"Say the Word" is Namie Amuro's 19th solo single under the Avex Trax label. It is her first single after the termination of her working relationship with longtime producer, Tetsuya Komuro. Debuting in the top three after an all-time low chart debut by its predecessor, "Think of Me / No More Tears" (2001), "Say the word" was her last single to sell over 100,000 copies until her 26th single, "All for You" (2004).

"Say the Word" was originally scheduled for release in July but was delayed a month for release on August 8. Early promotion for the single touted it as her first as a singer-songwriter. A vinyl single issued through Rhythm Republic was released in September. An exclusive remix of the title track, "Say the World (Clappy Mix)" was included on the a-side of the disc. 1,500 copies of it were released before it went out of print.

During year-end promotions where artist typically perform their most popular songs of the year in Japan, Amuro premiered a dance version of "Say the Word" on Best Artist 30. This version would later be released on the greatest hits album, Love Enhanced Single Collection (2002). The original version of the song has remained exclusive to its single and has not yet been released on an album.

The original song was written in English by Ronald Malmberg and Thomas Johansson for Danish artist Jeanett Debb, the song was first released on her album Virtualize (2001) and later as a single to coincide with Amuro's version.

The song was licensed to Japanese cosmetic company Kose and appeared in a commercial starring Amuro herself. The version featured in the commercial is both musically and lyrically different from the version commercially released. The lyrics featured in the commercial are:

The English portions of the lyrics featured in the commercial match those written in Jeanett Debb's version, but were changed in the released version of the song.

In the commercial itself, Amuro advertises Kose's new line of waterproof lipstick, Luminus. It features her underwater and breaking through to grab hold of the cosmetic. She puts it on underwater to demonstrate the lipsticks ability stay on even under the most damp situations.

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