Glossary
Mail Sorter Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential mail sorter terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key mail sorter vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in mail sorter training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- APPS
- Package sorting system.
- DBCS
- Delivery barcode sorter.
- Dispatch
- Sending mail out.
- Hamper
- Rolling container.
- Jam
- Stuck mail.
- Mail class
- First-Class, Priority and more.
- Mail handler
- Moves mail containers.
- Night differential
- Extra pay for nights.
- Postage
- Mailing fee.
- Sweeping
- Removing sorted mail.
- Tour
- USPS shift.
- Tracking
- Following a package.
- Tray
- Mail container.
- USPS
- United States Postal Service.
- ZIP Code
- Postal code.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Mail Sorter practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Mail Sorter training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.