Lettre vs. missive
While both lettre and missive can be translated as letter in English, they are not interchangeable. The main difference lies in their register and frequency of use, with lettre being the common, all-purpose term and missive being a more formal and literary alternative.
Lettre
A2A lettre is the standard, neutral, and most common French word for a letter. It is a versatile term used in any context, whether personal, professional, formal, or informal.
J'ai écrit une longue lettre à ma grand-mère pour son anniversaire.
(I wrote a long letter to my grandmother for her birthday.)
Avez-vous reçu la lettre de confirmation pour votre entretien d'embauche ?
(Did you receive the confirmation letter for your job interview?)
Pour résilier le contrat, vous devez envoyer une lettre recommandée.
(To cancel the contract, you must send a registered letter.)
Il est important de suivre à la lettre les consignes de sécurité.
(It is important to follow the safety instructions to the letter.)
Sa lettre d'adieu était posée sur la table de la cuisine.
(His farewell letter was lying on the kitchen table.)
Missive
C1A missive is a formal, literary, and somewhat dated term for a letter. It often implies a message of significant importance or official character and is rarely used in everyday conversation. Using it can sound solemn, slightly pompous, or even ironic depending on the context.
Le président a envoyé une missive à son homologue pour le féliciter.
(The president sent a missive to his counterpart to congratulate him.)
L'historien étudie les missives échangées entre Voltaire et Rousseau.
(The historian is studying the missives exchanged between Voltaire and Rousseau.)
J'ai enfin reçu une missive de l'administration fiscale au sujet de mes impôts.
(I finally received a missive from the tax office about my taxes.)
Le général rédigea une missive pour donner ses ordres secrets au front.
(The general drafted a missive to give his secret orders to the front line.)
La reine attendait impatiemment la missive qui scellerait l'alliance.
(The queen impatiently awaited the missive that would seal the alliance.)
Summary
In short, you should always use lettre for any type of letter in all everyday situations. Reserve missive for formal, official, or literary contexts where you want to convey a sense of solemnity and importance. Think of lettre as the default letter, while missive is closer to epistle, dispatch, or official communication.