---
title: "Email Permutator: Find Anyone's Work Email Format | Prosyo"
description: "Free email permutator: generate every likely work-email address from a name and domain, most common B2B formats first, and learn how to find the right one."
url: "https://prosyo.com/tools/email-permutator/"
image: "https://prosyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/cropped-Prosyo-Icon-Transparent-1.png"
language: "en"
---

Free Tools

# Email Permutator

Generate every likely work-email pattern for a person at a company, ordered by how commonly B2B companies use them.

Email Permutator Instant · free

## What is an email permutator?

An email permutator generates every likely email address for a person at a company, from their first name, last name and the company’s domain. Most companies use one consistent format for every employee, such as `jane.cooper@company.com` or `jcooper@company.com`, so if you know the person’s name and the domain, the right address is almost always one of a small number of patterns.

This free email permutator builds 20 or more candidate addresses, ordered with the patterns most widely used by B2B companies first. It handles accented and special characters, adds middle-name variations when you provide one, checks that the domain can receive email, and lets you copy any address, copy them all, or download the list as a CSV.

## Key takeaways

- Most companies use one email format for everyone.
- first.last@, first@ and flast@ cover most B2B companies.
- Find the real format from any published address before you send.
- Send to one address, never to a list of guesses.
- Use LinkedIn when you cannot confirm an address: zero bounce risk.

## How to use the email permutator

1. **Enter the person’s first and last name** exactly as they use them professionally, for example on LinkedIn.
2. **Add a middle name** if they use one; it adds patterns such as `jane.m.cooper@`.
3. **Enter the company domain**, for example `company.com`. A website URL works too.
4. **Press “Generate emails”.** You get the full list plus a check that the domain accepts email.
5. **Narrow it down** using the methods below before you send anything.

## The most common business email formats

The list is ordered roughly by how often each format is seen at B2B companies. The first five cover the large majority.

| Pattern | Example for Jane Cooper | Where you often see it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `{first}.{last}` | jane.cooper@company.com | The most common format at mid-size and large companies |
| `{first}` | jane@company.com | Startups and small companies |
| `{first}{last}` | janecooper@company.com | Common across company sizes |
| `{f}{last}` | jcooper@company.com | Very common in the US and at larger companies |
| `{f}.{last}` | j.cooper@company.com | Common in Europe |
| `{first}{l}` | janec@company.com | Some startups and agencies |
| `{first}_{last}` | jane_cooper@company.com | Less common |
| `{last}.{first}` | cooper.jane@company.com | Some European and Asian companies |
| `{last}` | cooper@company.com | Small firms, often professional services |

## How to find out which format a company uses

Guessing between 20 addresses is not a strategy; sending to all of them would bounce badly and damage your domain. Use one or more of these to find the right one:

1. **Look for any published email from the company.** Press pages, blog author bios, conference speaker pages, open-source contributions, job postings (“send your CV to…”) and support signatures all reveal the format. One real address tells you the pattern for everyone.
2. **Search the web for the domain**: `"@company.com"` often finds addresses mentioned publicly.
3. **Check your own inbox and CRM** for anyone you have ever emailed at the company.
4. **Look at the company’s website contact page**: named staff addresses there follow the standard format.
5. **Use a reputable data provider** that verifies addresses, especially for important accounts.

Once you know the format, apply it to anyone at the company. If the company is small and you cannot find a pattern, `first@` is the most likely for founders and early employees.

## Narrowing down without hurting your sender reputation

Do not send to a list of guesses. Every wrong guess is a bounce, and bounces tell mailbox providers your list quality is poor. Instead:

- **Pick the single most likely address** from the methods above.
- **Check it with the [Email Verifier](https://prosyo.com/tools/email-verifier/)** to rule out syntax and domain problems.
- **Reach the person on another channel** if you are unsure. A LinkedIn connection request or message reaches the right person with zero bounce risk, and many people reply there first.
- **Send one email, not five.** If it bounces, you have learned the format is different; try the next most likely address later, not the same hour.

## Handling tricky names

### Accents and special characters

Email addresses almost never contain accents. The permutator converts names like José García to `jose.garcia` automatically, and removes apostrophes and spaces, so O’Neil becomes `oneil`.

### Hyphenated and double-barrelled surnames

Companies differ: some keep the hyphen (`anna.smith-jones@`), some drop it (`anna.smithjones@`), some use only one part. Try entering the surname both ways.

### Nicknames

Someone who goes by Bob may still have `robert.smith@`. If the person uses a nickname professionally, generate both versions.

### Common names at large companies

Large companies add a number or middle initial when a name is taken, such as `john.smith2@` or `john.a.smith@`. If the obvious address bounces at a big company, this is the likely reason.

## Is it legal to guess someone’s work email?

Generating possible addresses is simply working out a format; the rules apply to what you send. In many countries, relevant B2B outreach to a work address is lawful when you identify yourself honestly, explain why you are writing to that person’s role and make opting out easy. Rules differ by region (CAN-SPAM in the US, CASL in Canada, PECR in the UK, GDPR and ePrivacy rules in the EU), particularly for sole traders and personal addresses, so check the rules where your recipients are.

## From address to reply

Finding the address is the easy part. The message decides whether you hear back. A few principles that consistently help cold email:

- **Open with something specific to them**, not your company. A recent post, a job opening, a product launch.
- **Keep it under about 120 words** with one clear question at the end. The [Cold Email Grader](https://prosyo.com/tools/cold-email-grader/) checks this for you.
- **Use a short, plain subject line**. Test it with the [Subject Line Tester](https://prosyo.com/tools/subject-line-tester/).
- **Combine channels.** A LinkedIn touch alongside email lifts reply rates because people recognise your name.

## Worked example

Say you want to reach Priya Nair, Head of Sales at Acme Analytics (`acmeanalytics.com`). The permutator gives `priya.nair@`, `priya@`, `priyanair@`, `pnair@`, `p.nair@` and 15 more. A quick search finds an Acme press release listing `tom.becker@acmeanalytics.com` as the media contact. That reveals the `{first}.{last}` format, so Priya’s address is almost certainly `priya.nair@acmeanalytics.com`. You check it with the Email Verifier: the domain accepts email through Google Workspace and the address is well formed. You send one short email, and connect with Priya on LinkedIn the same day.

## Email formats by company size and region

Formats are a company decision, usually made when the email system was first set up, so there are only loose patterns. Use them to order your guesses, never instead of finding the real format.

| Company type | Formats you see most |
| --- | --- |
| Early-stage startups | `first@`, then `first.last@` as the team grows |
| Mid-size and enterprise | `first.last@`, `flast@` |
| Law, accounting and consulting firms | `flast@`, `first.last@`, sometimes `last@` for partners |
| Universities and public bodies | `first.last@` or `f.last@`, often with numbers for duplicates |
| Companies in continental Europe | `first.last@`, `f.last@` |

## When the company uses a different domain for email

A company’s website domain and email domain are not always the same. Some use a shorter domain for email, a regional domain (`.co.uk`, `.de`), or a parent company’s domain after an acquisition. If the website domain shows no MX records in the result above, or the format search finds addresses at another domain, generate the list again with that domain. The [MX Lookup](https://prosyo.com/tools/mx-lookup/) confirms which domain actually receives mail.

## Catch-all domains

Some company mail servers accept mail for every address at the domain, real or not, and decide later whether to deliver it. These are called catch-all or accept-all domains. For them, even paid verification tools cannot tell which guess is right, because the server says “yes” to everything during delivery. Finding the published format is the only reliable method for catch-all domains, which is another reason to look for a real address first.

## A five-minute research routine

1. Generate the list here.
2. Search the web for `"@company.com"` and note any real address.
3. Check the company’s press, blog and careers pages.
4. Pick the format and the one matching address.
5. Run it through the [Email Verifier](https://prosyo.com/tools/email-verifier/).
6. Write a short, specific email; check it with the [Cold Email Grader](https://prosyo.com/tools/cold-email-grader/).
7. Connect on LinkedIn the same day, so your name is familiar when the email arrives.

For one important account, five minutes of research is well spent. For hundreds of prospects, use a data source that returns verified addresses, so you are never guessing at scale.

## What happens when you guess wrong

A wrong guess produces a hard bounce with a message such as `550 5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist` (Google) or `550 5.1.10 RESOLVER.ADR.RecipientNotFound` (Microsoft). One or two bounces in a batch are normal; a pattern of them tells mailbox providers your list is guesswork. Remove any address that bounces immediately and do not retry it. If several guesses at the same company bounce, the company may use a less common format or a different domain.

## LinkedIn as the zero-risk alternative

When you cannot confirm an email address, LinkedIn reaches the right person with no bounce risk at all. A short, personal connection note, followed by a message after they accept, often gets a reply before an email would have. Many teams run both: a LinkedIn touch first, then email once the address is confirmed. The [LinkedIn Message Generator](https://prosyo.com/tools/linkedin-message-generator/) writes notes and messages for each stage.

## Glossary

- **Email format (pattern)**: the rule a company uses to build addresses from names.
- **Permutation**: one possible combination of name parts and separators.
- **Catch-all domain**: a domain whose server accepts mail for any address.
- **Bounce**: a message returned as undeliverable.
- **Verification**: checking that an address is well formed and its domain accepts mail.

## Finding the right person before the right address

An address is only useful if it belongs to the person who can say yes. Before you generate addresses, make sure you are writing to the right role:

- **Small companies** (under about 20 people): the founder or CEO usually decides on most purchases.
- **Mid-size companies**: the head of the function that owns the problem, such as Head of Sales for outbound or Head of Marketing for demand generation.
- **Large companies**: the manager or director closest to the problem, often more responsive than a vice president, with the senior leader as a second contact.

The [Employee Search Builder](https://prosyo.com/tools/employee-search-builder/) finds people at a company by department, and the [Boolean Search Generator](https://prosyo.com/tools/linkedin-boolean-search-generator/) narrows a search to exact titles. Once you have the right name, the permutator and the published-format method give you the right address.

## How Prosyo helps

Prosyo finds verified work emails and direct phone numbers for the people you target, and you pay only for contacts that verify, so you never have to guess. It then writes personal openers from what each prospect actually posted, runs LinkedIn and email in one sequence and drafts every reply. [Try it free for 7 days](https://prosyo.com/pricing/).

## Related free tools

These tools are often used together with the Email Permutator. All of them are free, and the checkers and calculators run instantly in your browser.

- [Email Verifier](https://prosyo.com/tools/email-verifier/): Check up to 50 addresses for syntax, mail servers, disposable and role-based addresses and typos, then export a CSV.
- [Cold Email Generator](https://prosyo.com/tools/cold-email-generator/): Get three short, specific cold emails with subject lines, written by AI from your offer and audience.
- [Icebreaker Generator](https://prosyo.com/tools/linkedin-icebreaker-generator/): Personal opening lines from whatever you know about a prospect, written by AI.
- [MX Lookup](https://prosyo.com/tools/mx-lookup/): See which mail servers receive email for any domain, their priority, their IP addresses and the provider behind them.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I find someone’s work email address?

Enter their first name, last name and company domain in the permutator above to get every likely address. Then find the company’s format from any published email, such as a press release or blog bio, and verify the most likely address before sending.

### What is the most common business email format?

first.last@company.com is the most common at mid-size and larger companies. first@company.com is common at startups and small businesses, and flast@company.com (first initial plus surname) is widespread in the US.

### Should I send to every generated address?

No. Every wrong guess bounces, and bounces damage your sender reputation. Work out the format first, then send to one address.

### Does the permutator check whether the address exists?

It checks that the domain accepts email. No tool can confirm a specific mailbox exists without sending to it. Use the Email Verifier to check the address you choose.

### How does it handle accents and hyphens?

Accents are removed (José becomes jose), apostrophes and spaces are dropped, and hyphens are kept. Try hyphenated surnames with and without the hyphen.

### What if the company uses a different email domain?

Some companies send email from a different domain than their website, such as a regional or parent-company domain. If the website domain has no mail servers, or published addresses use another domain, generate the list again with that domain.

### How do I find an email if the domain is catch-all?

Catch-all servers accept every address, so verification cannot pick the right guess. Find a real published address from the company to learn its format, or use a data source that returns verified addresses.

### Can I use the permutator for a whole list of people?

It works one person at a time. Once you know a company’s format from one real address, you can apply it to anyone else there without generating every pattern again.

### Is this email permutator free?

Yes, with no sign-up. Addresses are generated in your browser and nothing is stored.

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