Only likely exists is generally ready for human outreach review. Every other status needs enrichment, another contact route, or suppression.
What does likely exists mean?
The named candidate produced stronger mailbox evidence while a random control did not show accept-all behavior. It is the most usable technical status, but it is not a delivery guarantee. Confirm the person, role, company, relevance, and applicable outreach rules before sending.
What does catch-all unresolved mean?
The receiving domain accepted or treated the named candidate similarly to an unrelated random address. The check cannot prove that the person's mailbox exists. Keep it out of normal sends and look for exact public evidence or another supported route.
What does inconclusive mean?
The mail system did not provide enough information to classify the candidate. Temporary responses, throttling, provider policy, or limited connectivity can all produce an inconclusive result. Do not upgrade it based only on syntax or MX records.
What does likely invalid mean?
The result contains evidence consistent with rejection, a missing mailbox, or an unusable address. Suppress it from standard outreach unless credible new evidence appears and the contact is reviewed again.
Does verified mean guaranteed delivery?
No. Mailboxes close, provider policies change, sender reputation matters, and a message can be filtered or blocked for reasons unrelated to existence. The status describes the evidence observed at check time.