Wallet or Purse? What Each Word Means and When to Use It

The general word is wallet, spelled W-A-L-L-E-T with two Ls. Plural: wallets. The word that confuses people is purse: in Britain it means a wallet, usually a woman's wallet or a coin purse, while in the United States a purse is a woman's handbag. If you're not sure, wallet will always be understood.

Wallet or purse: which word fits when

English has several words for a wallet, and the difference depends on what's inside and which country you're in:

In practice: in a London shop, "I lost my purse" can mean a wallet. In New York the same sentence will have people looking for a bag. So anyone who loses a wallet in the United States should say wallet, even if it's a woman's wallet.

How to spell wallet correctly, and common mistakes

• walet with one L: wrong. Wallet always has two Ls.
• wallit: that's how it sounds, but the ending is spelled et.
• valet: a different word altogether. Valet parking is the parking service at a hotel or restaurant, when someone takes your car and parks it.

One more small difference: wallet is also the word for a digital wallet. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are the wallets on your phone, and a crypto wallet holds digital currencies. When someone at a checkout asks "Do you have your wallet?", they mean any way you have of paying.

Types of wallets

If you're buying a wallet online, or just want to understand the label, these are the names you'll come across:

• bifold wallet: a wallet that folds in two. The classic back-pocket wallet.
• trifold wallet: folds in three, with more slots and a little more thickness.
• slim wallet or minimalist wallet: a thin wallet with few slots, for people who mostly carry cards.
• card holder or card case: a small card holder, sometimes with no room for bills.
• pop-up wallet: a card wallet with a mechanism that pushes the cards out in a staggered fan at the press of a button.
• zip-around wallet: a wallet with a zipper all the way around, so it doesn't open inside your bag.
• money clip: a clip for bills, on its own or as part of a card wallet.
• RFID-blocking wallet: a wallet with a layer that blocks wireless reading of your credit cards.
• travel wallet and passport holder: a travel wallet with room for a passport, boarding passes and foreign currency.

We explain the real difference between a card wallet and a regular wallet, and what RFID protection actually does, in our guide to card wallets and RFID protection.

Useful wallet phrases abroad

The moment you most need this word is usually not a pleasant one. Here are the phrases worth knowing:

If your wallet is lost with credit cards in it, the first thing to do is block them through the card company's app or hotline, and only then start searching. And if you want to know where your wallet is at any moment, you can choose a wallet with room for an AirTag, which shows up on your phone in the Find My app like any other item.

A travel wallet: what to sort out before the flight

• Split things up. One card and a little cash in the wallet, and another card somewhere else in your bag. If the wallet goes missing, the vacation doesn't stop.
• A slim wallet for the front pocket. In crowded places, a small card wallet in a front pocket is harder to snatch than a thick wallet in a back pocket.
• Keep the passport separate. A passport holder keeps it together with your boarding pass, and leaves your everyday wallet small.
• Take photos in advance. A photo of your passport and of the back of your cards, with the card company's phone number, saves a lot when you need to block something remotely.

And if you're getting ready for a flight, it's worth knowing the vocabulary of suitcases, check-in and security too. We collected it in our airport luggage dictionary.

Money, change and ATMs: more wallet words

What's inside the wallet also has different names on each side of the Atlantic. Paper money is bills in the United States and notes in Britain. What you get back is change, and metal money is coins. A cash machine is an ATM everywhere, and in Britain you'll also hear cash machine or cashpoint. And when you want an invoice or a receipt at the checkout, you say "Can I have a receipt?"

Two more phrases you hear at every checkout: "Keep the change", and "Do you have anything smaller?" when the bill you handed over is too big for the cashier. If you carry foreign currency and your home currency in one wallet, a wallet with several bill compartments or a separate coin pocket helps, so you're not searching for the right bill in front of the queue.

How to say wallet in other languages

Looking for a new wallet before your trip? In our guide to choosing a men's wallet we cover leather, size and number of slots, and you'll find every model on our wallets page.