abbreviation

BCC

bee-see-SEE

BCC (abbreviation) means Blind carbon copy: an email field that sends a copy of the message to the addresses listed in it without revealing those addresses to any other recipient. Example: “Put the whole mailing list in BCC so nobody's address is exposed.”

abbreviation

Blind carbon copy: an email field that sends a copy of the message to the addresses listed in it without revealing those addresses to any other recipient.

"Put the whole mailing list in BCC so nobody's address is exposed."

"I was BCC'd on the complaint, so the client does not know I saw it."

verb

To send someone a copy of an email using that field, so other recipients cannot see they received it.

"She BCC'd her manager on the reply."

"Always BCC when emailing a group of people who do not know each other."

How to Use BCC

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA way of copying someone into an email secretly.

When to use it

Standard in all email use. Verb forms are usually written BCC'd or bcc'd.

Memory tip

Recipients in BCC cannot see one another, and if a BCC'd person hits reply all, their reply goes only to the sender, not the group.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

CC → reply all forward →

Common pairings

put in BCC BCC the list BCC'd me CC and BCC

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Put the whole mailing list in _____ so nobody's address is exposed.

Etymology

An initialism of blind carbon copy, from the carbon paper once used to make duplicate copies of typed letters.

Origin: English

Synonyms

View more →

blind carbon copy blind copy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between CC and BCC in email?

CC, carbon copy, sends a visible copy: everyone can see who was CC'd. BCC, blind carbon copy, sends a hidden copy: the people in the To and CC fields cannot see the BCC addresses, and BCC'd recipients cannot see each other either.

Can BCC recipients see each other?

No. Each BCC'd person sees only the To and CC recipients, never the other BCC addresses. That is exactly why BCC is the correct field for emailing a large list of people who should not have each other's addresses.

Does BCC show up if someone replies all?

No. If a BCC'd recipient uses reply all, the reply goes to the original sender and the visible recipients only in some clients, but in most it goes to the sender alone, and their hidden status is not announced. Do not rely on BCC to stay secret, though, since the recipient can always reveal it themselves.