What is a spam score?

A spam score is a numerical value that represents the likelihood that a message is spam. Filters assign this score by evaluating multiple signals and adding points for characteristics associated with unwanted mail.

Scores typically range from 0 (clean) to higher numbers indicating increasing suspicion. A message crossing a threshold, often 5.0 in SpamAssassin, gets classified as spam. Different organizations set different thresholds based on their tolerance for false positives.

The score is cumulative. Small issues add small points. Major problems add large points. A message might survive one or two minor flags but fail when multiple issues compound.

The spam score is like a vessel's accumulated inspection demerits. A few small issues are tolerable. Too many, and the ship is denied entry.