"These Words" performed moderately well in North America. The single debuted at number one hundred on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on 2 July 2005 and reached a peak position at number seventeen, remaining on the chart for twenty weeks. The song did well on pop-oriented charts, reaching number nine on the Pop 100 and number ten on the Top 40 Mainstream. "These Words" was helped on the Hot 100 by its strong digital downloads, peaking at number seven on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The single had crossover success in the dance charts, reaching number one on the Hot Dance Airplay chart and number thirty-five on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.