{"id":82578,"date":"2024-10-23T17:36:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T17:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glosario\/email\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:53:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:53:26","slug":"email","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/email\/","title":{"rendered":"Email"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An email is a message sent over the internet from one email address to another. In Spanish it is the same as \u00abcorreo electr\u00f3nico\u00bb: the word comes from the English electronic mail<\/em>. It can include text, images, links and attachments, and it reaches any part of the world in seconds.<\/p>\n\n

Despite chat apps and social media, it is still the most universal digital channel. According to The Radicati Group, there were about 4.48 billion email users worldwide in 2024, and around 361.6 billion messages were sent every day.<\/p>\n\n

What does email mean?<\/h2>\n\n

Email is the short form of electronic mail<\/em>, which in Spanish is called \u00abcorreo electr\u00f3nico\u00bb. It is used for three different things: the messaging system, each message you send and the address people write to you at. When someone says “I’ll send you an email” or “can I have your email?”, they mean the message in the first case and the address in the second.<\/p>\n\n

In Spanish, several forms coexist:<\/p>\n\n

Form<\/th>What it is<\/th>Is it recommended?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Correo electr\u00f3nico<\/td>The Spanish equivalent<\/td>Yes, it is the option recommended by the RAE<\/td><\/tr>
Email \/ e-mail<\/td>Anglicism, very widespread<\/td>It is understood, but the RAE considers it unnecessary<\/td><\/tr>
Mail<\/td>Colloquial shortening of email<\/em><\/td>Only in informal contexts<\/td><\/tr>
Correo-e<\/td>Calque from English<\/td>No, the RAE advises against it<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

The Diccionario panhisp\u00e1nico de dudas recommends using \u00abcorreo electr\u00f3nico\u00bb, which works for the system, the message and the address. For the address, \u00abdirecci\u00f3n de correo electr\u00f3nico\u00bb also works. Even so, \u00abemail\u00bb is used every day at work and in marketing. In this entry we use both forms as synonyms.<\/p>\n\n

Parts of an email, with an example<\/h2>\n\n

All emails have the same structure, whether you write them in Gmail, Outlook or from a bulk email platform. Take a simple example: an online store confirms an order to its customer.<\/p>\n\n

\"Parts<\/figure>\n\n

These are the parts you will see:<\/p>\n\n