Spam Score
A numerical rating indicating how likely an email is to be flagged as spam based on content and sender factors.
What is Spam Score?
Spam score is a rating assigned by spam filters to evaluate the likelihood that an email is spam. Higher scores mean the email is more likely to be filtered. Scores are calculated based on multiple factors:
Content factors:
- Spam trigger words ("FREE", "ACT NOW", "$$$")
- ALL CAPS usage
- Excessive punctuation!!!
- Link quantity and types
- Image-to-text ratio
Technical factors:
- Missing or failed authentication
- Sender reputation
- Sending IP/domain history
- Email formatting (HTML complexity)
Engagement factors:
- Historical engagement with sender
- Recipient's past behavior with similar emails
Different spam filters use different scoring systems. SpamAssassin (open source) is commonly referenced, but Gmail, Microsoft, and enterprise filters have proprietary systems.
Why It Matters
- 1Determines whether emails reach inbox or spam
- 2Helps identify problematic content before sending
- 3Aggregate of many factors, not just content
- 4Different providers use different scoring systems
How to Measure
Use our Email Spam Checker to analyze your email content for common spam triggers.
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