What do the email status labels mean?

Every email you validate gets one of four status labels.

Valid

The email address passed all checks. The domain has active mail servers (MX records), syntax is correct, and no risk signals were detected. Safe to send.

Invalid

The email cannot receive mail. Common reasons: invalid syntax, no domain records found, or the domain has no MX records and no fallback A record. Do not send to invalid addresses — they will hard bounce.

Risky

Technically deliverable but has one or more signals that put your sender reputation at risk. Examples include disposable email providers, role-based accounts (info@, noreply@), catch-all domains, domain typos, or newly registered domains. A risky email may or may not bounce — the risk is to your deliverability, not necessarily delivery of that single message.

Unknown

Validation could not be completed. Usually means the DNS lookup timed out, the domain's servers were temporarily unreachable, or the domain returned an ambiguous response. Treat unknown as valid and monitor bounce rates — it's not safe to suppress unknown addresses since many are likely real.

Quick reference