Email format

Most organisations create work addresses from a consistent pattern: {first}.{last}@acme.com, {first}@acme.com, {f}{last}@acme.com, {first}{l}@acme.com, {first}_{last}@acme.com and so on. Knowing the pattern lets you predict the address of anyone at that company.

Patterns have exceptions. Two people with the same name get a number or middle initial (jane.doe2@), long-serving staff may keep an older format, subsidiaries and regional offices may use different domains, and names with hyphens, apostrophes or accents are handled inconsistently. Some companies also change format after a rebrand or migration.

The pattern gives you a strong first guess, but a guess isn't a verified address. Applying the format blindly to a whole list produces bounces whenever someone is an exception or has left. On catch-all domains the server won't help you tell the right address from a wrong one, so the pattern evidence matters more there.

Skrap.ai's email finder uses the company's format together with a check against the mail server, and returns the most likely work email verified before it's returned (1 credit if found, 0 if not). To check addresses you've built yourself from a pattern, run them through the free email verifier first. More on patterns in company email formats.