> ## Knowledge Base Index
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> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
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# Email status explained: what "Valid", "Catch-all", and "Invalid" mean

If you want a deeper understanding of how we validate every email we find, you can visit this in-depth article: **How our email verification works**

# Email Status Explained

### Valid

Average bounce rate: 1%

**Should You Send an Email?** Absolutely!

A "Valid" status means the email address exists, is active, and can receive emails. It’s like confirming that the mailbox at the given address is ready and waiting for mail.

### Catch-All

Average Bounce Rate: 26%

**Should You Send an Email?** It depends.

We have an article on that: [Should I send Emails to Catch-all Addresses ?](https://pronto-app.crisp.help/en/article/should-i-send-emails-to-catch-all-addresses-13rr2rf/?bust=1738230325060)

Catch-all addresses are a bit tricky. They are set up by domains to receive all emails sent to that domain, regardless of the prefix (the part before '@'). So, during the "Ping Test" step, if we ask the email server whether "[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5b3c293e3c1b3d2e37373e352932383375383436)" or "[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0c6b7e696b63657e694c6a79606069627e656f64226f6361)" exists, it will say "Yes" for both, even if "[[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d5b2a7b0b2babca7b095b3a0b9b9b0bba7bcb6bdfbb6bab8)" is not valid.

### Invalid

**Should You Send an Email?** No.

An 'Invalid' status is pretty straightforward – the email address does not exist. This could be due to various reasons, such as typos in the email address, the domain no longer existing, or the address having been deleted.