What is a letter mailing address?

When you're sending something through snail mail, there are certain things that need to be followed in order to ensure its safe delivery. A letter's destination can make all the difference — and knowing whether or not someone lives at this particular location matters as well. Here we'll explain everything about addresses so you know exactly how they should look and where they go when you send them off.

What is the difference between email and mailing list?

Email and mailing lists have several differences. One of those being that emails are public while mailing lists aren't. Mailing lists typically contain just one person’s name and street number -- which means that if more than one family members live under the same roof, only their street numbers will appear together. Emails allow multiple people living under the same roof to receive information from different sources. For example, Mom might get her daily newsletter via subscription while Dad receives his via work-related correspondence. While both types require users to enter personal data (like names), emails also include other details like phone numbers, birthdays, etc., making them much easier to use.

Mailing lists tend to be less popular now due to spamming but many still exist for private communication purposes. Email has become more accessible over time with services such as Gmail and Yahoo! Mail offering free accounts to everyone who wants one. But even then, most people prefer using traditional services because they offer additional features such as filters and folders. So don't worry too much about mailing lists vs. email these days.

How is an address written on an envelope?

There are two ways to add an individual’s home address to an envelope. The first way requires putting your own address directly onto the outside flap of your envelope. This is usually done by hand and looks something like this: 123 Main St., Anytown, GA 00000. If you want to find out more about why this method isn’t ideal, check out our article explaining why handwritten addresses shouldn’t be used anymore. You could always try adding your own ZIP code manually. In general though, writing your own address by hand adds unnecessary hassle to your life. Instead, opt for the second option below.

The second option involves printing a label specifically designed for envelopes. These labels come preprinted with lots of useful info including full postal codes, city/state abbreviations, and zip+4. They're typically available for purchase either online or at post offices. Labels are particularly convenient since they eliminate any chance of error regarding incorrect placement of the address.

Another alternative is to fill out the USPS website's "envelope wizard" tool before addressing your envelope. It lets you choose your country, state, and city along with various options such as whether you'd like to print the recipient's name or not. Once you've chosen your settings, the service automatically generates a postage paid return receipt for you. And yes, you can customize the label yourself after filling out the form.

Labels are especially helpful if you happen to forget part of your address, or if you need to change your mind later. Also, keep in mind that some companies may request proof of postage from you before processing a package. With proper labeling, you won't have a problem providing that documentation.

Where the address goes on an envelope?

As mentioned above, the top portion of the front side of an envelope includes the sender's information. That's where the actual address appears. The bottom half contains important pieces of identification information related to the item inside the envelope.

Here are the three sections included on the backside of an envelope:

Postage Paid Envelope Identification Marker: The ID marker section tells customers where to properly place stamps on their packages. There are four standard sizes for each type of envelope: 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class, and international. Depending on what size envelope you select, the ID marker area will vary slightly, but it doesn't affect anything else.

Address Block: The Address block section shows the name of the company shipping items within that specific envelope. It provides enough space for up to five lines of text per box. Sometimes, if necessary, you can divide boxes into smaller areas, but doing so makes it difficult to figure out where an individual line ends and another begins.

Legal Abbreviations: Legal abbreviations refer to local laws regarding how long a message must stay on the envelope once it's been sealed. Some countries, such as Canada, stipulate that messages must remain unopened for 48 hours following mailing. Other regions, such as Germany, simply recommend opening them immediately upon arrival. Generally, the law dictates that you open them right away unless otherwise specified.

On the back of the envelope itself, there's also a small barcode located near the upper left corner. This allows customers to track deliveries through FedEx, UPS, DHL, ePacket, Parcel Post, and Australia Post.

And last but certainly not least, we have the cancellation slip. Cancellation slips tell carriers to take special care when handling your shipment. It advises them against delivering the item early, double-billing you, tampering with contents, delaying your product, and similar crimes.

Also, it's worth mentioning that the US Postal Service offers a handy guide detailing the exact orientation of every piece of paper found inside an envelope. All of the aforementioned locations correspond to page numbers listed on the diagram.

In addition to cancelling packages, the U.S. government has established standards for what kind of mail needs to be treated differently during transit. Check out our list of common mistakes made when sending mail and learn what happens if you accidentally do one of them.

What is the correct format for mailing address?

Mailings often arrive damaged, misrouted, or undeliverable thanks to human errors and negligence. To avoid this happening, the United States Postal Inspection Service recommends formatting your address according to a few rules. First, you should start with the person’s name, followed by a comma, then the street name, followed again by a period. Then, add the house number and apartment number, separating them with commas. Finally, finish the process with a period and the entire street address, separated by slashes (/).

If anyone ever complains about receiving junk mail, you can provide them with a copy of this chart, which spells out the basic components needed to create a valid mailing address.

Have a question about addresses? Ask us here and maybe our resident expert will answer your query. We welcome questions and comments, so please feel free to drop by anytime.

When you send something via snailmail, where should you include your postal code or zip code? How can you find out if someone has actually received your package? What are all of those weird abbreviations that people use when they're sending stuff through the post office?

To answer these questions, we first need to understand what exactly a "postal code" (also known as ZIP Code) means. A postal code is essentially just a number used for sorting mail at USPS facilities — it's not even necessary to type one into the shipping information box, so some companies will simply scan it onto packages themselves. The U.S. Postal Service maintains its own database with current codes across the country, but many other organizations rely on Google Maps' API to get them up-to-date info about local zip codes. For example, here's how Target uses their map data to determine which state each item ships from, according to this tweet.

Because postal codes have such specific meanings, there isn't a standard format for writing them down — instead, different regions may choose to place a +1 before the area code, or drop numbers altogether and only use words like "New York," "California," etc. In general though, most places won't bother putting any sort of formatting behind their addresses unless they want to make sure that a confused customer doesn't accidentally ship something elsewhere.

That said, it's always best practice to keep things simple, especially when dealing with international customers who might be using non-standard language. So let's say you're looking for a new apartment. You'd probably want to search for rental units near you rather than typing out a full street name. That way, you don't have to worry about misspellings and strange phrasing. If you were searching for apartments specifically around the corner from your house, you would also include the nearest cross streets. It helps to know exactly where you'll be living because it allows you to more accurately plan trips to stores, restaurants, etc., without trying to figure out whether or not you could walk there.

Let's take a look now at what goes in your physical mailbox every day.

What is meant by my mailing address?

A lot of us think of our home addresses as being synonymous with our actual homes, but technically speaking, a mailing address is very much separate from a residential one. Your mailing address is basically considered the location where you live for purposes of receiving mail. This is why it often comes with a little blue sticker in addition to the regular envelope flap, since it represents the physical building itself. When you move somewhere else, you can change your mailing address through the US Post Office website. However, that does mean that you lose access to your old mail until after 90 days have passed.

There are two main types of mailing addresses: business and private. Businesses usually receive mail at an official PO Box while individual residences get mailed directly to their usual residence. Some countries allow businesses to use both private and public boxes depending on their needs, however.

The important thing to remember with either kind of address is that you shouldn't open anything that arrives there. Mailing outside of your normal residence puts yourself at risk of identity theft, so be careful with opening anything that looks suspicious! And it's worth noting that in recent years, hackers have been able to gain entry to private inboxes through phone lines, too. Even if you've never heard of anyone having their mail stolen, consider keeping your door locked when no one's watching.

Now that we've got the basics covered, let's talk about what you should include in your mailing address.

What do I put in mailing address?

For starters, your city is pretty self explanatory. Most cities are named after rivers, mountains, forests, oceans, or whatever else happens to be nearby. But if your city was originally settled over 1,000 miles away from what we call "nowhere," then it's likely going to go underrepresented in today's naming conventions. Don't fret — just add whichever word seems appropriate.

Next, you'll need to list your street name along with your road number. Generally, if you live in the United States, you'll see your street name followed by a short dash, plus your house number. If you live in Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, Cambodia, Laos, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Oman, Emirates, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania, Greece, Ireland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Federated States Of Micronesia, Kiribati, North Korea, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Saint Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, San Marino, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Montserrat, Dominica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cocos Island, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tokelau, Greenland, Guam, American Samoan Islands, Ascension Island, Trindad & Tobago, Trinidad & Tobago, Mayotte, French Polynesia, Wallis & Futuna, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Antarctica, Heard Island & McDonald Islets, Macquarie Island, Afghanistans, Switzerland, Taiwan, Chile, Fiji, Tongass National Forest, Niue, Cook Islands, Ashmore Reef, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Auckland, Wellington, Pitcairn, Easter Island, Apia, Shefa, Fakarava, Vaitape, Fatutaka, Rotorangi, Paraparaumu, Wairarapa, Akaroa, Tauranga, Whanganui, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Mount Maunganui, Taupo, Te Awamata, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Mangaweka, Ohakunene, Kaikohe, Kotor, Korcula, Zagreb, Sarek, Rijeka, Pula, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Skopje, Sarajevo, Novi Sad, Sofia, Plzeň, Rab, Hradec Králové Region, Bratislav, Olomouc Region, Švýcarsko, Šentrupert, Liberec Region, Cisleithania Vienna, Bolívar, Caracas, Brasilia, Bucaramanga, Bogotá, Casablanca, Cartagena, Havana, La Habana, Lima, Lisabon, Madrid, Maracay, Montevideo, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Sucre, Tegucigalpa, Tirana, Valletta, Valencia, Vilnius, Warsaw, Bern, Geneva, Hamburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Milano, Modena, Naples, Rome, Turin, Florence, Bologna, Catania, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Pamplona, Bilbao, Valladolid, Granada, Salerno, Naples, Bari, Ortega Valencia, Alcalase, Alicante, Murcia, Oviedo, Corralejo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Trujillo, Medellín, Cali, Monterrey, Mexicali, Villahermosa, Leon, Managua, Las Vegas, Holguin, Camaguey, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Campinas, Recife, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Porto Seguro, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Ayacuchita, Huanta, Chimbote, Huila, Yumbo, Tucuman, Zipaquirá, Villa del Rosario, Jujuy, Neuqu

When you want to send something, like an application for housing or utility services, the first thing that comes to mind might be "How do I find my zip code?" But there are other things you need to know before sending off those important papers. One of them is where exactly should you put down your name and address so they can get to you in case someone needs to contact you about that paperwork.

If you're not sure where to start, here's everything you need to know about writing proper mailing addresses.

What's your mailing address?

Before we begin explaining, let’s discuss what a mailing address actually is. It is information provided by USPS (United States Postal Service) which allows people to receive physical items from you via post office. So when looking at a street number and house number combination, this is called “mailing address.”

Your mailing address includes two types of information: Name and Address Line 1. The name of your home may also include additional details such as First line of business, if any. In general, residential houses will have their own names while businesses could use initials of the owner. For example, you can call yourself John Smith but some places may refer to you as JS instead.

The second type of information included under your address is known as “Address Line 1.” This usually consists of 2-4 numbers identifying your specific location. If you live alone, you don't require a separate apartment/room number, as well as Post Office Box Number (if applicable). Some locations even only provide one set of numbers. You'll see examples of both below.

There are many different ways in which your full mailing address can look like depending on where you live. They all share common elements including street name, neighborhood, city, state, ZIP Code and sometimes P.O. box number.

Is mailing address same as postal address?

No! Mailing address and postal address are quite unrelated to each other. A postal address refers specifically to the physical building containing sorting center. Here you can drop your package after getting your delivery confirmation message. While a mailing address is more related to actual place where you live rather than a single structure. Think of it like you would enter a new destination into Google Maps. Your final destination might change based on where you are traveling but starting point always remains the same.

Here's an example showing difference between both:

Mailing address: 123 Main St., Anytown, CA 99999

Postal address: Building #1, 1234 Street Ave., Anytown, CA 99999

As you can see, the mailing addresses contain much more information than just a simple street number, whereas postal addresses are more straightforward. And since we mentioned many times that these two differ greatly, feel free to add additional information to make them unique.

What means mailing address?

Now that you understand why mailing addresses are so complex and you've learned what they mean, let us explain how to format yours properly. Below are several options for writing your mailing address. Depending on where you live, you may choose to combine multiple ones together.

Full street address: Usually contains four parts — street name, apartment/room number, town and ZIP code.

Example: 598 Oak Lane Terrace, Westlake Village, 90066

This is the most commonly used option worldwide. Many cities allow using only part of this address (street name + ZIP code), especially if you already use it in everyday life. However, having extra information available is still handy in case you ever move somewhere else.

Just remember that you cannot remove ZIP Code from this kind of address. Also keep in mind that ZIP Codes vary across states and countries, making it possible to misspell them without realizing.

Partial street address: Contains three parts — street name, apartment/room number, and town.

Example: 678 Maple Dr., Santa Monica, 90402

Sets up similar to full street address except it does not include ZIP Code. Instead, it uses area codes. Area codes help identify specific neighborhoods so you won't confuse them with neighboring areas. An advantage of partial street address over full one is that it doesn't take time to read and process. On top of that, it makes sense because people familiarized with area codes tend to recognize them immediately.

Additionally, certain towns may feature special abbreviations indicating whether they belong to Los Angeles region or not. These include LAX, SFO, DTLA, etc. For instance, if your hometown happens to be San Diego, then you'd better leave it blank unless you wish to spell it differently.

Business address: Includes company name plus street name, apartment/room number, town, and ZIP code.

Example: 555 W. Broadway Suite 100, Beverly Hills, 91248

It's often seen among companies who operate from large offices and prefer using official address. Businesses are allowed to have their own mailing addresses provided that they follow specific guidelines. As for residential homes, owners aren't required to give theirs unless asked.

For people living nearby, seeing your company's name written down helps them figure out where you work. Plus, it gives you further opportunity to personalize your address. Most importantly, you can easily spot your business on maps and search engines since it has its own dedicated URL.

Work address: Sometimes referred as virtual office address, sets up similarly to business address but excludes apartment/room number and possibly ZIP Code.

Example: Virtual Office, 1337 Main St., Anytown, CA 99999

While it seems convenient for small businesses to have their own addresses, it might cause confusion for customers trying to reach them. To avoid that, some organizations opt to go with work address which lets users find them through phone book listings. Additionally, you can create such an address on your own if you run a sole proprietorship.

Apartment/Room number: Used mostly by homeowners who rent apartments or rooms. Normally found next to street name.

Example: Apartment 3B, 749 Elm St., New York City 10002

Since renting an entire unit isn't feasible for everyone, most landlords offer tenants to pick either individual room or whole floor. With this approach, residents can focus on finding their way around inside and outside of buildings. Since there are no restrictions placed upon length or content of street address, you can freely decide how long it takes to say. Naturally, longer streets are preferred over shorter ones.

P.O. Box: Is reserved for individuals who never had their own mailbox due to various reasons ranging from moving away to privacy concerns. Like apartments, P.O. boxes come in varying sizes. Unlike regular mailboxes, however, they are located right beside main entrance doors. Therefore, they serve as another way to announce presence of somebody within particular area. People who have been assigned P.O. Box must fill out Form 3800 whenever they plan to stop by themselves.

What is mailing address with example?

Below you can find sample addresses for major US cities and regions. Feel free to copy and paste them anywhere you wish. Just replace the corresponding fields accordingly.

New York City

Street name: Central Park South

Floor: Floor 4

Building: 1170 Fifth Avenue

Apt./Room: Room 23C

Brooklyn, NY 11201

NYC mailing address: 1118 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

Chicago, IL 60601

Chicago mailing address: 3510 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60660

Los Angeles, CA 90007

California mailing address: 1717 North La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90065

San Francisco Bay Area, CA 94116

Bay Area mailing address: 1625 Stockton Ste. 400, Redwood Shores, CA 94067

Phoenix, AZ 85027

Arizona mailing address: 1599 E. Northern Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85016

Tucson, AZ 85730

Sonora, Mexico 83000

Mexico mailing address: Calle Poniente 500 No. 1061 Colonia Juárez Colonias Las Americas Tlaxcala Sonora, México

Denver, CO 80204

Colorado mailing address: 2921 Tejon Street Denver, Colorado 80211

Miami Beach, FL 33139

Florida mailing address: 4051 Meridian Avenue Miami Beach, Florida 33140

Houston, TX 77058

Texas mailing address: 3003 Westheimer Road Houston, Texas 77005

Philadelphia, PA 19113

Pennsylvania mailing address: 1900 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19103

Washington DC 20036

District Of Columbia mailing address: 4620 K Street NW Washington, D.C. 20006

Boston, MA 02215

Massachusetts mailing address: 36 Eddy St., Boston, MA 02129

Seattle, WA 98121

King County mailing address: 1700 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98134

Portland Oregon 97202

Multnomah County mailing address: 4433 NE Holladay Rd., Portland OR 97202

Alameda, Oakland, & Contra Costa Counties

Oakland, CA 94616

Alameda County mailing address: 1300 14th Street Alameda, California 94501

Contra Costa County mailing address: 3509 Walnut Grove Court Antioch, California 95075

Riverside County mailing address: 550 University Way Riverside, California 92201

Orange County, CA 92868