pen pal

noun

A friend with whom one communicates using letters, usually over a long distance.

Similar
penfriendpen-friend
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Meanings

nounpen pal (plural pen pals)

plural pen pals

  1. A friend with whom one communicates using letters, usually over a long distance.

    Synonyms: penfriend

verbpen pal (third-person singular simple present pen pals, present participle pen palling, simple past and past participle pen palled)

present singular third person pen pals · participle present pen palling · participle past pen palled · past pen palled

  1. informalintransitivetransitiveTo correspond with a pen pal.
    1 more example

    Friendship provides shelter from the buffeting storms of life and the complexities of life situations. By penpalling, both can exchange thoughts, feelings, ideas, ideals and knowledge. Such an exchange promotes fresh insights and personal growth for both insider and those in the free world. Please let's talk.

    1986 December 7, Richard DuBose, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 21, page 14

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA friend with whom one communicates using letters, usually over a long distance.

Similar
penfriend

More synonyms by meaning

nouna person you come to know by frequent friendly correspondence

Similar
pen-friend
Broader
correspondentletter writer
Also see
penfriend

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic صَدِيق بِالْمُرَاسَلَة
  • صَدِيق بِالْمُرَاسَلَة (ṣadīq bi-l-murāsala)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Chinese Mandarin 筆友 /笔友, 通信朋友
  • 筆友 /笔友 (bǐyǒu)friend with whom one communicates using letters
  • 通信朋友 (tōngxìn péngyou)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Czech přítel na dopisování
  • přítel na dopisovánífriend with whom one communicates using letters
Danish penneven
  • pennevenfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Finnish kirjekaveri, kirjeenvaihtotoveri
  • kirjekaverifriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • kirjeenvaihtotoverifriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • kirjeystäväfriend with whom one communicates using letters
French correspondant, correspondante
  • correspondantfriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • correspondantefriend with whom one communicates using letters
German Brieffreund, Brieffreundin
  • Brieffreundfriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • Brieffreundinfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Hebrew חבר לעט
  • חבר לעטfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Icelandic pennavinur
  • pennavinurfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Indonesian teman pena
  • teman penafriend with whom one communicates using letters
Italian amico di penna, amica di penna
  • amico di pennafriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • amica di pennafriend with whom one communicates using letters
Japanese ペンフレンド, ペンパル
  • ペンフレンド (penfurendo)friend with whom one communicates using letters
  • ペンパル (penparu)friend with whom one communicates using letters
  • 文通仲間 (buntsū nakama)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Korean 펜팔, 펜 프렌드
  • 펜팔 (penpal)friend with whom one communicates using letters
  • 펜 프렌드 (pen peurendeu)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Norwegian Bokmål brevvenn
  • brevvennfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Persian دوستی نامه ای, دوست مکاتبهای
  • دوستی نامه ایfriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • دوست مکاتبهای (dost-e mokâtebe-aye)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Polish przyjaciel korespondencyjny, przyjaciółka korespondencyjna
  • przyjaciel korespondencyjnyfriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • przyjaciółka korespondencyjnafriend with whom one communicates using letters
Portuguese amigo por correspondência, correspondente
  • amigo por correspondênciafriend with whom one communicates using letters
  • correspondentefriend with whom one communicates using letters
Russian друг по перепи́ске, подру́га по перепи́ске
  • друг по перепи́ске (drug po perepíske)friend with whom one communicates using letters
  • подру́га по перепи́ске (podrúga po perepíske)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Spanish amigo por correspondencia
  • amigo por correspondenciafriend with whom one communicates using letters
Swedish brevvän
  • brevvänfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Thai เพื่อนทางจดหมาย
  • เพื่อนทางจดหมาย (pʉ̂ʉan taang jòt-mǎai)friend with whom one communicates using letters
Vietnamese bạn qua thư
  • bạn qua thưfriend with whom one communicates using letters
Cite this entry
APA

pen pal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pen%20pal

MLA

“pen pal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pen%20pal. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pen pal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pen%20pal.

Source: pen pal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.