Pronunciation: [d͡ʒˈʌŋk ˈiːme͡ɪl] (IPA) 
Junk email, also known as spam, is a common problem in the digital age. The spelling of the word follows the standard English convention where the "j" is pronounced as /dʒ/, the "u" as /ʌ/, the "n" as /n/, the "k" as /k/, and the "e" as /iː/. The second word "email" is composed of "e" pronounced as /iː/, "m" as /m/, "a" as /eɪ/, "i" as /aɪ/, and "l" as /l/. Together, the word is pronounced as /dʒʌŋk ˈiːmeɪl/.
Junk email, also known as spam email, refers to an unsolicited and often unwanted form of electronic communication sent in bulk to a large number of recipients. It typically consists of advertisements, promotional messages, chain letters, phishing attempts, or other types of unsolicited messages that serve no useful purpose to the recipients.
The term "junk email" is derived from the concept that such messages are considered to be digital equivalents of unsolicited physical mail or junk mail. These emails are sent without the consent of the recipients and are often deceptive in nature, aiming to scam or defraud individuals.
Junk email is prevalent due to its inexpensiveness and ease of dissemination. It is commonly sent by automated programs or bots that harvest email addresses from various sources, such as web pages, forums, online directories, or purchased email lists. The content of these emails can vary, ranging from irrelevant messages to offensive, dangerous, or fraudulent content.
To combat junk email, individuals and organizations often employ various filtering techniques and tools like spam filters, firewalls, and anti-spam software. These measures help identify and block such unwanted emails, minimizing their impact on the recipients' inboxes and ensuring a safer online environment. Nevertheless, junk email continues to be a persistent problem that requires ongoing vigilance and user awareness to prevent falling victim to scams or unauthorized requests.
The word "junk email" is a compound term made up of two words: "junk" and "email".
"Junk" originated in the mid-15th century and originally referred to old cable or rope scrap. Over time, it came to represent any useless or discarded material, which eventually extended to unwanted or low-quality items in general. In the context of "junk email", it refers to unsolicited, irrelevant, or spammy messages that clutter one's inbox.
"Email" is a shortened form of "electronic mail" and was coined in the early 1970s when the concept of sending messages electronically over computer networks emerged.
Therefore, the etymology of "junk email" combines the idea of unwanted, low-quality material with electronic mail, resulting in a term for undesirable or unsolicited electronic messages.
