Hello and goodbye

English being English, nothing is simple – not even saying hello. So, when you’re writing an email or letter, how do you know when to use hello instead of Dear Mr?

It’s all in the tone
Making the right choice is tough because there are no hard and fast rules. But here are some guidelines to help you make the right choice at the right time.

We usually only use the highest level of formality if addressing someone we’ve never met or had any dealings with. Note, if you include the person’s name then use Yours sincerely. If you don’t write their name use Yours faithfully.

Very formal (recipient name unknown)

• Dear Sirs,
• Dear Sir / Madam,
• Yours faithfully,

Very formal (recipient name known)

• Dear Mr. Jensen,
• Dear Jens Jensen,
• Dear Ms. Jensen,
• Dear Lotte Jensen,
• Yours sincerely,

If you’ve received the persons contact details from a colleague or friend, we usually just use Dear + first name.

• Formal
• Dear Jens,
• Dear Lotte,
• Best regards,
• Kind regards,
• Regards,

After a couple of email exchanges, when you’re beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the person, you can change to the more informal style. Use your instinct: be aware of what the other person writes and take your lead from them. If they drop the level of formality, it’s impolite to use a formal greeting when replying.

People often use Hi + name and then combine it with the slightly more formal Regards in order to maintain an element of professionalism.

Informal

• Hi / Hello Jens,
• Hi / Hello Lottie,
• Regards,
• Cheers,
• Thanks,
• See you (soon / next week etc)

When you know someone well and are developing a good working relationship with them, you can drop the name.

Very informal

• Hi / Hello
• Cheers,
• Thanks,
• See you (soon/next week etc.)

A few things to be aware of
• In theory, all salutations and closing comments should be followed by a comma but the commas are often left out, especially in emails.

• Don’t use Mrs. or Miss to address a woman (or a man, obviously). Announcing someone’s marital status is not regarded as politically correct in English.

• Kind regards and Best regards are probably the most common ending to a business correspondence. These are increasingly being used in very formal emails and letters, replacing the less fashionable Yours sincerely and Yours faithfully.

• In informal business situations, you can also shorten Regards to Rgds.

 

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WordNerd
Salutation is a formal word meaning greeting. It is derived from the Latin salutatio meaning ‘a wishing of health to’.