What each verification status means

Valid, invalid, invalid syntax, catch-all, risky, unknown, disposable and blocked: what the engine actually checked and what to do with each verdict.

Every verification is a live conversation with the address's own mail server, so each status describes what that server said just now, not what a cached list remembered. Alongside the status you get a trust score from 0 to 100 (higher is safer) that folds in the role-account, free-provider and catch-all signals.

The eight statuses

Valid: the mailbox exists and accepts mail. Safe to send.

Invalid: the server rejected the recipient outright. Sending here is a guaranteed hard bounce; remove it.

Invalid syntax (invalid_syntax): The address is not written as a valid email address, for example a missing @ or a character that cannot be in one. Do not send to it: fix the typo or drop the row.

Catch-all: the domain accepts mail for every address, so acceptance proves nothing about this particular mailbox. We say so instead of calling it valid; the trust score helps you decide. More on catch-alls.

Risky: deliverable but flagged: typically a role account like info@ or support@, which draws complaints in cold outreach.

Disposable: a throwaway inbox from a known temporary provider. It will stop existing shortly; drop it from any long-term list.

Unknown: the server refused a straight answer within the retry window (greylisting and similar). We return unknown rather than guessing, and you are not charged for it. Re-verify later and you pay only if it resolves to a real verdict.

Blocked: not checked on purpose. The domain's mail sits behind a security gateway that does not give reliable answers to verification (reason behind_gateway). It is final, and you are not charged for it. Treat it like an address you have not verified and decide by your own risk: keep it for one to one mail you would send anyway, and leave it out of bulk sends where a bounce would hurt you.

How fresh is a verdict?

In a bulk job a recent verdict can be reused, and the results show how old each one is.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we'll reply in your dashboard.