Spam check

Check an email for spam: content score by filter rules

The check runs your email through rules modeled on SpamAssassin: each problem adds points, and at 5 points a filter sends the email to spam. Every problem comes with a tip on how to fix it.

A message on a spam filter scale against penalty points

How a filter scores an email

SpamAssassin and similar filters run an email through hundreds of rules. Each rule that fires adds points, and once the total reaches the threshold, usually 5, the email goes to spam.

This check repeats the rules about content: subject, text, links, images and HTML markup. It runs in your browser and sends the email nowhere.

Big mail services also judge the sender: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, IP and domain reputation, recipient complaints. A clean email from a bad server can still land in spam.

When it helps

Before a newsletter goes out, to remove spam phrases and extra capitals.
When emails start landing in spam and you need to know whether the text is to blame.
When you review an HTML template from a designer: weight, images, hidden blocks.
For cold emails, where every extra link hurts delivery.

Questions and answers

01Is this the real SpamAssassin?

No. The check repeats its content rules and scores them the same way. Only the filter on a given server gives the exact result for that server.

02Why does an email with a low score still land in spam?

Most likely the sender is the problem. Check the domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC and see whether the server IP sits on a blacklist.

03Which words should I never use in an email?

No word is banned. Filters penalize combinations: "free", "guaranteed income", "urgent", capitals and exclamation marks together add up fast. On their own they barely matter.

04Does the email go to your server?

No. The analysis runs in your browser and the text goes nowhere.

05Does the check look for an unsubscribe link?

Yes, when you tick 'This is a newsletter'. A newsletter without an unsubscribe link gets penalty points. Since 2024 Gmail and Yahoo also require the List-Unsubscribe header, which your sending service adds.