noun

cc and bcc

see-SEE and bee-see-SEE

Cc and bcc (noun) means the two email fields that send a copy of a message to additional people: cc (carbon copy) lists those recipients openly, so everyone can see them, while bcc (blind carbon copy) hides them, so no other recipient knows they received it. Example: “Put the client in cc and bcc the legal team so they are kept in the loop discreetly.”

noun

The two email fields that send a copy of a message to additional people: cc (carbon copy) lists those recipients openly, so everyone can see them, while bcc (blind carbon copy) hides them, so no other recipient knows they received it.

"Put the client in cc and bcc the legal team so they are kept in the loop discreetly."

"Everyone on the thread could see I was in cc, but the bcc recipients stayed invisible."

verb

To send someone a copy of an email using one of these fields.

"Can you cc me on the reply?"

"She bcc'd her manager on the complaint."

How to Use Cc and bcc

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishCc copies people in where everyone can see; bcc copies them in secretly.

When to use it

Neutral and universal in workplace email. Written lowercase, and used as verbs without comment: cc me, bcc her.

Memory tip

As a verb, the past tense is written cc'd or cced and bcc'd or bcced; the apostrophe form is more common and easier to read.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

To field reply-all forward →

Common pairings

cc me on that put her in cc bcc the whole list keep him in cc

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “cc and bcc” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Put the client in _____ the legal team so they are kept in the loop discreetly.

Etymology

From carbon copy and blind carbon copy, referring to the sheets of carbon paper once used to produce duplicates of a typed letter.

Origin: English

Rhymes for cc and bcc

BCC

See all rhymes for cc and bcc →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between cc and bcc?

Recipients in cc are visible to everyone who receives the email; recipients in bcc are not shown to anyone. If you bcc someone, the people in the To and cc fields have no idea that person got the message, and the bcc recipients cannot see each other either.

When should you use bcc?

Two main cases. To protect privacy when emailing a large list, so nobody harvests everyone else's address, and to quietly keep a third party informed. Be careful with the second: if the bcc recipient hits reply-all, the cover is blown and it looks underhand.

Does the difference matter for replies?

Yes. Reply-all goes to everyone in To and cc but never to bcc recipients. Someone in bcc who replies-all will reveal that they were secretly copied, which is why bcc is best used only for one-way information.