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TL;DR

  • A mistyped domain, like gmial.com or gmail.co, makes a new contact instead of updating the existing one.
  • Exact email matching treats it as a different address, so the duplicate stays hidden.
  • A comparison that ignores the domain ending or allows one changed letter finds many of these pairs.
  • Check a second field, because two real addresses can differ by one letter.
  • In Dedupely, Similar on email ignores the domain ending, and Typo allowance accepts one changed letter.

Someone fills in a form in a hurry and types maria@gmial.com. The form can't find maria@gmail.com, so it creates a new contact. Now Maria has two records, and one of them has an email that bounces every time you send to it.

Typos in the domain are among the most common email mistakes. This post covers what they look like, how to find the duplicates they create and when a one-letter difference is a real, separate address.

What domain typos look like

Most domain typos fall into a few patterns:

Pattern Example
Swapped letters gmial.com, hotmial.com
Missing letter gmal.com, outlok.com
Extra letter gmaill.com, yahooo.com
Wrong ending gmail.co, gmail.con, yahoo.cm
Missing dot gmailcom
Company domains acmee.com for acme.com

Free email providers get the most typos because so many people use them. Company domains get them too, especially long or unusual ones.

Why exact matching misses them

Exact matching compares the whole address. maria@gmail.com and maria@gmial.com are different strings, so they never pair up. Your CRM's own check, which usually looks for an exact email, doesn't catch them either. That's how the second record got created in the first place.

How to find them

Use a comparison that allows small differences, like a swapped or missing letter, instead of requiring an exact match. That finds most domain typos and local-part typos too ("mraia@" for "maria@").

Then add a second field as a check. Two different real addresses can differ by one character: maria@acme.com and mario@acme.com are probably two people. Requiring the name to agree as well keeps those apart.

What to keep when you merge

The typo record usually has a bounced or invalid email, so the correct address should win. Check:

  • Which email is valid. Keep the one that delivers. If your CRM marks bounces, use that.
  • Which record has the history. The typo record may hold a recent form submission or event registration. Merging keeps that activity on the surviving record.
  • Unsubscribes. If either record unsubscribed, keep that preference on the merged record.

Stop new typos at the source

Typos come from forms and manual entry. A few changes reduce them:

  • Ask for the email twice on important forms, or show a "did you mean gmail.com?" suggestion.
  • Validate the email format at entry.
  • Watch bounce reports: a cluster of bounces on one misspelled domain points to the form or tool creating them.

How Dedupely finds email typos

In Dedupely, the Similar match option on email ignores capitalization, the domain ending and +tags, so maria@gmail.co and maria@gmail.com pair up. Typo allowance, off by default, accepts one changed, missing or extra letter with Exact or Similar, which catches gmal.com and gmaill.com. A swap like gmial.com changes two letters, so neither catches it: find those with a search on name and phone. Each field gets its own match option, so you can require the first name to match too, which keeps similar addresses from different people apart.

Merge Rules include best-email options that keep the strongest value, and a field can send invalid formats to Manual Review instead of merging them.

Find duplicates hidden by email typos

One letter, two records

A single mistyped letter in a domain is enough to create a duplicate and a bounced email. Exact matching can't see it. A comparison that allows small typos, checked against a name, finds these pairs without merging people whose addresses really are different.

Keep the address that delivers, keep the history from both records and fix the forms that let typos in.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I have contacts at gmial.com?

Someone mistyped gmail.com in a form or a rep typed it by hand. The CRM didn't recognize the address, so it created a new contact instead of updating the existing one.

Will an exact email search find typo duplicates?

No. Exact matching needs the whole address to be identical. Use a comparison that allows small differences.

Can two real email addresses differ by one letter?

Yes, especially at the same company: maria@ and mario@. Add the first name as a second condition so those don't pair up.

Which email should I keep after merging?

The one that delivers. Typo addresses usually bounce, so keep the correct one and the activity from both records.

How do I stop email typos from creating duplicates?

Validate emails at entry, show suggestions for common misspellings and watch bounce reports for misspelled domains.