Is spam the same as junk mail?
In email, yes. "Spam" and "junk" both mean unwanted messages your email provider moves out of your inbox. The name depends on the app you use.
Yes. Gmail and Yahoo call the folder Spam. Outlook and Apple Mail call it Junk or Junk Email. Both hold messages the filter thinks are unwanted or dangerous. In everyday speech, "junk mail" can also mean paper advertising in your mailbox, but on a screen the two words mean the same thing.
Which app uses which word
| Email app | Folder name |
|---|---|
| Gmail | Spam |
| Yahoo Mail | Spam |
| Outlook / Outlook.com | Junk Email |
| Apple Mail / iCloud | Junk |
| Proton Mail | Spam |
Looking for the folder? See where the spam folder is in Gmail or where the junk folder is in Outlook.
What counts as spam?
Spam is email you did not ask for, usually sent in bulk. It ranges from annoying to dangerous:
- Unwanted advertising from lists you never joined.
- Phishing: fake messages from "your bank", "PayPal" or "Microsoft" that try to get your password.
- Scams: prizes, inheritances, fake invoices and "your package is held" messages.
- Malware: attachments or links that install harmful software.
Newsletters you did sign up for are not spam, even if you no longer want them. For those, use the unsubscribe link, which is safer and does not teach your filter that wanted mail is spam.
Why good email sometimes lands in spam or junk
Filters guess. A real message can end up in spam when the sender's setup is incomplete (missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC records), when many people mark similar mail as spam, or when it contains links and words common in scams. Marking a message as Not spam helps the filter learn. If you send email yourself, see the deliverability checklist.
Where the word "spam" came from
SPAM is a canned meat made by Hormel since 1937. In a 1970 Monty Python sketch, a group of Vikings sings "Spam, spam, spam" until no one can hear anything else. Early internet users borrowed the word for floods of repeated, unwanted messages, and it stuck. Hormel accepts the slang use of "spam" for junk email but asks that the capitalized SPAM be used only for its food.
Questions people ask
- Is it safe to open emails in the spam folder?
- Opening is usually low-risk, but do not click links, open attachments or reply unless you are sure the sender is real. If a real message is there, mark it "Not spam" so it reaches your inbox next time.
- Does spam get deleted automatically?
- Yes. Gmail and Apple iCloud Mail delete spam and junk after 30 days, and Outlook removes junk between 10 and 30 days after it arrives. Check the folder if you are waiting for something important.
- What does "potential spam" mean?
- Your email or phone app suspects the message is unwanted but is not sure. Treat it with care: check the sender before you click anything.
- What does SPAM stand for?
- Nothing: it is not an acronym. The word comes from a 1970 Monty Python sketch in which "Spam" is sung until it drowns out everything else. Phrases like "Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages" were invented later as jokes.
Sending one email to a whole list? Check the addresses first with Veml, which removes bad and risky emails before you hit send. (Veml and EmailNa have the same owner.)