boite à lettres

\bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\

/\bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“boite à lettres” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Coffret où le facteur dépose le courrier d’un individu.

Key facts for boite à lettres
PropertyValue
Headwordboite à lettres
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “boite à lettres” sits in French frequency

boite à lettres falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

boite à lettres is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for boite à lettres in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is boite à lettres, spelled B-O-I-T-E- -À- -L-E-T-T-R-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Coffret où le facteur dépose le courrier d’un individu.
  2. 2
    Dans une messagerie électronique, espace de mémoire réservé à un abonné, dans lequel sont conservés les messages qui lui sont destinés et éventuellement les messages qu'il envoie.
  3. 3
    Étroiture dont la forme rappelle celle de l'ouverture d'une boite à lettres, c'est-à-dire nettement plus longue que haute et suivie d'une pente ou d'un à pic.

Synonyms

boîte à malle

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "boite à lettres"?
"boite à lettres" is spelled B-O-I-T-E- -À- -L-E-T-T-R-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\.
What does "boite à lettres" mean?
As a noun, "boite à lettres" means: Coffret où le facteur dépose le courrier d’un individu.
How do you pronounce "boite à lettres"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "boite à lettres" is \bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "boite à lettres" come from?
"boite à lettres" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “boite à lettres”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-I-T-E- -À- -L-E-T-T-R-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bwa.t‿a lɛtʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list