# False negative: what it is and how it works · Zorraquino
> A false negative is an unwanted email that the spam filter fails to detect and that reaches the inbox.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/digital-marketing/false-negative.html

# False negative

In email marketing, a false negative is an unwanted message that the spam filter fails to detect and that reaches the inbox

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

[The whole glossary](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary)

## What it is and how it works

It is the opposite error to a false positive: the filter lets through something it should have blocked. It happens because spammers change their techniques to get around filtering criteria.

Mailbox providers reduce false negatives by combining sender reputation, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), content analysis and the spam reports users make, from which filters learn. In statistics and other fields, a false negative is more generally a result indicating that something is absent when it is in fact present.

Topics

[Marketing and sales](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/marketing-y-ventas)

## Related concepts

- [False positive](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/digital-marketing/false-positive.html)
- [Anti-spam and antivirus filter](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/antispam-antivirus-filter.html)
- [Spam](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/spam.html)