Do “spam words” still matter?

The concept of \"spam trigger words\" is largely outdated. The old advice to avoid words like \"free,\" \"guarantee,\" or \"act now\" comes from an era of simple rule-based filters. Modern machine learning systems evaluate context, not keywords. A legitimate retailer saying \"free shipping\" is treated differently than a suspicious sender with no authentication using the same phrase-because the filter weighs many signals beyond vocabulary.

That said, extreme or deceptive language still causes problems. ALL CAPS SCREAMING, excessive exclamation points!!!, and aggressive urgency tactics (\"LAST CHANCE FINAL WARNING\") trigger filters not because of specific words but because these patterns correlate with spam in training data. Phishing-associated phrases (\"verify your account,\" \"suspicious activity detected\") carry risk because they mimic attack vectors filters are trained to catch.

The practical guidance: write like a professional, not a used car salesman. If your copy sounds like spam to a human reader, it probably scores like spam to algorithms trained on human feedback. Legitimate urgency is fine; manufactured desperation raises flags. Use promotional language appropriately for your brand voice and offer. Focus on sending relevant content with good authentication from engaged lists. That umatters infinitely more than word choice.