Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

snail mail

/ˈsneɪl ˌmeɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.63 in modern English

Syllables
snail -mail
IPA
/ˈsneɪl ˌmeɪl/
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Mail (physical material) sent in the post, especially as compared with email.

Uncountable

noun

Mail (postal service), especially as compared with email.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

A retronym emphasizing postal mail's slowness compared to email.

Usage

Phrases

play-by-snail-mail

Synonyms

smail

Questions

How do you pronounce snail mail?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsneɪl ˌmeɪl/.
What does snail mail mean?
Mail (physical material) sent in the post, especially as compared with email.
Where does snail mail come from?
A retronym emphasizing postal mail's slowness compared to email.

How to pronounce snail mail

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “snail mail”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsneɪl ˌmeɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “snail mail”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “snail mail” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.