200+ Transition Words for Essays That You Should Know

Essay writing is a common assignment type that every student will have to face during their scholastic life. But in order to make the entire essay look balanced and engaging, certain factors need to be included in the essay content. One such significant factor is the transitional words. In general, to establish a connection between the information and to maintain a logical flow, your instructors may ask you to add transitions between the essay paragraphs. In case, you have no idea what transition words mean or if you need the best transition words for essays, continue reading this blog.

For your better understanding, here, we have presented a complete overview of transition words, the purpose of using them, and how to use them effectively in different types of essays. Additionally, for your convenience, we have also shared a list of the best transition words for essays to improve the flow of your writing.

What are Transition Words?

Transitional words serve as a connecting link between sentences. They resemble conjunctions and will usually make the writing flow smoothly. If you employ transitional phrases and words when writing an essay, your readers will find it easier to read and comprehend the content you present. Moreover, you can start each body paragraph of your essay with a transition word to lay the groundwork for the concept that will be covered later.

Usually, a transition word or phrase would be mostly followed by a comma. But you can also use a semicolon to tie two sentences instead of separating them with a period because it will help you to add more connection between your thoughts. Particularly, while using transition words for your essay, be careful because it can either make or break the whole essay topic.

Note that, it is not mandatory to use transitional words or phrases in every sentence in an essay. Its main idea is to build a coherent relationship with the document and help the readers shift from one idea to another in a smooth manner. So, use the transition words only at the appropriate places in your essay content and make sure that your entire essay is not confusing to your readers.

Example of a Transition Word

For your understanding, here we have explained the use of transition words with a simple example.

Without Transition Words: John did not submit his project. He failed his Science Exam.

With Transition Words: John did not submit his project. As a result, he failed his Science Exam.

In the above sentence, the transitional phrase, “as a result” added between the two sentences improves the flow and connects the idea that one thing has led to another.

Benefits of Using Transition Words in an Essay

In general, an essay without transition words will not make a significant difference. However, if you use them in your essay paragraphs, you will reap numerous benefits, as listed below.

• It improves the flow of writing by establishing a link between sentences and ideas.
• Using transition words in the right places in a sentence will make the essay easier to read.
• The transition words will hold the sentences together, resulting in a more cohesive text as a whole.

Types of Transitions

Mainly, while drafting a document, three types of transitions can be used depending on the length, type of text, and complexity. The following are the common types of transitions.

Transition between paragraphs

It is when you logically create a connection between two paragraphs. Basically, this connection summarizes the primary concern of the paragraph and joins it with the next idea of the other paragraph.

Transition within paragraphs

They behave as cues for the readers to prepare them for what is coming next. Usually, they are small phrases or single words.

Transition between sections

When an essay is lengthy, to summarize a particular section, transition paragraphs can be used. Additionally, it also links the information that is to be discussed next.

Categories of Transition Words

Actually, the transitional words and phrases will fall into different categories based on their purpose and usage. Listed below are some primary categories –

• Agreement, Addition, or Similarity
• Sequence or Order
• Contradiction or Opposition
• Cause and Effect
• Examples, Support, or Emphasis
• Location, Space/Place, or Time
• Conclusion, Clarification, or Summary

While writing essays, you need not stick to the above-listed categories. You can use any transitional words or phrases that suit perfectly for your content. But remember that using a wrong transition word in the wrong context may deviate in a different direction from the point that you are trying to explain.

List of Transition Words for Essays

Here, you can find a complete list of transition words and phrases in different categories that you can use in various essay types to improve the flow of your writing.

Transition Words for Agreement, Addition, or Similarity

While writing an argumentative essay or any other college essay, the transition words listed below will be helpful to you.

1. In addition to
2. Equally important
3. Again
4. Therefore
5. Let alone
6. Just like
7. As a matter of fact
8. Also
9. Not only… but also
10. In the same fashion
11. Too
12. In the light of
13. By the same token
14. Moreover
15. In the same way
16. Even More
17. Indeed
18. Similarly
19. In like manner
20. Comparatively
21. As well as
22. Not to mention
23. And
24. Another
25. Furthermore
26. Correspondingly
27. Thus
28. Equally
29. Likewise
30. Including

Transition Words for Sequence or Order

The following are some transition words that can be used to represent the sequence or order.

1. Firstly… secondly… thirdly
2. In the first place… in the second place
3. Sooner… later
4. Immediately following
5. After
6. Formerly… presently
7. As soon as
8. Preceding
9. Simultaneously
10. Since
11. Shortly
12. Afterward
13. Next… then… finally
14. Once
15. By the time
16. Earlier
17. Both… and
18. Now that
19. To begin with
20. Later

Transition Words for Compare and Contrast Essay

Listed below are a few contradictions or opposition transitional words that can be used in a compare and contrast essay.

1. In spite of
2. Still
3. Be that as it may
4. Though
5. In contrast
6. Albeit
7. While it may be true
8. Notwithstanding
9. As much as
10. Above all
11. Conversely
12. Although
13. However
14. On the contrary
15. Although this may be true
16. Despite
17. Regardless
18. But
19. On the one hand… the other hand
20. Nevertheless
21. Even though
22. Admittedly
23. Different from
24. That said
25. Nonetheless
26. Yet
27. Rather
28. Instead
29. At the same time
30. Granted

Transition Words for Informative Essay

Here is a list of transition words that can be used while writing an informative essay and other college essays.

1. If
2. When
3. In the hope that
4. Even if
5. In case
6. So as to
7. Whenever
8. With this intention
9. In view of
10. To clarify
11. Notably
12. To explain
13. By all means
14. In general
15. As in illustration

Transition Words for Cause and Effect Essay

The following are some transition words that will enhance the flow of writing when used in the cause-and-effect essay.

1. As a result
2. Hence
3. Due to
4. In the event that
5. Since
6. Consequently
7. So
8. At the end that
9. Unless
10. As
11. Thus
12. With this in mind
13. In order to
14. Provided that
15. Because
16. Accordingly
17. Owing to
18. In light of
19. Seeing that
20. Subsequently
21. Therefore
22. Inasmuch as
23. While
24. Being that
25. In the event that

Transition Words for Examples, Emphasis, or Support

Listed below are transition words that can be used in a sentence while presenting any examples, support, or emphasis.

1. For example
2. Again
3. Especially
4. Including
5. In fact
6. To put it another way
7. For instance
8. Truly
9. Particularly
10. To include
11. For the purpose of
12. Namely
13. Specifically
14. To illustrate
15. Also
16. Certainly
17. Another key point
18. As an illustration
19. Namely
20. To demonstrate
21. Equally important
22. Precisely
23. Surely
24. Above all
25. So that
26. In particular
27. More importantly
28. Besides
29. As an example
30. Of course

Transition Words for Location, Time, Space/Place

Here are some transition words that can be used in a sentence while presenting any location, time, space, or place.

1. After
2. Subsequently
3. Adjacent
4. This time
5. In the future
6. Now
7. Afterward
8. Before
9. Immediately after
10. Following
11. Previously
12. Beyond
13. At last
14. Currently
15. Back then
16. Soon
17. Above
18. Earlier
19. Meanwhile
20. Simultaneously
21. Nowadays
22. While
23. Below
24. Here
25. There
26. During
27. Today
28. Sometimes
29. Nearby
30. Then

Transition Words for Conclusion, Summary of Clarification

Listed below are some transition words that can be used in the conclusion paragraph.

1. In conclusion
2. Briefly
3. On the whole
4. In either case
5. That is
6. As for
7. In other words
8. To sum up
9. In brief
10. After all
11. In a nutshell
12. As shown above
13. To rephrase
14. In summary
15. Altogether
16. In the end
17. All things considered
18. In consideration of
19. Finally
20. To conclude
21. In short
22. On the subject of
23. With regard to
24. In a word
25. To summarize
26. Ultimately
27. Given these points
28. Actually
29. Considering this result
30. Regarding

Where to Use Transition Words in an Essay?

By now, you would have had a clear idea about which word to use for the transition between the points and ideas. In case, you are still wondering where to use transition words in your essays or research papers, then take a look at the following.

You can use transition words or phrase

• In your topic sentence at the start of each paragraph.
• Between the evidence and the result or argument.
• In your end sentence at the closing of each paragraph.
• At the start of your introductory or summary paragraph.
• To make summarized points within your conclusion paragraph.

Points to Remember While Using Transition Words

Here are some key pointers that will assist you in successfully employing transition words in your writing.

• Avoid using transition words excessively in your essay.
• Don’t use transition words in every sentence.
• Before using a word in your essay, make sure you understand it completely. If you use the incorrect word, the logic will be completely lost.
• Discover how to begin a sentence with transition words. Many transition words can be used at the start of sentences in most cases, but some should be avoided in academic essays. For example, don’t use transition words like “and, but, because” at the beginning of a sentence. Find a better replacement for these words and use them.
• Never employ transition words at the end of a sentence.

Conclusion

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