Email vs. Mail — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on May 30, 2024
Email is a digital method of sending messages via the internet, while Mail refers to physical items, like letters or packages, delivered through postal services.
Difference Between Email and Mail
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Email and Mail both facilitate communication, yet they operate on fundamentally different platforms. Email stands for "electronic mail" and represents messages transmitted over the internet to specific email addresses. Mail, in contrast, encompasses tangible items, such as letters, postcards, and parcels, which are delivered physically through a postal system.
Emails can be sent and received instantaneously, provided the recipients and senders have an internet connection. This speed has revolutionized business operations, personal interactions, and information dissemination globally. Mail, although it might involve a time delay, offers a tactile experience. There's a unique charm and personal touch in receiving a handwritten letter or card via traditional mail.
Managing and storing emails is a digital process. Users can organize, categorize, or even search through their emails with just a few clicks. Mail, conversely, requires physical storage solutions. Organizing letters, postcards, and packages can necessitate files, cabinets, or shelves.
The environmental impacts of Email and Mail also differ. Emails, while consuming electricity and data storage, don't require paper or physical transport, often making them more eco-friendly. Mail, especially when dealing with large volumes, can consume significant paper and transportation resources, contributing to carbon footprints.
Comparison Chart
Medium
Digital, via the internet
Physical, delivered by hand or post
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Speed
Instantaneous with an internet connection
Can range from hours to days
Storage
Digital storage (servers, computers)
Physical spaces (drawers, cabinets)
Environmental Impact
Primarily electricity and data storage
Paper, transportation, packaging
Personal Touch
Can feel impersonal
Offers tactile, handwritten options
Compare with Definitions
A system for sending messages from one individual to another via telecommunications.
Sarah sent an email to her coworker about the meeting.
Letters and packages sent or delivered via a postal system.
I'm expecting some important mail tomorrow.
A message sent or received in such a system.
I received an email from the bank regarding my account.
To send a letter or package via the postal system.
I need to mail this package to my friend in California.
To send a message to someone through the email system.
I'll email you the details tonight.
The system by which letters and packages are sent or delivered.
The mail is usually delivered by noon.
Digital correspondence conducted via the internet.
The company's email policy is quite strict.
A batch of letters, packages, or electronic messages sent at one time.
The company sends out a mail blast every month with new offers.
An address at which messages can be received on the internet.
Please enter a valid email to subscribe to our newsletter.
Any means of transmitting information.
They communicated through the old mail system, using telegrams.
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email entered limited use in the 1960s, but users could only send to users of the same computer.
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems.
Messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network
Reading email has become the first task of the morning
Email messages
Letters and parcels sent by post
I did not receive any mail
Send an email to (someone)
You can email me at my normal address
Call, fax, or email for a free demo
Armour made of metal rings or plates joined together flexibly
A coat of mail
He had a mail shirt
A system for sending and receiving messages electronically over a computer network.
Send (a letter or parcel) by post
Three editions were mailed to our members
A message or messages sent or received by such a system.
Clothe or cover with mail
A mailed gauntlet
To send (someone) an email
I'll email you when I know my schedule.
Materials, such as letters and packages, handled in a postal system
The volume of mail increases around the holidays.
To send (a message) by email.
Postal material for a specific person or organization
Could you pick up my mail at the office?.
(uncountable) A system for transferring messages from one computer to another, usually through a network.
Snail mail
He sent me his details via email.
The advent of email has simultaneously brought our society closer together and farther apart.
Material processed for distribution from a post office at a specified time
Delivered the morning mail around town.
(uncountable) A quantity of messages sent through an email system.
I am searching through my old email.
My inbox used to allow only 50 MB of email at a time until last year, when they upgraded it to 2 GBs!
A postal system. Used with the, sometimes in the plural
Used the mail to send the supplies.
Advertisements sent through the mails.
(countable) A message sent through an email system.
He sent me an email last week to remind me about the meeting.
I archive my old emails using a cloud-based service.
Chiefly British A vehicle by which mail is transported.
An email address.
What’s your email?
Don’t send personal messages to my work email.
Mail or messages sent electronically; email.
(transitive) To send an email or emails to.
She emailed me last week, asking about the status of the project.
Flexible armor composed of small overlapping metal rings, loops of chain, or scales.
To send (something) through email.
I’ll email you the link.
He emailed the file out to everyone.
The protective covering of certain animals, as the shell of a turtle.
(intransitive) To send, or compose and send, an email or emails.
Most teenagers seem to spend almost the whole day emailing and surfing the Web.
Rent, payment, or tribute.
(computer science) a system of world-wide electronic communication in which a computer user can compose a message at one terminal that is generated at the recipient's terminal when he logs in
To send by a postal system
Mailed the letter yesterday.
Communicate electronically on the computer;
She e-mailed me the good news
To send letters and other material by a postal system.
To cover or armor with mail.
A bag or wallet.
A bag containing letters to be delivered by post.
The material conveyed by the postal service.
Don't forget to pick up the mail on your way.
(dated) A stagecoach, train or ship that delivers such post.
The postal service or system in general.
He decided to send his declaration by mail.
The letters, parcels, etc. delivered to a particular address or person.
(uncountable) Electronic mail, e-mail: a computer network–based service for sending, storing, and forwarding electronic messages.
A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.
(uncountable) Armour consisting of metal rings or plates linked together.
(nautical) A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc.
A spot on a bird's feather; by extension, a spotted feather.
(historical) An old French coin worth half a denier.
A monetary payment or tribute.
Rent.
Tax.
(ditransitive) To send (a letter, parcel, etc.) through the mail.
(ditransitive) To send by electronic mail.
Please mail me the spreadsheet by the end of the day.
(transitive) To contact (a person) by electronic mail.
I need to mail my tutor about the deadline.
(transitive) To arm with mail.
(transitive) To pinion.
A spot.
A small piece of money; especially, an English silver half-penny of the time of Henry V.
Rent; tribute.
A flexible fabric made of metal rings interlinked. It was used especially for defensive armor.
Hence generally, armor, or any defensive covering.
A contrivance of interlinked rings, for rubbing off the loose hemp on lines and white cordage.
Any hard protective covering of an animal, as the scales and plates of reptiles, shell of a lobster, etc.
We . . . strip the lobster of his scarlet mail.
A bag; a wallet.
The bag or bags with the letters, papers, or other matter contained therein, conveyed under public authority from one post office to another; the whole system of appliances used by government in the conveyance and delivery of mail matter.
There is a mail come in to-day, with letters dated Hague.
That which comes in the mail; letters, etc., received through the post office.
A trunk, box, or bag, in which clothing, etc., may be carried.
To arm with mail.
To pinion.
To deliver into the custody of the postoffice officials, or place in a government letter box, for transmission by mail; to post; as, to mail a letter.
The bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
The system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office;
The mail handles billions of items every day
He works for the United States mail service
In England they call mail `the post'
A conveyance that transports mail
Any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered;
Your mail is on the table
Is there any post for me?
She was opening her post
(Middle Ages) flexible armor made of interlinked metal rings
Send via the postal service;
I'll mail you the check tomorrow
Cause to be directed or transmitted to another place;
Send me your latest results
I'll mail you the paper when it's written
Common Curiosities
Is an email considered a type of mail?
Yes, email is "electronic mail" but operates digitally, unlike traditional mail.
How is the speed of email and mail compared?
Emails are almost instant with internet access, while mail can take hours to days.
Can you send physical items through email?
No, emails are strictly for digital content. Physical items require traditional mail.
Is email more environmentally friendly than mail?
Generally, yes. Emails consume less physical resources than traditional mail.
Can both email and mail be used for official purposes?
Yes, both can be used, but the context and requirement might determine the choice.
Are there security concerns with email and mail?
Yes, both can be intercepted or misused, though methods of security differ.
Can emails be considered legal documents?
Yes, emails can serve as evidence or documentation in legal contexts.
Can both emails and mail be organized and stored?
Yes, emails digitally and mail physically.
How are emails and mail delivered?
Emails via the internet to specific addresses, and mail by postal services.
Is traditional mail becoming obsolete?
While its use has decreased with digital communication, it remains essential for specific contexts.
What's the primary advantage of email over mail?
Speed and convenience are often considered email's primary advantages.
Which is more personal: an email or a handwritten letter?
Many consider a handwritten letter via mail to be more personal.
Is an email address the same as a postal address?
No, an email address is digital, while a postal address is a physical location.
Can mail be used to send digital items?
Not directly. However, digital items stored on physical media (e.g., CDs, USBs) can be mailed.
How is the authenticity of email and mail verified?
Emails may have digital signatures, while mail might use postmarks or seals.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
