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Power Words: Use Them to Strengthen Your Writing

By Elaine Sambugaro

Published November 2001

A final point

In general, power words are used in two ways within the text:

You'll find power words towards the beginning of a written document because that's the first opportunity to impress the reader. If there's any time to shine on a page, it's at the beginning. There is no better time to use strong words to convey a confident and trustworthy persona on the page.
Power words can also appear in headlines or sub-headlines to hold a reader's attention. Clear and precise subject-verb headlines work best. For example, it is better to write "Top biz-owners hit rock bottom" rather than "Business owners go bankrupt after stock market crash." Hit is a stronger power word than go.

A final note for business owners who would like to begin using power words in presentations, letters or press releases: At first, it is best to use these words or phrases sparingly and to try to weave them gently into your natural written style.

A businessperson should not go out of their way to incorporate them into a letter, because they feel that the presence of a word will enhance their presentation. It might. Then again, if it is used incorrectly, it may add extreme awkwardness to an otherwise satisfactory piece of prose.