mailbag
/ˈmeɪlˌbæɡ/
"mailbag" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mailbag” is uncommon English (frequency #89,587 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #89,587
- frequency rank, English
- 4,057
- “M” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strong canvas bag used for the transportation of mail.
Corpus desk
Index EN-mailbag · mailbag · English
mailbag · rank #89,587 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #89,587
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,057
- PHOTO-FINISH malcontent
Nearest frequency peer: malcontent (+2 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 “mailbag”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- madding
madding
10,419 corpus weight
- mailbag
mailbag
10,414 corpus weight
- malcontent
malcontent
10,412 corpus weight
- Malka
Malka
10,411 corpus weight
- malling
malling
10,410 corpus weight
- maltose
maltose
10,409 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “mailbag” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mailbag |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmeɪlˌbæɡ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #89,587 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “mailbag” in English
Rare enough to double-check
mailbag is uncommon English at frequency #89,587 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmeɪlˌbæɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for mailbag, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From mail + bag. The correct English form is mailbag, spelled M-A-I-L-B-A-G.
Definition
- 1A strong canvas bag used for the transportation of mail.
- 2A smaller bag, slung from the shoulder, used by a mail carrier during the delivery of mail.
- 3The correspondence received by a publishing entity such as a magazine or website.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how mailbag appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The communicating doors of adjoining vehicles are opened simultaneously by pressing a large push-button located a suitable height for a man loaded with mailbags to contact it with his shoulder; after a time-lag of seven seconds the doors close automatically.
In our mailbag this month, we've got no less than 12 letters from those of you who think that Jones should not have been benched.
Etymology
From mail + bag.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mailbag", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).