Meaning & use
snail email
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableinformalhumorous
Email that is considered very slow, especially when compared with instant messaging or fast internet communication.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or a plural. You can say 'a snail email' only if you mean a single instance.
Patterns
- send snail email
- receive snail email
- be like snail email
I sent you a message an hour ago, but you only check your snail email once a day.
In this office, snail email is the only way to reach the manager.
Waiting for a reply by snail email feels endless when you need an answer now.
noununcountableinformalhumorous
A joking term for regular postal mail, seen as extremely slow compared to electronic mail.
Grammar: Also uncountable; often used to contrast with 'email' when someone confuses the two.
Patterns
- by snail email
- send something by snail email
- arrive by snail email
My grandmother still sends birthday cards by snail email, even though she has a computer.
The contract arrived by snail email three weeks after we signed it online.
If you order the book by snail email, it might take a month to get here.
Common combinations
- send snail email
- Please don't send snail email if you need a quick response.
- check snail email
- I check my snail email only once in the morning.
- by snail email
- The invitation came by snail email, so it was late.
- snail email address
- He gave me his snail email address instead of his phone number.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snail mail
- Refers to physical postal mail, not electronic mail; 'snail email' is a playful twist on that phrase.
- slow email
- A plain, non-humorous way to say the same thing; 'snail email' is more informal and funny.
Opposites
Commonly confused: snail email or snail mail?
snail email vs snail mail
'Snail mail' means regular post, while 'snail email' means slow electronic mail. They are not the same.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snail email' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Snail email' means slow email, so it fits the idea of not getting a fast reply. Option 0 is wrong because 'instantly' contradicts the meaning of 'snail'. Option 1 confuses it with 'snail mail' (physical post). Option 3 also confuses it with 'snail mail' and adds 'box', which is not used with 'snail email'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snail email”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.