What are power words?
They're persuasive words that copywriters use to trigger an emotional or psychological response.
It's the difference between "He walked into the room" versus "He waltzed into the room."
Power words give a sentence a different context, a different flavour. You might even be able to smell the phrase.
So on that note, handle them with care. Because words are powerful.
I've put together a list of power words that I've gathered over the years.
Bookmark this tab and come back to it whenever you need it.
a new fact of life
abandon/abandoned/abandonment
absolute/absolutely free
accurate
add a tiny edge
advanced
advantage
afraid
ailment
airborne
all over the globe
allow
amateur
amazing
ammunition
arouse suspicion
arrogant
asinine
assume
astonish/astonishing
at your own pace
attack
authorize
avoid
awesome
back in your pocket
bad day/bad hair day
bafflegab
ballistic
bamboozle
bandit
barricades
batch
beast
beat the rap
bedlam
begged
behind door number two
​befuddled/befuddlement
believe
belittle
bend over backwards
best on the planet
big boss
big mistake
bird dog
blab
blah
blanch
blast/blast out
blazingly obvious
bleak
bled dry
blew it big time/blew my mind
blind spot
blinding
blissed out
blister/blistering
blithering
blitz
bloke
blood and guts
bloody
blow away/blow it
blunders
bonanza
bone-crunching
boogie down
boom town
boost
bored
bottom line
bragging rights
brain cells
brand spanking new
break it in
break out in a cold sweat
break some heart
breakthrough
breathtaking
bribe
brilliant
broken/broken down
bruise
brutal private
bug out
bull charge
bulldog
bulletproof
bump you into a higher bracket
burn out
burst
butt ugly
calamity
calm as a sleeping puppy
can't be this easy
career suicide
catch/catch the act
cement
certify/certificate
cheat/cheating
check it out
cheesy
chilling detail
choose
claim
clear away the fog
cleverly disguised
closed door
coax
cocky
cold
collect/collect immediately
combat
come clean
commando
compact
confidence
confidential
confront
confused/confusing
connection
consistent
constant dread
contrary
control/controlled
convince
cool/cool as ice
counter-intuitive
coy
crack the code
crammed
crank out
crap out
crazed bulldog
crippled
crucial
cruel fate
crunch time
crush
cured
cutting edge
dandy
dangerous
dank
dares
dark corner
dazed
dead broke/dead solid/deadly
decide later/even if you decide later
deepest wish
defies common sense
deliver/deliver the goods
deluxe
demand
demolish
desire
despite
details
devastating
devours/devour them alive
dire
directly affect you
disable
disarm
disaster
discontent
discover
disgruntled
dispose
disregard
dishevelled
distinguished
ditch 'em
dodge
dominate
don't believe me
donate
doohickey
down and dirty/down and out
dragging kicking and screaming
drain
drama/dramatically
dream on
dreary
drench
drill
drive 'em insane
duck and cover
duke it out
dumbfounded
dunce
duped
dying to know
eager/eagerly
earmarked
earth shattering
easy/easy to implement
eat up
ecstasy
edge of reality
elixir
eliminate
elite
embarrass
emergency
empty/empty your wallet
enable
end result
endlessly
endured
ensure
errant
escape
esoteric
even if
every penny
everybody and his brother
evidence
examine
exciting
exclusive
excruciating
excuses
expert/the expert category
exploit/exploited
explode/explosive power
extra expense
fabulous
face up to it
fake it
false confidence
fanatic
faster than you ever dreamed possible
fatality
fear
feast
feet the tiger
feel like a tiger
fevered brow
filthy
financially
firestorm
fix/simple fix
flash
flimflam
flip out
flirt with
flotsam and jetsam
flowing in/flown in
foam
for your eyes only
forced/forced to settle
forever
forfeit
forgotten hero/forgotten tactics
fortune
fracas
fraction
freak out
free money/instantly pocket more money/line your pocket
fringe
from scratch
front-line trenches
frustration
fuddy-duddy
fun
fungus
gadzooks
gain access through the back door
gamble
game but lame
gangly
gargantuan
gauge/gauging
generates
generous
genie in a bottle
genius
get a grip
gets in your face
gizmo
glamorous
glaring
glitch
gnarled/gnarly
good enough to eat
goof off
gorgeous
grab/grab and run
grainy
gratify/gratifying
grind it out
grow like a weed
guffaw
guts
ham it up
handle it
hands off
haphazard
hardcore
head-shaking results
headlong
heart's content
heat/heat up
heaven
heck
helpless
heydey
hidden assets/hidden fortune/hidden power/hidden secrets
hinge/hinged
hint
hodgepodge
Hollywood production
hokum
home team
homemade
honest loophole
horrible/horribly
hot/hot shot/hot to trot
hug
hullabaloo
humbled
hunted down
hurt
huzzah
hysterical
ignore/ignored
immobilizing
impatient
implode
impossible
impressive
improve
improvised
in a blink
in the dark
in the money
incredible
induce
infested
infinitesimal
inflame
inflict
ingenious
injury
insider contacts who know the ropes
insist
intense
intimidation
irrefutable evidence
in the mud
inner circle
insider information/privy to insider information/steady flow of inside information
insight
install
instantly traumatizing/instantly valuable
insufferable
intensive care
intent
intrinsic
investigate
ironclad
it's all wrong
jacked up
jackpot
jabberwocky
jail break
jalopy
jaw dropping
judge
juggernaut
jumpstart
kaput
keen
kerfuffle
kicked-in
killer
kit and kaboodle
knickknack
knock/knocked
kookie
lack of focus
lackadaisical
lambaste
languid
laser-like focus
last chance
launch
lavish/lavishly
lazy
lean and mean
learn the heard way
leap
legend/legends/legendary
lethal
liar
life-threatening
lighten up
like a bad horror flick
liquid
limpid
listen up
little known
limited
local
locked up
lollapalooza
lollygag
lonely/lonely tunes
loose as a goose
lop/lopsided win
love/loveless
lucky
lucrative
luke warm
lumber
lure
lurid
luxury
magic/magically
major flaw/major trouble
make work/make waves
manicured details
manhandled
massage
massive
master it in a short afternoon
master's level savvy
mastery/complete mastery
materialize
maximize/maximum
mega valuable
mercy
miffed
mindset
miserable
miss out/miss out on/miss the cut
missing link
mock
mojo
money zone
monsoon season
monster/monster-sized
mooch/moocher
move up fast
muddle along
mumble
mumbo-jumbo
muscle memory
must read
mutate
mysterious
nail it
nasty
natural
neglect
negotiate
nerve shattering
nervy
neurons
neutralize
new/completely new
nightmare/nightmarish
no hassle
no risk
no sweat
nonplussed
nonsense
nose pressed to the window
not pay a nickel
not right
notch/top notch
nothing comes close
nuance
numb
obliged
obliterate
oblivious
obsolete
oceans of it
odd
off the wall
one-two punch
ooze
open mind
opportunity
opt in or out
original
out of luck
outrageous
outsider
over the top
overlooked
package
pain-rich
painless
pander
pandora's box
parade
passion
pathetic
patiently
pay the price
penalty
perfect
personal command centre
pinch/punch
pinpoint/pinpoint accuracy
pirated
pit
pocket
popcorn thoughts
possession
pounce
poured our hearts into it
power/powerful/draw-dropping power
praised
precious
pricey sum
primal
private
prize money
procedural traps
profound
profuse
proper
protips
prove it
pugnacious
pull my leg/pull your punch
pure baloney/pure gut-wrenching agony
purity
purr
put away on a shelf
put it on the table
quaff
quasi
quibble
quiddle
quip
quirky
quivering
rage
ramble
rank beginner
ransom
rare
rattle
raw/raw and ready
razzmatazz
ready, fire aim
recent
reckless
recoil
reduce
reel from the shock
refuse to believe/refuse to take any guff
relax
relish
rely on it
replenish
render
require
reputation
reserve
respect/respect and awe
resplendent
reveal/revelation
reversed
rhythm
ricochet
ridicule
rigamarole
right down the pipe
rip/rippin' good yarn/ripped off
ripe
risky
roam
robbed
rocked
roll it on out
roundabout
routinely
rub it in
rubber neckers
ruckus
ruin/ruined
ruminate
rumour
rustle
sabotage
savvy
say hunger
scalawag
scamper
scared to death/scary
scatterbrain
scenario
schlep
scoff
scoop
scour
scratch the surface
scuff
scurry off
scrumdiddlyumptious
scrutiny
secretive/secret weapon/secret source/secret sauce/secret hit list
seduce
seeds of doubt
sensitive
serious
severe
shadow/shadowy
shake/shaking
shambles
share/share the wealth
shattered
sheer nonsense
shell out
shelter/shelter income
shenanigans
shmooze
shock waves
shocked and amused
shoo-in
short work
shrewd
shrink/shrinks
shuck/shuck and jive
shuttle your feet
silenced/silenced forever
silky
silly
siren song
skeptical
skirmish
skip
slapdash
slash/slay/slaughter
sleuth
slipshod
slumber
sly look
smack
smithereens
smokin'
smoothly
smorgasbord
smile so hard your cheeks hurt
snag
snail mail
snatch
sneak peek
sneer
sneeze
snooty
snuggle
so called
sock away
sodden
sold out
solution
soothe
sopping mess
sour
sought-after
special/special opportunity
specific
spellbind/spellbound
splendiferous
spoiled
spraying shots
square
squelch
spoil the fun
sputter
stock piled
stop it cold
stress free
strictly
striking
stroke
stronger
struggle/struggling
stumble/stumble on
stun/stunning/stunningly vicious
stung
stupefy
sync/synced
stymied
submission
subtract
suddenly
sudsy
sulk
super hot
superfluous
superiority
supercharge
surprise
surreal
survive
sweetheart deal
switcheroo
tactics
tailored
take down
talent
tallied
tangle
tap into explosive
taradiddle
target/targets
taste
taunt
tease
territory
test drive/test run
tickle
time limit
tingle
the real thing
thingamabob
thingamajig
thorny
threat/threatened
throw-away techniques
thumbs up
tidbit
tomfoolery
too good to be true
too hip
toot sweet
topple
topsy-turvy
tornado
total fluke
total submission
tote
transfer
transform
trap
tremendous
trial run
tricks
triggers
trouble
trust
twist/twisted
typhoon
unbelievably devastating
unbridled
under seige
underestimate
understand
unexpected
unfair advantage
unfazed
unreasonable
ultimate
umpteen
unhappy
unrelenting
unveiled
urgent
valuable
vamoose
vast/vast majority
verve
vicious
victim
victory
virtuoso
virus
vulnerable
walk away/walk away from it
wallflower
wanderlust
warm up
wealth
weathered
web of intrigue
wedge/wedge issue
whack
whatchamacallit
white hot/white knight
whodunit
wickedly effective
wide as a city block
willing
willy-nilly
wimps and weasels
windbag
wisecrack
within the hour
without fanfare or drama
wobbly
woebegone
wonky
woozy
word of mouth
world stage
worry wart
wow/wowser
wraith
wrangle
wretched
wrong juice/wrong track
yearn
years away
yipes
you snooze you lose
zen master
zero risk
zinger
zonked
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a published children's author, StoryBrand Certified Guide, copywriter and marketing strategist, Sandra Beatty helps service-based business owners convert web visitors into leads by implementing website and marketing strategies and getting clear on their messaging.
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