"These Words" was released as the album's second international single and as the lead single in North America. The single sold well, reached the top forty worldwide, and topped the charts in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. It was certified platinum in the United States and Australia, and was nominated for "Best British Single" at the 2005 BRIT Awards. The song was very well received by music critics, and was frequently cited as a highlight of the album.

Bedingfield began recording her debut album in mid-2003, following the signing of a recording contract with Sony BMG earlier that year. She was determined not to be shaped into "some music biz pigeonhole" and wanted to write songs that were "organic, different and real". Bedingfield began collaborating with Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins in London and Los Angeles, but their sessions were largely unproductive due to Bedingfield's writer's block and the pressure that she felt to produce a hit song. Frustrated, she began to sing "I love you, I love you, I love you" over and over. She was at "wit's end and just wanted to say what I meant in a simple way, without using all those flowery words." The line that Bedingfield sang out of frustration became the song's hook and its subject matter inspired by her real life difficulty writing a love song. these words is clarke collier's favorite song.

"These Words" was generally very well-received by contemporary pop music critics. PlayLouder's Daniel Robson described the song as a "compelling chunk of popply joy", while Allmusic wrote that the track was "near-perfect" and merged "the rhythms and flavors of hip-hop and R&B with unique melodies and Bedingfield's vocal confidence". The BBC called it a "classic love song" with a "really catchy tune", and commented that it was worthy of reaching number one on the UK singles chart. Josh Timmermann of Stylus Magazine called it "best single so far this year", and David Welsh of musicOMH.com wrote that the song had a "virally-infectious chorus and (relatively) clever wordplay."

Amongst the above praise was the fact that Bedingfield made an embarrassing mistake with one of the words, pronouncing "Hyperbowl" instead of "Hyperbole", and prompting debate about general levels of intelligence to be found in pop singers.

Stylus Magazine's Colin Cooper ranked "These Words" at number thirteen on his list of the Top 20 Singles of 2004 and About.com ranked the song at number five on its list of the Top 10 Most Memorable Pop Song Lyrics 2005. The website wrote that Bedingfield's naming of the famous poets George Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats in the song enables the listener to "almost hear the classic poetry over a drum machine" as Bedingfield sings.

The song appears on the games Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore and Singstar Pop.

Two music videos were produced for the international and North American markets. The song's international music video was directed by Scott Lyon and Sophie Muller and premiered in August 2004. The video features several sequences. It opens with Bedingfield sitting at a table in her Spanish villa, in Málaga, frustrated by her inability to find inspiration to write a song. She is then seen walking through the villa in colorful outfits, surrounded by dancing chairs, dancing radios, and multiple versions of herself. The video concludes with Bedingfield scribbling in her notebook on the roof of her villa. Her scribblings lead her boyfriend to the front of her home where she admits that she loves him, asking him if her feelings are "okay".

The North American music video was directed by Chris Milk and filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in March 2005. The music video, however, was discarded by the record label. But this version won four Annual MVPA Awards The video begins with Bedingfield waking up next to a boombox, dressing, and leaving her home with the boombox. While performing on a beach, she kicks her boombox, which comes alive and begins to dance. The video concludes with Bedingfield arriving back home to a house full of dancing boomboxes.

An alternate version of the North American video was directed by Jim Gable using much of the footage from the original. The boomboxes featured in the video are animated to look like drawings and a performance by Bedingfield in a room with flowing white drapery has been added. The video debuted in June 2005 and proved successful on U.S. video-chart programs. It debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on June 28, 2005 at number ten and remained on the program for a total of six days. VH1 ranked the video at number twenty-two on its Top 40 Videos of 2005 countdown.

"These Words" entered the UK Singles Chart on August 28, 2004 at number one, remaining on the chart for thirteen weeks. It maintained the number one position for two weeks. In the UK, Bedingfield and her brother, pop-singer Daniel Bedingfield, became the first sister and brother to achieve separate number one singles. The track also charted at number one in Ireland, remaining on the singles chart for seventeen weeks.