THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
Stage: Onboarding / Live
Owner: CS
Last updated: 2026-7-27
TL;DR
Good = Safe to use, deliverable
Bad = Do not use, will likely bounce
Risky = Often catchalls; usable with awareness
Only trust the quality column when filtering your list
When you'd use this / Why it matters
Use this article after running the Email Verifier and reviewing your CSV results. Understanding these three statuses helps you protect deliverability and decide which emails to include or exclude from your campaigns.
Good
Good emails are confirmed deliverable. These addresses passed ListKit's verification checks and are considered safe to send to.
You can:
Keep them in your list
Use them in campaigns immediately
Why it matters: Good emails have the highest likelihood of reaching real inboxes and won't hurt your sender reputation.
Bad
Bad emails are not deliverable and should never be used. These addresses failed verification and are very likely to bounce.
You should:
Remove them from your list
Never include them in campaigns
Why it matters: Sending to Bad emails increases bounce rates and can damage your domain and inbox reputation.
Risky
Risky emails are harder to verify, but not automatically invalid. Many verification tools mark these as uncertain because they can't make a definitive call. The most common reason is catch-all domains.
What are catch-alls?
A catch-all domain accepts all incoming emails, even if the specific inbox doesn't exist. Because of this, traditional verifiers struggle to confirm them and often label them "unknown" or "risky."
Why ListKit marks them as Risky (not Bad):
ListKit runs deeper validation checks than standard tools. A Risky result usually means the email likely exists and can receive mail, but the domain setup makes certainty harder.
You can:
Keep Risky emails if you want maximum volume
Use them in campaigns with awareness of slightly higher uncertainty
Best practice: If deliverability is extremely sensitive, separate Risky emails into a different campaign, or send to them later after testing performance. They are not automatically unsafe.
Important note about other CSV columns
Your verification CSV may also include columns like result, free, and role. These are for technical context only — they do not affect filtering and should not guide campaign decisions.
👉 Only rely on the quality column.
Expected outcome
You should now be able to:
Confidently filter your verified list
Remove Bad emails immediately
Use Good emails safely
Decide how and when to use Risky emails
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Should I delete all Risky emails?
Not necessarily. Many perform well, especially catch-alls. Test them separately if needed.
Why do other tools disagree with ListKit?
ListKit uses deeper checks that go beyond basic verification methods.
What column should I actually filter by?
Only the quality column.