Have you ever received a letter with a handwritten 'P' on it? If so, it turns out there's a very simple reason why.
Our letters here in the UK go on quite the journey after being pushed through a Royal Mail postbox, receiving a number of stamps along the way as they make their way to your front door.
But what do all of the stamps and markings mean?
An eagle-eyed Reddit user once noticed their post had been marked with the letter P before being pushed through his letter box, and took to the forum to find out why.
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"Can anybody tell me why all my letters the last few days have had a 'P' symbol written on them?" the person asked in the forum, attaching an image of a recent letter he'd received.
It seemed the original poster wasn't the only person baffled by the marking, with several other Redditors coming together to offer up their a range of humorous suggestions, from Wordle clues to ominous threats from the local postman.
Fortunately, the Royal Mail's posties were on hand to solve the mystery before the conspiracies got too out of hand - revealing the very simple (and practical) explanation for the letter.
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It turns out that the 'P' stands for parcel and is a useful way for postmen to remember there's also a parcel for the address, saving another trip back later in the day.
“It's the postie's way of reminding themselves that when they come to post your letter there's also a parcel for you," one person wrote.
"It means Parcel. For either yourself or the next delivery.It’s a reminder for the postman / postwoman," a second added.
"That's so they don't post your letter then find out halfway down the street they forgot to knock and give you your parcel," a third person joked, while another person added that a code such as 'P10' would mean there's a parcel for the house next door (number 10) but no letter.
It turns out the posties can sometimes get quite creative with their annotations as well, as one Redditor revealed they'd once had a completely unrelated shopping list written on the back of their mail.
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"I've delivered all sorts of letters with stuff on the back. Reminders, Tracey telling Dave her pin code. Shopping lists etc etc," another person replied to the comment, confirming that letter doodles aren't something out of the ordinary for postmen.
"Don't assume it's the postie."
Mystery solved!
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image / Reddit