pen pal

UK: /ˈpɛnpæl/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ˈpen ˌpal, n. [countable]

1. a person with whom one keeps up an exchange of letters, usually someone far away:
   My daughter's pen pal is a girl her age in Uganda.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pen′ pal′, 

1. a person with whom one keeps up an exchange of letters, usually someone so far away that a personal meeting is unlikely:
   My niece in Texas has a pen pal in France.

• 1935–40, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pen pal noun

1. a person with whom one regularly exchanges letters, often a person in another country whom one has not met
   Also called: pen friend