Spam word checker

The words,
and what they can’t show.

A spam word checker scans an email’s subject and text for the wording and formatting that filters and readers treat as warning signs, and highlights each match. Paste yours. This one keeps three things apart: what Google, Microsoft and the CAN-SPAM Act have written down, what SpamAssassin’s open rule file tests, and our own pattern list, which is the only part that is a guess.

It runs in your browser and nothing you paste is sent to us. It reads English only. A clean result says nothing about whether your domain is set up to send: check SPF, DKIM and DMARC too, or read why business emails go to spam.

Google · Microsoft · CAN-SPAM 38 patterns · 4 SpamAssassin tests Checked 10 Nov 2026

By the Builderify team

Spam word checker Runs in your browser

Plain text or pasted HTML.

Written down
1
findings from Google, Microsoft, the law or SpamAssassin
Our patterns
12 Many
points from our own list, not a filter’s score
Highlighted
12
matches of our patterns in the text

Nothing to check yet

Written down
findings from Google, Microsoft, the law or SpamAssassin
Our patterns
from our own list, not a filter’s score
Highlighted
of our patterns in the text
Written down SpamAssassin test Our pattern

Last chance: FREE gift inside!!! Act now

Hi there, Our biggest sale of the year ends tonight. Claim your free gift when you spend $50 or more. Guaranteed lowest prices, no obligation. Don’t miss out, click here to shop now: https://bit.ly/3xYz Thanks, The Maple & Pine team

Paste a subject line and the email text to check them.

  • Written down No unsubscribe link found Body

    Google asks for a clearly visible unsubscribe link in marketing and subscribed mail, Microsoft asks for a functional one, and the CAN-SPAM Act requires a working way to opt out of commercial email. The checker looks for “unsubscribe”, “opt out” or “manage preferences” in the text you pasted. Many sending tools add the link themselves, so ignore this if yours does.

    Try: Add a visible unsubscribe link to the footer.

    Source: Google, Microsoft, US Code

  • Our pattern free gift, free money, free prize FREE gift Subject and body · 2× · 2 points

    Offers and money talk. Plenty of honest mail uses these words, so the points are small unless the wording is scam-style.

    Try: Say what it is and what it takes to get it.

  • Our pattern act now, act fast, act today Act now Subject · 1 point

    Pressure to act now. No provider names these words, but a deadline with no date behind it gives a reader nothing to check.

    Try: Say when it ends and why: “ends Friday at 18:00”.

  • Our pattern last chance, final notice Last chance Subject · 1 point

    Pressure to act now. No provider names these words, but a deadline with no date behind it gives a reader nothing to check.

    Try: A real deadline needs a date, not a warning.

  • Our pattern ends tonight, expires soon ends tonight Body · 1 point

    Pressure to act now. No provider names these words, but a deadline with no date behind it gives a reader nothing to check.

    Try: Name the day and the hour.

  • Our pattern don’t miss out, hurry, don’t wait Don’t miss out Body · 1 point

    Pressure to act now. No provider names these words, but a deadline with no date behind it gives a reader nothing to check.

    Try: Say what the reader gets, then let them decide.

  • Our pattern lowest price, best deal lowest prices Body · 1 point

    Offers and money talk. Plenty of honest mail uses these words, so the points are small unless the wording is scam-style.

    Try: Quote the price.

  • Our pattern guarantee, guaranteed Guaranteed Body · 1 point

    Big claims with no number behind them. Specific beats superlative.

    Try: Say what is guaranteed and how to claim it: “refund within 30 days”.

  • Our pattern no obligation, no strings attached no obligation Body · 1 point

    Big claims with no number behind them. Specific beats superlative.

    Try: State the terms plainly instead.

  • Our pattern click here, click below click here Body · 1 point

    Calls to action that say nothing about where the link goes.

    Try: Use link text that says where it goes: “see the March prices”.

  • Our pattern !! or ?? or !?! !!! Subject · 1 point

    How the text looks rather than what it says.

    Try: One mark is enough.

  • Our pattern short links (bit.ly, tinyurl.com, t.co) bit.ly/3xYz Body · 1 point

    How the text looks rather than what it says.

    Try: Link to your own domain so readers can see where the link goes. Google asks that links be visible and easy to understand; its page does not name shorteners.

No findings does not mean the email will reach the inbox. What a word check can’t see.

01 / Do spam words matter?

Nobody publishes
a list of spam words.

Every spam word list you can find, this one included, is somebody’s guess at what filters dislike. What the big mailbox providers do publish is a different list: things you have to do.

What Google writes down

Google’s sender guidelines for Gmail ask every sender for SPF or DKIM, valid reverse DNS, a TLS connection and a spam rate below 0.3% in Postmaster Tools. Senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail also need SPF, DKIM and DMARC and one-click unsubscribe in marketing mail. The page asks for accurate subjects and content, no hidden text and visible links. It does not contain a list of words: I searched the page text for “word”, “phrase” and “keyword” on 10 November 2026 and found none.

Read 10 Nov 2026: Email sender guidelines

What Microsoft writes down

For domains sending 5,000 or more messages a day to Outlook.com and its related consumer services, Microsoft requires SPF and DKIM to pass and a DMARC record that aligns with the From domain. Its error page shows messages that fail are rejected with 550 5.7.515. Its announcement also recommends a functional unsubscribe link, list hygiene, accurate subject lines and mail only to people who consented. Neither page lists words.

Read 10 Nov 2026: Outlook’s new requirements for high-volume senders, Fix NDR error 550 5.7.515 in Outlook.com

The tools that sell word checks say so too

Emailchaser’s checker says “there is no official public spam-word list that Gmail or Outlook publish, so any tool’s list (including this one) is a practical reference, not the filter’s exact rulebook”. Snipe’s says “no word list can tell you whether an email will reach the inbox”. We agree with both, so this checker is a hygiene pass over your copy: it catches the wording you would not want a reader to see anyway, and it points at the requirements that decide delivery.

Read 10 Nov 2026: Emailchaser, Snipe

02 / What it checks

Every check,
and who it comes from.

The first four rows are findings with a named source and no points. Only our own patterns add points, one or two for each distinct pattern, however many times it appears.

The checks in the spam word checker, what each looks for and who wrote the rule down
Check What it looks for Written down by
Re: or Fwd: subject A subject starting with Re: or Fwd:, which is only honest on a real reply or forward. Google sender guidelines
Hidden text CSS in pasted HTML that hides text: display:none, visibility:hidden, zero font size or opacity, mso-hide:all. Google sender guidelines
Unsubscribe link Marketing mail with no “unsubscribe”, “opt out” or “manage preferences” in the text. Skipped for one-to-one mail and order updates. Google, Microsoft, CAN-SPAM Act
SpamAssassin subject tests A subject that is all capitals (SUBJ_ALL_CAPS), starts with a dollar amount (SUBJ_DOLLARS), starts with “Buy” (SUBJ_BUY) or contains “As Seen” (SUBJ_AS_SEEN). SpamAssassin rule file, scoring
38 wording and formatting patterns Phrases in 6 groups (urgency, money, promises, prizes and scams, pushy calls to action) and four formatting patterns: all-caps words, repeated ! or ?, $$$ and short links. “Feel free to” is ignored. Us. A practical reference, not a filter’s rulebook

SpamAssassin gives each test a score and adds them up; its default threshold is 5.0 (its configuration page). Our rule of thumb for the points, not anyone’s threshold: 0 to 2 is few, 3 to 6 is some, 7 or more is many.

See every pattern the checker uses

Urgency · 6

Pressure to act now. No provider names these words, but a deadline with no date behind it gives a reader nothing to check.

  • act now, act fast, act today 1
  • last chance, final notice 1
  • urgent 1
  • limited time, limited offer 1
  • ends tonight, expires soon 1
  • don’t miss out, hurry, don’t wait 1

Money · 10

Offers and money talk. Plenty of honest mail uses these words, so the points are small unless the wording is scam-style.

  • free gift, free money, free prize 2
  • free 1
  • cash bonus, easy money 2
  • lowest price, best deal 1
  • save big, save up to 1
  • bargain, cheap, cheapest 1
  • earn money, extra income 2
  • no credit check, debt relief 2
  • guaranteed returns, double your money 2
  • buy now, order now, call today 1

Promises · 7

Big claims with no number behind them. Specific beats superlative.

  • guarantee, guaranteed 1
  • risk-free, no risk 2
  • no obligation, no strings attached 1
  • 100% free, 100% guaranteed 2
  • amazing, incredible, miracle 1
  • once in a lifetime 2
  • no cost, no charge 1

Prizes and scams · 8

Wording that prize scams and phishing mail lean on. Two points each, because real mail rarely needs it.

  • you’ve won, you’ve been selected 2
  • jackpot, lottery, sweepstakes 2
  • Dear friend, Dear customer 1
  • this is not spam 2
  • wire transfer, Bitcoin, gift card 2
  • lose weight, miracle cure 2
  • Viagra, online pharmacy, online casino 2
  • verify your account, account suspended 2

Pushy · 3

Calls to action that say nothing about where the link goes.

  • click here, click below 1
  • boost your sales, increase traffic 1
  • special offer, exclusive deal 1

Formatting · 4

How the text looks rather than what it says.

  • ALL-CAPS words of four letters or more 1
  • !! or ?? or !?! 1
  • $$$ 1
  • short links (bit.ly, tinyurl.com, t.co) 1

The number beside each pattern is its points. Matching ignores case except for the all-caps pattern, and every phrase is matched as whole words.

03 / What it can’t see

What decides delivery
is not in the text.

The checker reads the words you paste. Everything below is what Google, Microsoft and the law ask for outside them, so work down this list before you spend an hour on adjectives.

Your domain is set up to send

Google asks every sender for SPF or DKIM, and for SPF, DKIM and DMARC above 5,000 messages a day to Gmail; Microsoft asks the same of high-volume senders to Outlook.com and rejects what fails. Build or check the records with the SPF generator, the DKIM checker and the DMARC generator.

Readers do not report you

Google says to keep the spam rate in Postmaster Tools below 0.10% and never reach 0.30%, and that a high rate leads to more mail being classed as spam. A word check cannot see how people react to a message.

People asked for it

Google lists as practices to avoid: buying addresses, sending to people who did not sign up, and pre-ticked opt-in boxes. Microsoft recommends mail only to people who consented. Emailing customers without consent covers where that line sits.

Unsubscribe works

For senders above 5,000 a day, Google asks for one-click unsubscribe through the List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers as well as a visible link. The checker only sees the text you paste, never the headers.

The legal footer

The CAN-SPAM Act (15 U.S.C. 7704) bans deceptive subject lines and requires commercial email to carry clear identification as an advertisement (unless the recipient gave prior affirmative consent), notice of how to opt out, and a valid physical postal address. The checker does not look for an address; the CAN-SPAM checklist does.

Sources, read 10 Nov 2026: Google sender guidelines, Microsoft announcement, Microsoft error page, 15 U.S.C. 7704.

Sending newsletters from Builderify?

Broadcast and Sequences send from your own domain, and the Domains page lists the records it needs and checks them. Sending costs 0.5 credit per email, and the 250 free credits every month cover 500 emails. See pricing.

04 / Fixing a flag

How to fix a flagged phrase,
without losing the point.

This part is our advice, not a rule from anyone. Most flags are a claim with nothing under it, and the fix is to put the specific thing in.

01

Say the specific thing

A deadline gets a date and an hour, a discount gets the price, a guarantee gets its terms. The specific version is also the more useful one for the reader, which is the real reason to write it.

02

Keep the plain word

If “free” or “guarantee” is the accurate word, keep it and say what it covers. The checker points at a phrase; it cannot tell whether you mean it.

03

Fix the unseen first

A message with no unsubscribe link, sent from a domain with no DKIM, to people who never asked, will not be rescued by better adjectives. Work down the list in section 03 first.

Five flagged phrases and a more specific way to write each
Flagged More specific
Last chance! Act now Sale ends Friday 13 March at 18:00
FREE gift with every order A tote bag with orders over 50 euros, while the 200 we have last
Guaranteed lowest prices Refund within 30 days if you find it cheaper elsewhere
Click here to see the offer See the spring range
Dear customer, Hi Ana,

Illustrations only. Write what is true for your business: a refund window or a stock count you cannot honour is worse than the flagged phrase.

Questions

Spam words, before you ask.

Words and patterns that spam filters or readers treat as a warning sign: pressure to act now, prize and money talk, big promises, all capitals and strings of exclamation marks. No mailbox provider publishes a list of them. Google's email sender guidelines, read on 10 November 2026, contain no list of words, so every spam word list, including this one, is a guess at what filters dislike.

Not by itself. What Google and Microsoft write down as requirements is authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), a low complaint rate, mail only to people who asked for it, a working unsubscribe and honest subject lines. Fix those first, and use the checker to tidy copy that would read badly to a person anyway.

Our list flags it for one point, because it is common in junk mail. Google's sender guidelines do not mention it, and "feel free to reply" is ignored. If "free" is the accurate word, keep it and say what it covers, for example "includes 250 credits a month" rather than "FREE!!!".

There is no official number. The points here are our rule of thumb, not a filter's score: 0 to 2 is few, 3 to 6 is some and 7 or more is many. SpamAssassin, the open-source filter whose subject tests the checker borrows, scores each test and adds them up against a default threshold of 5.0, so one hit is rarely the whole story.

No. The text you paste is checked in your browser, and nothing is sent to Builderify. It reads English only, and it sees only the text you paste, not your headers or your sending domain.

Everything outside the words: whether your domain passes SPF, DKIM and DMARC, how many readers report you as spam, whether the people on your list asked to be there, whether the one-click unsubscribe headers are set, and whether the footer carries the postal address that the CAN-SPAM Act requires. It only looks for an unsubscribe link in the text you paste.

Sources

Every page above was opened on 10 November 2026. Microsoft’s announcement is dated 2 April 2025 and updated 30 April 2025. The wording patterns and the points are ours. ← All free tools

More on email deliverability

All deliverability guides

Stop losing the visitors
you already paid for.

More leads from the traffic you already have, and follow-up that sends itself. Free to start. No card, no monthly fee.

Start free See what it does