If These 10 Words Are Part Of Your Everyday Language, You Have More Class Than 98% Of People
Class isn’t about money. It’s not about where you went to school or what brand you’re wearing or which neighborhood you live in. Class—real class—is about how you treat people, and it often shows up most clearly in the words you choose.
Some words signal something specific about the person using them. Not intelligence exactly, though that’s often there. Not wealth, though it’s sometimes assumed. What they signal is consideration—an awareness that your words affect other people, and a willingness to choose them carefully.
Language psychology research shows that word choice reveals values, emotional intelligence, and social awareness more reliably than almost any other behavioral cue. The words you use habitually tell people who you are before you’ve said anything about yourself.
Related: 9 Habits Unsuccessful People Cling To That Keep Them From Moving Forward In Life
1. “Thank you”
Not the reflexive, barely audible thanks you mutter when someone holds a door. The genuine, specific, eye-contact version. “Thank you for taking time to explain that.” “Thank you for thinking of me.” The kind that makes people feel like their effort was noticed.
Most people say thank you. Classy people mean it. The difference is in the delivery—the pause, the specificity, the acknowledgment that someone did something they didn’t have to do and you’re genuinely glad they did.
Gratitude research shows that expressed appreciation strengthens relationships more powerfully than almost any other social behavior. The person who says thank you like they mean it is someone people want to be around.
2. “I appreciate that”
This goes further than thank you. “I appreciate that” acknowledges not just what someone did but the effort or thought behind it. It says: I see what that cost you, and it matters to me.
Appreciation is recognition of value. When you tell someone you appreciate them—their time, their patience, their perspective—you’re affirming their worth. Most people are starving for this kind of recognition. The person who provides it regularly stands out.
Classy people deploy this phrase in situations where most people say nothing at all. After a friend listens to them vent. After a colleague covers for them. After a stranger goes slightly out of their way. They notice, and they name it.
3. “Please”
“Please” is the simplest signal that you don’t take other people’s effort for granted. It transforms a demand into a request. It acknowledges that the person you’re asking has a choice, and you’re respecting that choice rather than assuming compliance.
The disappearance of “please” from casual interactions is noticeable. Orders at coffee shops, requests in emails, instructions to service workers—many have been stripped of this basic courtesy. The person who consistently uses “please” doesn’t just have manners. They have awareness that other people’s time and labor deserve acknowledgment.
4. “I was wrong”
Three words that most people will do almost anything to avoid saying. Admitting fault requires the kind of security and self-awareness that separates genuine class from its imitation.
Classy people don’t need to be right all the time because their identity doesn’t depend on being right. They can absorb being wrong without it threatening who they are. This makes them safer to be around—people trust someone who can own their mistakes because it means they’re dealing with reality, not ego.
The phrase also models something powerful for everyone around them. When you say “I was wrong” cleanly and without excuse, you give others permission to do the same. You lower the social cost of honesty.
5. “Tell me more about that”
This phrase signals genuine curiosity—the willingness to go deeper instead of staying on the surface. It tells the other person that what they’re saying is interesting enough to pursue and that you value their perspective enough to ask for more of it.
Most conversations operate on autopilot. Someone shares something, the other person responds with their own related story, and the exchange stays shallow. “Tell me more” breaks that pattern. It redirects attention to the speaker and creates space for the kind of depth that builds real connection.
Research on conversational quality shows that people who ask follow-up questions are rated as significantly more likable and socially skilled. The phrase itself is almost magical—it costs nothing and gives the other person something rare: the feeling of being genuinely interesting.
6. “How can I help?”
Not “let me know if you need anything”—which is a polite way of putting the burden on the other person. “How can I help?” is active. It’s direct. It says: I’m here, I’m willing, tell me what you need.
Classy people offer help in ways that are easy to accept. They don’t make you feel like a burden for needing it. They don’t attach conditions or keep score. They just show up and ask what’s useful.
Prosocial behavior research shows that how you offer help matters as much as whether you offer it. Vague offers get declined. Specific, direct offers get accepted. The person who says “how can I help?” and means it is providing something most people only perform.
7. “I don’t know enough about that to have an opinion”
In a culture that rewards hot takes and instant opinions, the willingness to say “I don’t know” is almost radical. It signals intellectual humility—the understanding that not every topic deserves your uninformed commentary.
Classy people don’t need to fill every silence with an opinion. They’re comfortable acknowledging the limits of their knowledge. They’d rather learn than pretend. This makes them more credible when they do have opinions, because you know those opinions are grounded in actual understanding.
The phrase also creates space for people who do know about the topic. Instead of filling air with noise, you’re making room for expertise. That’s class.
8. “That must be difficult”
Empathy in four words. When someone shares a struggle and you respond with “that must be difficult,” you’re doing something most people fail to do: acknowledging their experience without trying to fix it, minimize it, or redirect it.
The instinct when someone shares a problem is to offer solutions, share your own similar experience, or reassure them it’ll be fine. Sometimes people want those things. But often they just want to feel heard. “That must be difficult” provides validation without presumption.
Classy people understand that presence is often more valuable than advice. They can sit with someone’s pain without needing to escape it through problem-solving or topic changes.
9. “Excuse me”
Another seemingly basic phrase that carries weight precisely because it’s disappearing. “Excuse me” acknowledges that you’ve entered someone’s space, interrupted their conversation, or caused a minor inconvenience. It says: I see you, and I respect your presence.
The absence of “excuse me” is noticeable in public spaces. People push past without acknowledgment. They interrupt without preface. They occupy shared space as if nobody else exists. The person who consistently says “excuse me” is signaling awareness that they’re not the only person in the room.
10. “I’m happy for you”
Said genuinely—not through gritted teeth, not with hidden resentment, not followed by a “but.” Just clean, honest happiness for someone else’s good fortune.
This might be the hardest phrase on this list. Genuine happiness for others requires security, generosity, and the absence of envy. It requires believing that someone else’s gain isn’t your loss. It requires being okay enough with your own life to celebrate someone else’s.
Classy people can say “I’m happy for you” and mean it because they’ve done the internal work of being at peace with their own situation. Their joy for you isn’t performance. It’s overflow from their own contentment.
None of these words are expensive, rare, or difficult to pronounce. They’re available to everyone, regardless of income, education, or background. And that’s exactly the point—class isn’t about access to exclusive things. It’s about choosing to use what’s available to you in ways that honor other people.
The words you use every day are tiny declarations of who you are. They tell people whether you notice them, whether you respect them, whether you consider their experience alongside your own. You can dress impeccably and have terrible language. You can dress simply and speak with a grace that makes everyone around you feel valued.
Real class lives in the space between what you could say and what you choose to say. It’s the “please” you didn’t have to add. The “I was wrong” you could have avoided. The “I’m happy for you” that costs you nothing but gives someone everything.
If these words are already part of your daily vocabulary, you’re carrying something valuable—something that can’t be bought, can’t be faked, and never goes out of style.
