Email is a way of sending written messages instantly between computers or phones through the internet. The word is short for “electronic mail,” and it works like traditional mail but arrives in seconds instead of days. You write your message, type in the recipient's email address (which looks something like name@example.com), and click send.

Email revolutionized how people communicate. Before email became common in the 1990s, sending a letter meant writing it by hand or typing it, addressing an envelope, buying a stamp, and waiting days or weeks for delivery. Email made it possible to send a message to someone across the world and get a reply within minutes.

You can email your teacher to ask about homework, your grandmother to share what happened at school, or a museum to ask about visiting hours. Businesses use email constantly: to confirm orders, send receipts, schedule meetings, and communicate with customers. Email can include attachments like photos, documents, or videos.

Short, casual written messages on phones are often called texting or messaging, which usually feels more like a conversation. Email tends to be slightly more formal and is better for longer messages, or for anything you might need to save and refer back to later.

As a verb, to email means to send someone a message using email.