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Email Subject Line Tester

Score an email subject line out of 100 against four simple, well-known heuristics: length, all-caps, repeated punctuation, and a short list of classic spam-trigger words.

How to use this tool

  1. 1

    Type or paste your subject line into the input box.

  2. 2

    Read the 0-100 score that appears instantly as you type.

  3. 3

    Review the checklist below it for length, all-caps, punctuation, and matched spam words.

  4. 4

    Edit the wording and watch the score update live until you are happy.

How does this subject line score work?

This is a lightweight, rule-based heuristic checker, not a real inbox-placement test. It starts every subject at 100 and subtracts points for four patterns. Length outside 20-60 characters costs 20 points, because very short lines underperform and longer ones get truncated in mobile previews (most clients show roughly 30-50 characters before cutting off). A subject written entirely in capitals (and longer than five characters) costs 30 points, since shouting in all caps is a long-standing spam signal. Two or more consecutive ! or ? characters cost 15 points. Finally, each match against a built-in list of ten classic trigger words and phrases (free, guarantee, act now, click here, cash, winner, prize, viagra, casino, make money) costs 10 points. The matching is a plain case-insensitive substring check, so guarantee inside guaranteed still counts, and there is no detection of personalization, emojis, sender reputation, or modern Bayesian filtering. Treat the number as a quick sanity nudge toward shorter, calmer copy, then validate real deliverability with a seed-list test or a tool like Mail-Tester or GlockApps.

Common use cases

  • Quickly sanity-checking a newsletter subject before scheduling a campaign in Mailchimp or Klaviyo.

  • Trimming a subject line down to fit the roughly 30-50 character mobile preview window.

  • Catching an accidental ALL-CAPS subject that slipped in from a copied headline.

  • Spotting leftover '!!!' or '???' before a marketing blast goes out.

  • Teaching a junior marketer why words like 'FREE' and 'ACT NOW' have a spammy reputation.

  • A/B brainstorming two subject variants side by side to see which scores cleaner.

Frequently asked questions

Does a high score guarantee my email reaches the inbox?▼
No. This tool only checks four surface-level text patterns. Real deliverability depends on SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication, sender reputation, list hygiene, and the recipient's spam filter, none of which this tool can see. Use it as a copy nudge, then test with a seed list or a service like Mail-Tester.
How is the score calculated?▼
Start at 100. Subtract 20 if the subject is under 20 or over 60 characters, 30 if it is entirely uppercase and longer than 5 characters, 15 if it contains two or more consecutive ! or ? marks, and 10 for each matched spam word. The result is clamped so it never drops below 0.
Which spam words does it check for?▼
A fixed list of ten: free, guarantee, act now, click here, cash, winner, prize, viagra, casino, and make money. The check is a case-insensitive substring match, so it is not a comprehensive or industry-standard spam dictionary, just common examples.
Why does the length check seem to disagree with the green check mark?▼
Two different ranges are used. The scoring penalty only kicks in below 20 or above 60 characters, while the checklist shows a green tick only for the tighter 30-50 character sweet spot. So a 25-character subject loses no points but still shows a caution icon.
Does it detect emojis, personalization, or clickbait?▼
No. There is no emoji handling, no merge-tag or first-name personalization detection, and no semantic clickbait analysis. It only measures raw length, caps, repeated punctuation, and the ten listed words.
Is my subject line sent anywhere?▼
No. The entire check runs locally in your browser with plain JavaScript. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or logged on a server.

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