Conclusion Transition Words: A Complete Guide

Every time you write something it could be a school paper, a business plan or a blog post you need to have a conclusion.

This is the part where you use words to tell the reader that you are wrapping things up summarizing the main points and leaving a lasting impression.

If you do not use these words well your ending might feel sudden, unnatural or incomplete.

This article will explore the words you can use to conclude your writing, how to use them in different situations and which words to avoid so your endings are strong and memorable. Trinka’s free grammar checker can help you make your conclusions perfect.

What are these Conclusion Transition Words?

These are phrases that show the reader you are finishing your writing or a part of it. They tell the reader you are moving from explaining your ideas to summarizing the points or giving a final thought.

A good conclusion word does more than just say you are done it connects what you talked about in the body of your writing to the message you want to get across. These words help create a paragraph that makes sense and flows well.

What are the common words used to conclude your writing?

1. To summarize
2. To conclude
3. In closing
4. Ultimately
5. Overall
6. in all
7. In the end
8. As a result
9. Taking everything into account
10. On the whole.

What Are Strong Conclusion Transition Words for Essays?

1. Ultimately: This is good when you want to emphasize the point of your essay without repeating what you already said.
2. On balance: Use this when your essay looks at perspectives or arguments.
3. Taking everything into account: This is good for summing up all the points you made in your essay.
4. To summarize: This is direct and clear for longer essays.
5. In light of the above: This connects your conclusion to the argument you made in your essay.
6. Altogether: This is good for bringing different ideas into one final statement.
7. All things considered: This shows you have thought about everything and are giving an assessment.
8. Upon reflection: This is good for essays that’re reflective or personal.

What Are Conclusion Transition Words for Formal and Professional Writing?

1. In summary: This is concise and direct good for reports and memos.
2. To conclude: This is a bit more formal than “in closing”. Is good for professional letters and emails.
3. On the whole: This shows you are looking at the picture.
4. In light of these findings: This connects your conclusion to the evidence you presented.
5. As demonstrated: This shows your argument is supported by evidence.
6. Accordingly: This shows your conclusion is a result of what you discussed.
7. Given the above: This is formal and concise often used in business writing.

What Are Conclusion Transition Words for Creative and Informal Writing?

1. In the end: This is simple and direct.
2. At the end of the day: This is informal. Can be effective if used sparingly.
3. When all is said and done: This is a phrase for opinion pieces.
4. Ultimately: This is versatile. Can be used in both formal and informal writing.
5. So: This is short and direct often better than phrases in casual writing.
6. What this means is: This is good for drawing a conclusion from a story or anecdote.

What Conclusion Transition Words Should You Avoid?

Some conclusion transitions have been used so often they have lost their effect. These are worth avoiding.

1. In conclusion: This is considered weak in professional writing.
2. To sum up: This can sound abrupt.
3. But not least: This is informal and cliché.
4. In a nutshell: This is too casual for formal writing.
5. As you can see: This can sound like you are talking down to the reader.
6. I hope this article has shown: This is passive and focuses on the author of the content.

The key to using conclusion transition words is to guide the reader to the point smoothly.

When you use specific and nuanced words your conclusions will be stronger. Trinka’s free grammar checker can help you find and get rid of clichés and improve your sentence structure.