letterbox

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"letterbox" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“letterbox” is uncommon English (frequency #51,217 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,217
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A box into which mail is put.

Corpus desk

Index EN-letterbox · letterbox · English

letterbox · rank #51,217 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,217
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Letitia

Nearest frequency peer: Letitia (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “letterbox”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “letterbox” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for letterbox
PropertyValue
Headwordletterbox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,217
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “letterbox” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).letterboxfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Letitia” (#51,216), “Leuven” (#51,218), “Leonie” (#51,215). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “letterbox” is #51,217. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

letterbox is uncommon English at frequency #51,217 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for letterbox in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From letter + box. The correct English form is letterbox, spelled L-E-T-T-E-R-B-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A box into which mail is put.
  2. 2
    A box into which mail is put.
  3. 3
    A hidden container that holds a logbook and rubber stamp, found by following clues as a form of recreation.
  4. 4
    A rectangular hole or slot.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how letterbox appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A wad of junk mail was pushed through the letterbox in the front door and dropped onto the mat.
  2. His strength was running out fast: one more good letterbox was all that he could conceive himself able to make. He made it, hacking away with slow, painful strokes, his axe-handle slippery with his sweat.

Etymology

From letter + box.

This word in other languages

buzón(Español)boîte aux lettres(Français)Briefkasten(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "letterbox"?
"letterbox" is spelled L-E-T-T-E-R-B-O-X.
What does "letterbox" mean?
As a noun, "letterbox" means: A box into which mail is put.
What is the origin of the word "letterbox"?
From letter + box. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "letterbox", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

macadamia#51,228Manitowoc#51,235manliness#51,236midwinter#51,247

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list