Meaning & use
registered letter
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
a letter that the post office records and tracks, and that is usually delivered only when someone signs for it.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a registered letter' or 'two registered letters'.
Patterns
- send something by registered letter
- a registered letter arrives
- sign for a registered letter
The bank sent the new card by registered letter so that it could not get lost.
A registered letter arrived this morning, and the mail carrier asked me to sign for it.
If you want proof that the documents were delivered, use a registered letter.
nouncountableformal
a formal written message sent this way, especially one with legal or official importance.
Grammar: Often used with verbs like 'receive', 'send' or 'post' when the content matters.
Patterns
- receive a registered letter
- a registered letter from a lawyer
- notify someone by registered letter
She received a registered letter from the court about the hearing date.
The landlord must notify tenants by registered letter before the rent can change.
He kept the registered letter as proof that the company had been warned.
Word forms
| plural | registered letters |
|---|
Common combinations
- send something by registered letter
- Please send the signed contract by registered letter.
- sign for a registered letter
- You will need to sign for a registered letter at the door.
- a registered letter arrives
- A registered letter arrived while we were out.
- registered letter receipt
- Keep the registered letter receipt in case you need to prove the date.
- notify someone by registered letter
- The council notified residents by registered letter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- certified mail
- The usual US term for a similar service that gives proof of mailing and delivery, but it does not always require a signature.
- recorded delivery
- The common British term for a service that records delivery and often needs a signature; it is usually cheaper than a registered letter.
Word family
- register verb
- to record something officially, as the post office does with this kind of mail.
- registration noun
- the act of recording something officially on a list or in a system.
Commonly confused: registered letter or recorded delivery?
registered letter vs recorded delivery
Recorded delivery proves when an item was delivered, but it may not need a signature and is not the same service as a registered letter.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'registered letter' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'By registered letter' is the natural phrase for the service used to send something. Option A uses 'registered' as a verb with 'letter' as its object, which is not how the phrase works; option C changes the meaning to registering something at the post office; option D confuses who signs, since the receiver, not the sender, usually signs for it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “registered letter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.