Filter Signals & Spam Scoring

How a filter "scores" your message. This section explains that most filters don't make a simple "yes/no" decision. They assign a spam score based on hundreds of signals. A "high score" sends you to spam; a "low score" sends you to the inbox.

18 questions in this topic

What is a spam score? How is a spam score calculated? How do filters calculate a spam score? What tools assign spam scores (e.g., SpamAssassin)? What is SpamAssassin and how does it work? What does a high spam score mean? How can I check the potential spam score of my email? What’s a scoring threshold (e.g., 5.0 = spam)? What are weighted signals in spam filtering? How do content, authentication, and engagement contribute to score? How do user complaints influence future filtering? What’s a “false positive” and “false negative”? How are feedback loops integrated into filter scoring? What’s the difference between IP and domain scoring? What’s the impact of frequency and volume on filter scoring? How does history of sender activity affect scoring? How do filters adapt when your sending patterns change suddenly? How can reputation recovery reset filter weighting?

Questions about Filter Signals & Spam Scoring