<p>I believe it's just saying &quot;possible&quot; because a created address may never end up being sent to; in fact, it might never be shared with a payer at all.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T16:52:04.727Z
I was thinking it could be referring to change addresses, but your explanation sounds more likely.
Vojtěch Strnad
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T17:17:26.527Z
I have found that it's confusing for newcomers to understand that addresses represent the actual ScriptPubkey of an output. Doing some research, I have found that no address definition mentions this to clarify it. Is there a reason for it?
Bitcoin_1o1
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T17:36:37.207Z
The definition for address I use is that it's a template to construct scriptPubKeys with. Whether someone actually puts that scriptPubKey in a transaction that actually makes it to the chain isn't relevant.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T17:56:42.137Z
Thanks @PieterWuille, would it be fair to say that an address is an actual encoded representation of a script or key? I'm thinking of ways to describe an address that will make an immediate click to newcomers.
Bitcoin_1o1
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T18:19:12.203Z
That's currently mostly true, but with two caveats: (1) not all valid scriptPubKeys have a corresponding address and (2) something like the proposed silent payment addresses and its predecessors are one-way: the receiver can go from address to many scriptPubKeys, but someone who only sees the scriptPubKey cannot find out what its address was (or find out whether two scriptPubKeys were created from the same address). I think the only correct thing to say is that an address is an encoding of instructions for a sender to construct a scriptPubKey with, given these facts.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T18:47:37.970Z
Thanks @PieterWuille, I like it. I will have to do more research on point 2 ;-), would you mind explaining why not all valid scriptPubkeys have a corresponding address?
Bitcoin_1o1
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T18:54:42.030Z
For an example an OP_RETURN output, which is unspendable. No address exists for such an output, because you can't send money to it. But there are protocols/use cases that involve adding such outputs to transactions. Before P2SH existed, multisig was possible by putting a multisig script directly in the scriptPubKey, but there was never a way of conveying such a script to a sender in the form of an address.
Pieter Wuille
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-28T16:49:23.340Z
2022-10-28T16:49:23.340Z
Pieter Wuille
<p>It's a possible destination, &quot;a&quot; indicating a singular destination. As in one possible destination; there exist many addresses and so many possible destinations.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-29T13:17:39.550Z
2022-10-29T13:17:39.550Z
AmishNick
<p>From <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Address" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Address</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A Bitcoin address, or simply address, is an identifier of 27-34
alphanumeric characters, beginning with the number 1 or 3, that
represents a possible destination for a Bitcoin payment</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Why &quot;a possible&quot;? Isn't always an address a destination? Is always based on the ScriptPubkey of the Tx output.</p>

<address><address-generation>
What "a possible destination for a Bitcoin payment" means in address definition?
Bitcoin_1o1
# What "a possible destination for a Bitcoin payment" means in address definition?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-28)

From <https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Address>:

> A Bitcoin address, or simply address, is an identifier of 27-34
> alphanumeric characters, beginning with the number 1 or 3, that
> represents a possible destination for a Bitcoin payment

Why "a possible"? Isn't always an address a destination? Is always based on the ScriptPubkey of the Tx output.

**Tags:** address, address-generation


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-10-28. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

I believe it's just saying "possible" because a created address may never end up being sent to; in fact, it might never be shared with a payer at all.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I was thinking it could be referring to change addresses, but your explanation sounds more likely.  
> **username_0**: I have found that it's confusing for newcomers to understand that addresses represent the actual ScriptPubkey of an output. Doing some research, I have found that no address definition mentions this to clarify it. Is there a reason for it?  
> **username_1**: The definition for address I use is that it's a template to construct scriptPubKeys with. Whether someone actually puts that scriptPubKey in a transaction that actually makes it to the chain isn't relevant.  
> **username_0**: Thanks @username_1, would it be fair to say that an address is an actual encoded representation of a script or key? I'm thinking of ways to describe an address that will make an immediate click to newcomers.  
> **username_1**: That's currently mostly true, but with two caveats: (1) not all valid scriptPubKeys have a corresponding address and (2) something like the proposed silent payment addresses and its predecessors are one-way: the receiver can go from address to many scriptPubKeys, but someone who only sees the scriptPubKey cannot find out what its address was (or find out whether two scriptPubKeys were created from the same address). I think the only correct thing to say is that an address is an encoding of instructions for a sender to construct a scriptPubKey with, given these facts.  
> **username_0**: Thanks @username_1, I like it. I will have to do more research on point 2 ;-), would you mind explaining why not all valid scriptPubkeys have a corresponding address?  
> **username_1**: For an example an OP_RETURN output, which is unspendable. No address exists for such an output, because you can't send money to it. But there are protocols/use cases that involve adding such outputs to transactions. Before P2SH existed, multisig was possible by putting a multisig script directly in the scriptPubKey, but there was never a way of conveying such a script to a sender in the form of an address.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2022-10-29. Score: 1

It's a possible destination, "a" indicating a singular destination. As in one possible destination; there exist many addresses and so many possible destinations.


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