover Censored Little-known Underground Classified Lost Under-the-table Cloak and dagger Never seen before Undisclosed Concealed Off the record Unexpected Confessions Off-limits Unlock Confidential Outlawed Unreachable Controversial Private Unspoken Covert Restricted Unveiled Cover-up Sealed Withheld Exotic Secret

  Go to top

Power Words in Action: 14 Places Where You Strong Words Can Help You

So, now that you have a big list of options to choose from, where are the primary places you should put power words to get the biggest “bang for your buck?”

Below you’ll find examples of power words being used in:

Headlines

Subheads

Email Subject Lines

Opt-in Boxes

Home Page

Sales Pages

Testimonials

Bullet Lists

Business Names / Domain Names

Product Names

Buttons

Author Bios

Youtube Videos

Book titles

Ready to dive in?

#1. Using Power Words in Headlines

Any bloggers who’s been in the game for a while knows that the headline is the most important part of your article.

Its purpose, after all, is to entice the reader to read the rest of the article. If it fails to get attention, potential readers will ignore it when it shows up in their social media feed.

And just one or two power words in your headline is usually enough to make it stand out.

Just look at this headline from BuzzFeed:

The word “Unveiled” makes it feel like a secret is being exposed, and the word “Breathtaking” makes you curious to see what the photo looks like.

Here’s another example from BoredPanda:

People generally love anything adorable, so this headline will easily catch attention. (The fact that it refers to snakes will only make people more curious.) The headline then drives it home by using the powerful verb “Conquer”.

Here’s one more from BrightSide:

While one or two power words are often enough, this headline proves you can use more when it fits. This headline has four powerful words, but they feel natural in the headline, which keeps it from feeling like over-the-top clickbait.

#2. Using Power Words in Subheads

Once people click on your headline, most will scan the post first to see if it looks worthy of their attention. Adding some power words to your subheads is a good way to make your post look like an interesting read.

For example, here are three subheads from our post on Ebook mistakes:

See how the power words in these subheads catch attention and make you want to read the text that follows?

#3. Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Having an email list is of little use if only few on your list open your emails.

And these days, most people’s inboxes are flooded, so they’re selective in which emails they open.

You can stand out in their inbox and raise your open rates by including power words in your subject lines.

Just look at this one from Ramit Sethi:

If this subject line would’ve read “The rules of learning”, do you think it would be as appealing? The word “unspoken” is what makes it interesting.

Here’s another one from Cal Fussman:

Both “Triumph” and “Tragedy” are powerful words full of emotion.

And finally, here’s a good example from AppSumo:

The phrase “Unleash the power” makes you feel this email is hiding something incredibly powerful inside.

See how that works?

When you send out emails to your list, try and add a power word to your subject line to make it stand out in people’s inbox.

#4. Using Power Words in Opt-In Boxes

As a blogger, one of your main goals is to grow a large and engaged readership, and the best way to do so is through converting readers into subscribers.

That means you should have opt-in forms scattered across your website. You can place them on your homepage, at the end of your posts, in your sidebar, in a popup, or anywhere else.

But no matter where you place them, your opt-in boxes must catch people’s eye and make them want to share their email address with you. Because they won’t just give it away to everyone. (Remember, their inboxes are already flooded, so they’re not necessarily eager to get even more emails.)

Fortunately, you can use power words to make your offer more enticing.

Here’s an old popup from Cosmopolitan which is an excellent example:

This popup had power words everywhere, but it avoids feeling like overkill. I bet it converted like crazy.

Here’s a slightly more subtle example from Betty Means Business:

It’s more subtle, but still quite effective.

Again, you don’t have to overdo it with the power words on these. A little can go a long way.

Here’s one final example from Renegade Planner:

Are you using power words in your opt-in boxes yet? If not, you should add some right away.

#5. Using Power Words on Your Home Page

Your home page is the face of your website and it’s usually one of the most visited pages. Many people who enter your website, will see this page first, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Some people use their home page to promote their email list, others use it to promote one of their products, and others use it as red carpet, welcoming new visitors and explaining what their site is all about.

In any case, your home page is a good spot to add a few power words, as it can determine whether people stay (and take the action you want them to take) or leave.

Look at this value proposition on the home page for Nerd Fitness:

“Nerds”, “Misfits” and “Mutants” are unusual power words that work well for the audience Nerd Fitness is targeting. These words immediately separate his blog from all the other fitness blogs out there.

But they push it even further with “Strong”, “Healthy” and “Permanently”.

Here’s another value proposition from MainStreetHost’s home page:

It’s quite minimal, isn’t it? They just wrote down three power words and follow it up with a service they provide.

Of course, you don’t have to limit your use of power words to the top of your homepage. You can use it in other parts of the home page too, as Ramit Sethi does here in his list of what you’ll get when you sign up for his email list.

Go look at your homepage now and see if you can find any areas you can spruce up with some power words.

#6. Using Power Words in Business Names/Blog Names

Your blog or business name should have an impact on people. Having a forgettable domain name is poison to your blog growth. You want a name that people can easily recall when they want to visit your site.

If you haven’t chosen your blog name yet (or if you’re thinking about rebranding),  you might use a power word to give it some punch. It’ll make you stand out from all the boring, forgettable brands.

Just take a look at the collection of blog names below and see how well they’ve incorporated power words:

#7. Using Power Words in Product Names

Just like you can use power words to spruce up your blog name, you can also use them to make your product names pack more of a punch.

It can make the difference between your potential customers thinking, “Ooh, this product sounds cool!” and them thinking, “Meh.”

Just check out this subscription product from Nerd Fitness:

It has such a powerful name that you’d almost want to sign up without learning anything else. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a community of rising heroes?

Here’s another good example from Pat Flynn:

It’s a powerful name for his podcasting course that instantly informs you of the benefit.

So if you’re about to launch a product (or if you’ve launched a product with a tepid name), consider giving it a power word to make it pack a punch.

#8. Using Power Word on Sales Pages

You can also use power words to spruce up your sales pages and make them more effective at selling your products or services.

They will grab people’s attention when they arrive on the page, they will keep their attention as they scroll down, and they’ll help seduce readers before they reach your “buy” button.

Just look at this headline on Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his product 50 Proven Email Scripts (which also has a power word in its name):

And as you scroll down, you see he keeps using power words throughout his sales page.

His headline is follow by subheads such as these:

And he even uses power words his guarantee:

#9. Using Power Word in Testimonials

Power words are also tremendously effective in testimonials.

Of course, I’m not suggesting you change people’s testimonials to include power words. But you can certainly select  the ones that already use them to great effect.

Just look at this example from Betty Means Business:

Or look at this one from Farideh’s blog:

And here’s another example from Renegade Planner:

All these testimonials will lend extra credibility and excitement due to their power words and phrases.

#10. Using Power Words in Bullet Lists

Many sales pages include a list of benefits of the product that they’re selling. Many opt-in forms include a list of reasons you should sign up to their email list.

You can use power words in these lists to inspire more excitement in your reader as they read through it.

Here’s one example from Ramit Sethi’s sales page for his How to Talk to Anyone course:

And here’s another example from an opt-in form on Restart Your Style:

Without these power words, these list wouldn’t convince nearly as many readers to buy or subscribe.

#11. Using Power Words in Button Copy

Yep, you can use power words in your button copy too, even if you only have a few words you can fit in there.

One of the most common power words used in buttons is “Free”, as in the example below:

But you can be more creative with buttons than you might think.

Takes this button from the sales page for the book The Renegade Diet:

“Immediate”, “Money Back” and “Guarantee” are all incredibly powerful words, and the author manages to squeeze them all into one button.

And take this example from Tim Ferris’ popup:

He could’ve used “Send Me the List” as most people would do, but “Unlock” makes it sound a lot more intriguing, like you’re getting access to something that’s been kept hidden away.

Now take a look at the buttons on your site. Do you see any opportunities to spruce them up with a power word?

#12. Using Power Words in Author Bios

Your author bio is another extremely important part of your marketing.

When you guest post for another blog, your author bio has the difficult job of making readers want to know more about you so they click through to your site.

That means your author bio needs to spark attention and interest. And you usually only get three sentences, so you need to carefully consider the words you use.

See this author bio from Henneke Duistermaat:

Henneke’s author bio is full of power words. It shows her uniqueness and makes her stand out from other copywriters.

You can tell she has carefully picked each word for maximum impact.

Here’s another examples from Sarah Peterson:

She opens strong immediately by mentioning her guides are insanely useful. And just the name of her report alone is full of power words: “Free”, “Reveal” and “Begging”.

Makes you want to get your hands on that report, doesn’t it?

#13. Using Power Words on Youtube Videos

If you’re publishing videos on youtube and you want to get more views, you should use power words in your titles as well.

All the biggest youtube channels do this. They understand that most of their views will come from their subscribers finding them in their feed, and from people finding them in the sidebar of other videos.

In both cases though, you’re competing with many other videos for their attention.

See how Philip DeFranco does it below:

“Disgusting”, “Punishment” and “Controversy” are all attention-grabbing words (and that’s besides the attention-grabbing names of Brock Turner, Star Wars and Kim Kardashian).

Note also how he has capitalized “Disgusting”. It’s another smart trick many youtube channels use to stand out more in youtube’s lists of video suggestions.

Style vlogger Aaron Marino often does it as well:

By capitalizing the power words “Don’ts” and “Stupid”, his title catches a lot more attention (as you can see for yourself by the millions of views).

#14. Using Power Words in Book Titles

If you’re interested in writing your own book, adding power words to your titles will help it sell better. With all the competition in the book market these days, you need a title that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to peek inside.

Here are a few quick grabs from Amazon’s list of bestsellers in the self-help niche:

I’m sure you’ve seen this title before. You might say Stephen Covey’s use of power words in his title has been highly effective. (See what I did there?)

Mark Manson’s bestselling title is packed with power. The power word “Subtle” juxtaposes well with the F-bomb in the title, and his use of “Counterintuitive” will spark some interest as well.

Lastly, Jen Sincero’s encouraging book title makes you want to flip it open right away and read it in one go. The use of “Badass” alone will make it stand out in the self-development section, but her use of “Greatness” and “Awesome” in the subtitle truly seals the deal.  

Go to top

Go Ahead and Tell Me. What Words Did I Miss?

Yes, this is an enormous list, but so many power words are available, nobody can possibly catch them all on the first pass. What are some other words that seem to have that extra little spark of emotion inside them?

Leave your answer in the comments, and as time goes by, I’ll come back periodically and update the list. Eventually, I hope to have over 1,000 words here, separated and organized by category, making this the definitive resource for power words on the web.

Thanks in advance for commenting and sharing the post with your friends!

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/power-words/