The Confusion
In the industry, you'll hear both terms. While the end goal is the same (a clean list), the process differs slightly.
Email Validation
Validation is typically the first step. It checks if the email address is formatted correctly. It looks for syntax errors (missing @, invalid characters) and domain existence (does gmail.com exist?). It's a surface-level check.
Email Verification
Verification goes deeper. It asks, 'Does this specific user exist on this server?'. It involves an SMTP handshake where the verifier contacts the mail server and asks if the mailbox is active, without actually sending an email.
Why You Need Both
A valid email (syntax correct) can still be invalid (user doesn't exist). A robust tool like MailBolt™ performs both validation and verification simultaneously to ensure maximum accuracy.
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