CC vs BCC
/siː siː vɜrsəs biː siː siː/
CommonThe ongoing workplace dilemma of whether to copy someone openly or invisibly on an email.
Using BCC on a colleague without telling them can feel sneaky. Using BCC to loop in your manager invisibly is a classic workplace power move that, if discovered, destroys trust.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | she BCCed her manager on the whole thread. that is a power move. | Someone gathered an invisible witness for protection or escalation. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | nobody taught me the CC vs BCC politics when I started my first job and I accidentally exposed someone by CCing when I should have BCCed. | Learning email etiquette the hard way. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | if you're sending a mass email, BCC everyone. CC vs BCC is not that complicated. | Don't expose everyone's email address by using CC on a group send. | x, 2022 |
| 04 | got BCCed on an email I was literally the subject of. CC vs BCC is actually a weapon. | Someone found out they were being discussed in an email they were not supposed to see. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Deciding who should visibly versus invisibly receive an important email.
- Discussing the political dynamics of email recipient choices.
- Warning someone about the implications of their email choices.
Do not use it when
- You are explaining the literal technical features to someone who already knows them.
CC vs BCC vs reply-all horror
CC vs BCC
CC vs BCC is about the intentional choice of who sees the recipients.
VS
reply-all-horror
Reply-all horror is an accidental chain reaction from hitting the wrong button.
Origin and context
Borrowed directly from email client terminology: CC (carbon copy) and BCC (blind carbon copy), terms inherited from physical memo culture. The social and political dimension of the choice became workplace humor as email dominated office communication.
- First seen
- 1990s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/cc-vs-bccUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0