Meaning & use
snail mail address
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformal
the address of a place where you receive letters and parcels sent by post, rather than an email address.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a snail mail address' or 'snail mail addresses'.
Patterns
- give someone your snail mail address
- send something to a snail mail address
Please write your snail mail address on the form as well as your email.
I only have her snail mail address, so I'll post the invitation.
The company asked for a snail mail address to send the contract.
Word forms
| plural | snail mail addresses |
|---|
Common combinations
- send something to a snail mail address
- Send the signed copy to my snail mail address.
- write your snail mail address
- Write your snail mail address clearly at the top.
- a current snail mail address
- We need a current snail mail address for the records.
- provide a snail mail address
- Please provide a snail mail address if you want a paper receipt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- postal address
- More formal and neutral; use it in official writing, while 'snail mail address' is casual and often contrasts with email.
- mailing address
- Common in American English and usually means where you receive post, but it can also include a PO box.
- physical address
- Emphasizes a real building location rather than a postal box or an email, so it is not always the same thing.
Word family
- snail mail noun
- Letters and parcels sent by post, used informally to contrast with email.
Commonly confused: snail mail address or email address?
snail mail address vs email address
An email address is used for messages sent over the internet, while a snail mail address is where physical letters are delivered.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snail mail address' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A snail mail address is a physical postal address, so printed copies can be posted there. Option 1 is wrong because email is not sent to a snail mail address; options 2 and 3 confuse it with an email address.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snail mail address”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.