Ultimate Guide To Attention-Grabbing Words

Attention-grabbing words entice, startle and sometimes persuade their receivers to act or respond in a certain way. Being deliberate in your word choice can help make your written documents or speeches more impactful to an audience. Understanding the meanings of these types of words and the connotations associated with them can be beneficial in helping you choose the most effective but concise language. In this article, we discuss what attention-grabbing words are, why they're important and give a list of 100 words you can use to convey your point to others.

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What are attention-grabbing words?

Attention-grabbing words are those that make you stop what you're doing and think about what you just read or heard. These types of words encourage you to do something, like complete an action or task. They often give you a visual image or evoke an emotion that's meant to make you feel a certain way.

Related: 15 Power Words for Sales

When should you use attention-grabbing words?

Attention-grabbing words can be effective in advertising to persuade an audience to do something. They can also be helpful when trying to convey a specific thought or emotion to a reader or listener. As a speaker, using attention-grabbing words can make you appear more confident and knowledgeable. They're also beneficial when writing fiction or descriptions of scenes in the world to show a reader through actions and emotions what's happening rather than specifically telling them the nature of the event.

Related: 25 Leadership Words To Use on Your Resume

25 attention-grabbing words

Use this list to understand the meanings and connotations of these attention-grabbing words:

1. Immediately

The word "immediately" conveys a sense of urgency that you should do something right now. In other contexts, it may show commitment to a task or an event:

• Urgency: "I have a project that I need you to work on immediately."

• Commitment: "I'm on my way to the office. I'll be there immediately."

2. Sharp

The word "sharp" may create different visual images depending on the other words in the sentence. This adjective could indicate an object that's clean, crisp, hard or pointy:

• Clean and crisp: "That brand new suit looks sharp on you."

• Hard or pointy: "Watch out for the garden tools in the shed. The blades are sharp."

3. Renewed

The word "renewed" may indicate something is fresh or clean. It evokes a feeling of earning a second chance or the ability to forget or correct past challenges:

• Fresh and clean: "After a trip to the spa, my entire body felt renewed."

• Second chance: "She had a renewed sense of optimism after meeting her goals."

4. Instantly

Similar to the word "immediately," the word "instantly" carries the connotation of urgency. It may also show when something is easy or effortless:

• Urgency: "I need you to take that post down instantly."

• Effortlessly: "I instantly got 75 likes on the post I uploaded this afternoon."

Related:12 Powerful Words To Use in an Interview

5. Invigorated

The word "invigorated" gives the powerful mental feeling of being awake, alive, strong and energized. If you use the word in a sentence, you may say something like:

"After my morning run, I felt invigorated and ready to start the day."

6. Unleashed

The word "unleashed" signals the rapid start of something new. It may also signal freedom from previous restraints:

• Start of something new: "We've unleashed an update package for our devices that can increase your battery life."

• Freedom: "She unleashed her dog so he could run around in the yard."

7. Unlimited

The word unlimited also implies a sense of freedom from boundaries. It may also represent having easy access to products or services without expending effort to receive them. To use the word in a sentence, you might say:

"With this new streaming service, I have unlimited access to back catalogs of thousands of artists."

8. Personalized

The word "personalized" means that an item, design or process is unique and created specifically to a certain set of standards for an individual or group. To use this word in a sentence, you may say:

"I ordered a personalized photo book for my grandmother with her favorite pictures of each member of our family."

9. Money

The word "money" represents the physical paper bills and coin change that we use to purchase goods and services. It can be an attention-grabbing word when the connotation of the sentence isn't about the money itself, but its value in a certain situation. For example:

"I earned enough extra money doing freelance writing assignments last month to pay for a pair of concert tickets."

10. Free

The word "free" may have different connotations depending on the larger meaning of the sentence in which it's included. Sometimes "free" means the ability to remove from a confining situation. In other cases, it means to get something without a monetary exchange:

• Remove from a situation: "When the clock showed 4 p.m., I was free from work and could go meet my friends for dinner."

• Receive an item: "This hat was free. Someone was passing out merchandise at a table by the front door."

11. Unlock

The word "unlock" means to open something that was previously closed. It may also show the ability to access something that you couldn't reach in the past:

• Opening: "The IT consultant unlocked my computer after I forgot my password."

• Accessing: "After completing all the levels in this video game, I unlocked a bonus level with higher multipliers."

12. Winning

The word "winning" typically indicates that you've met and exceeded a challenge, or are in the process of doing so, before others who were working toward the same goal. If used in a sentence, you might say:

"With two hours left, I'm currently winning the office fitness step challenge for this week."

Related: 153 Power Words To Make Your Resume Stand Out

13. Shocked

The word "shocked" means you're surprised or confused about an event or an instanced. Sometimes people use this word sarcastically to show that they're not impressed by an action. To use the term in the traditional sense, you may say:

"Finding out the culprit at the end of the mystery movie shocked me. I didn't expect it to be that character at all."

14. Uncover

The word "uncover" means making something public knowledge that was previously hidden or kept a secret. For example:

"Today on this podcast, the host is going to uncover the meaning behind the songs on my favorite album."

15. Unique

The word "unique" is a synonym for the word "different." To be unique means to have qualities or attributes unlike something or someone else. It can apply to people, places, things or situations. In a sentence, you can say:

"That painting was unique because it used glitter and none of the other ones in this gallery do."

16. Guaranteed

The word "guaranteed" conveys a promise that something will or won't happen. It eliminates feelings of uncertainty or unexpectedness. In a sentence, you may say:

"I guarantee this comedy video makes you laugh because all the jokes match your sense of humor."

17. Fun

The word "fun" is an attention-grabbing word because it evokes feelings of joy and the promise that the product, service or event in question is for pleasure. When used in a sentence, you could say:

"This amusement park is more fun than any other I've ever been to because it has six roller coasters and five water rides."

18. Exciting

The word "exciting" evokes feelings of glee and happiness. It typically represents a situation, event or product that you want to attend or use and to which you have a powerful bond. It could also indicate any event that heightens your emotions. For example:

"I had an exciting day at work today. I found out I got a promotion and my team surprised me with a cake in the break room."

19. Easy

The word "easy" may refer to situations or tasks that take place without effort. The connotation of "easy" can be that the item in question is simple to use or the situation may not take up much of your time:

• Simplicity: "This new tablet is easy to use. I've already integrated it into my workstation after just one day."

• Saving time: "It was easy to return my application. I just dropped it in a box in the lobby."

20. Dependable

The word "dependable" makes people feel secure and safe. It often refers to reliable people or consistent, unchanging processes. For example:

"My wellness app is so dependable. It reminds me to stand and walk every hour and when it's time to get ready for bed each night."

21. Critical

The word "critical" may have a more negative connotation than some other attention-grabbing words because it's often used in settings such as hospitals or fire stations. However, critical can just mean "crucial" or "necessary". For example:

"It's crucial to take the cookies out of the oven after exactly 10 minutes so that they're crispy on both the top and the bottom."

22. Convenient

The word "convenient" is a synonym for "easy". It indicates a thing or place that you can access with minimal effort and use or visit with little thought. In a sentence, you can say:

"This gas station is in a convenient location because it's close to the airport and the rental return lot."

23. New

The word "new" makes people think of things that are fresh, clean and innovative. The word often implies that the item it's describing is better than something that's old or previously released. It may also indicate an introduction to something people have never seen or experienced before:

• Better items: "This new headset is much better than the last model. It's wireless and has a clip to adjust the microphone location."

• Innovative ideas: "This Mexican restaurant is what our town was missing. It's a welcomed change from all the pizza shops."

24. Strong

The word "strong" indicates that something is sturdy and unmoveable. It can refer to structures, such as buildings or bridges. It may also describe the qualities of a person, such as someone who easily overcomes challenges, has a lot of confidence or helps others succeed:

• Structures: "This bridge is so strong, it even survived the windiest day in city history with gusts over 100 miles per hour."

• People: "He is such a strong leader because he always gives the team advice when we're not sure how to proceed with a project."

25. Secret

The word "secret" usually indicates a piece of information that isn't public knowledge. Many people often want to know secrets to satisfy their curiosity. As a marketing tactic, you could use the word "secret" to create a tagline like:

"Who's the next surprise guest on our podcast? The secret comes out next Friday. Don't miss it!"

75 more attention-grabbing words:

Review this list of more attention-grabbing words you can use in your copy and content to create customer interest:

1. Save

2. Amazing

3. Surprise

4. Magic

5. Explosive

6. Vital

7. Urgent

8. Warning

9. Confidential

10. Thrilling

11. Electrifying

12. Startling

13. Stunning

14. Remarkable

15. Beautiful

16. Sizzling

17. Vivid

18. Dynamic

19. Dazzling

20. Daring

21. Results

22. Discount

23. Soar

24. Revolutionary

25. Announcing

26. Introducing

27. Hack

28. Trick

29. Shortcut

30. Checklist

31. Bargain

32. Fortune

33. Sensational

34. Miracle

35. Improvement

36. Offer

37. Quick

38. Wanted

39. Compare

40. Challenge

41. Join

42. Required

43. Apply

44. Authentic

45. Anonymous

46. Certified

47. Lifetime

48. Official

49. Refund

50. Secure

51. Unconditional

52. Discover

53. Improve

54. Profit

55. Trust

56. Bonus

57. Exclusive

58. Protect

59. Latest

60. Extraordinary

61. Premiere

62. Inspire

63. Imagine

64. Accelerate

65. Activate

66. Reveal

67. You

68. Try

69. Now

70. Best

71. Spotlight

72. Demand

73. Priority

74. Fascinating

75. Should