Prompt Thesaurus: 50 Action Verbs for Better LLM Outputs

When you open a prompt with a strong, specific verb, you’re basically flipping the model into the right “mode” before it starts thinking. Below is a breakdown of our 50 verbs grouped by Reasoning, Transformation, and Creative Generation, each with a quick-use example.

1. Reasoning & Analysis

Use when you want the LLM to think, deduce, or measure.

• Analyze – “Analyze this dataset and identify patterns.”
• Assess – “Assess the risk factors in this business plan.”
• Audit – “Audit my resume for clarity and relevance.”
• Break down – “Break down the steps needed to deploy this app.”
• Categorize – “Categorize these bug reports by severity.”
• Compare – “Compare the performance of Redis vs. Postgres for caching.”
• Contrast – “Contrast Agile and Waterfall for a non-technical audience.”
• Diagnose – “Diagnose why this SQL query is slow.”
• Evaluate – “Evaluate my portfolio website for accessibility.”
• Examine – “Examine this API response for errors.”
• Forecast – “Forecast our monthly revenue for the next 6 months.”
• Identify – “Identify duplicate entries in this dataset.”
• Inspect – “Inspect this Dockerfile for potential security risks.”
• Interpret – “Interpret this log file and explain the issue.”
• Judge – “Judge which of these three taglines is most compelling.”
• Predict – “Predict which user actions lead to churn.”
• Prioritize – “Prioritize these features based on user feedback.”
• Rank – “Rank these marketing channels from most to least effective.”
• Verify – “Verify if this JSON conforms to the schema.”

2. Transformation & Structuring

Use when you want the LLM to repackage or reshape information.

• Adapt – “Adapt this blog post for a LinkedIn audience.”
• Align – “Align these two datasets by matching user IDs.”
• Classify – “Classify these customer reviews as positive, negative, or neutral.”
• Convert – “Convert this HTML to Markdown.”
• Distill – “Distill this 3-page article into 5 bullet points.”
• Extract – “Extract email addresses from this text.”
• Format – “Format this SQL output as a readable table.”
• Group – “Group these GitHub issues by category.”
• Highlight – “Highlight the main takeaways from this research paper.”
• Index – “Index these blog posts by topic.”
• Ingest – “Ingest this dataset into a vector database schema.”
• Map – “Map these old API endpoints to the new ones.”
• Normalize – “Normalize this CSV so dates follow ISO 8601.”
• Organize – “Organize these notes into thematic sections.”
• Outline – “Outline the structure of a technical proposal.”
• Reformat – “Reformat this JSON with proper indentation.”
• Refactor – “Refactor this React component for readability.”
• Simplify – “Simplify this code without changing functionality.”
• Sort – “Sort these job titles alphabetically.”
• Structure – “Structure this raw transcript into sections and subsections.”

3. Creative Generation & Enhancement

Use when you want the LLM to create, improve, or elaborate.

• Brainstorm – “Brainstorm 10 SaaS ideas for remote teams.”
• Compose – “Compose a short welcome email for new users.”
• Create – “Create a landing page headline for a fitness app.”
• Design – “Design a 5-question onboarding survey.”
• Elaborate – “Elaborate on this point for a more persuasive argument.”
• Expand – “Expand this 50-word product description to 150 words.”
• Generate – “Generate a JSON schema for a blog post object.”
• Illustrate – “Illustrate how DNS works with an analogy.”
• Imagine – “Imagine a future where AI manages city traffic.”
• Improve – “Improve this sales pitch for a skeptical audience.”
• Innovate – “Innovate on the classic to-do list app concept.”
• Optimize – “Optimize this SQL query for speed.”
• Recommend – “Recommend 3 low-cost hosting providers.”
• Refine – “Refine this mission statement for clarity.”
• Rewrite – “Rewrite this paragraph in active voice.”
• Script – “Script a 30-second product video.”
• Storyboard – “Storyboard a short video ad for a mobile game.”
• Suggest – “Suggest improvements to our GitHub README.”
• Visualize – “Visualize this sales data as a bar chart.”
• Weave – “Weave these three user stories into a single case study.”

Key takeaway:

The first word of your prompt isn’t just decoration — it’s the mode selector. If you want sharper, more predictable outputs, lead with a strong action verb that matches your intent.