Salutations
Salutations are opening and closing phrases you use to greet and say good-bye to the recipient of your email. How you address the recipient will depend on whether it is a first or an established contact, and also on the level of formality of your email.
Unless you are writing in a very informal context, always use opening and closing salutations in your emails.
Opening salutations
In many parts of the world, a more formal tone is preferred in written communication than what is commonly used in Sweden. Whereas in Swedish a brief Hej! might work in many contexts, the standard salutary phrase in English is Dear plus the name of the recipient.
Note that the word dear is a standard, neutral, word, used in professional as well as private correspondence.
| Opening salutation | Level of formality |
|---|---|
| Dear Dr Smith, | Formal, polite; possibly a first contact |
| Dear Mary, | Informal; someone you know or someone you |
How formal? If you are uncertain about the right level of formality, aim at a polite and formal tone, and let your correspondent decide which level they prefer. In many cultures, academic titles are used much more frequently than in Sweden, and addressing someone you do not know without their academic title might seem rude. Whereas you in Sweden would open an email to someone who will visit your department as faculty opponent with Hej Andrea!, an opening salutation like Dear Professor Rosso, is more apporopriate unless you already know them. If they in their reply sign off with Best regards, Andrea you can use first names in your next email. Similarly, when you refer to your own colleagues, consider whether it is appropriate to use their first names or if it is better to refer to them in a more formal way: Professor Svensson has asked me to contact you...
Please: As we say elsewhere, do not be afraid of using the word please in emails: Please let me know... Please send me...
Unknown recipient
If you do not know the name of the recipient, aim for a more generic salutation. If you are addressing someone in their professional capacity but do not know their name, use their professional role or address your email to the department, for instance:
- Dear International Coordinator,
- Dear Head of Department,
- Dear [name of department] Library,
What about To whom it may concern?
The phrase To whom it may concern is not common in emails; it is more often used as a heading in letters of recommendations, applications and formal complaints than as a salutary phrase. If possible, use a generic salutation as described above.
Punctuation
Note the punctuation mark used after salutary phrases: In British English, a comma is always used after the salutary phrase:
- Dear Professor Smith,
- Dear James Smith,
- Dear James,
In US American English, a colon is sometimes used in formal correspondence.
Exclamation marks (as in the Swedish Hej!) are not used in salutations in English (at least not in the formal types of correspondence that we refer to here).
Gendered salutations
If the name of the recipient is not known, gendered salutations like Dear Sir, or Dear Sir/Madam are sometimes used in formal correspondence. Similarly, recipients are sometimes addressed with gendered courtesy titles such as
- Mr (to a man)
- Mrs (to a married woman)
- Miss (to an unmarried woman)
- Ms (to a woman without signalling her marital status)
Whereas the intention of such salutations is politeness, they focus on the gender of the recipient, and, in the case of women, also on their marital status. Today, many writers find such salutations problematic: If it is not clear to you what gender the recipient's name is or how the recipient wishes to be addressed, it is difficult to know what salutation to use.
If you use a female gendered salutation, we recommend Ms as marital status is of no consequence in most professional correspondence. If you address someone you do not know (or if you do not know their marital status), using their full name is a neutral option: Dear Adela Brown,.
If you wish to use the more traditional Miss/Mrs, please note that Miss is only used for women who have not been married, whereas Mrs today is used for married, widowed, and divorced women.
Traditionally, Mrs + the husband’s full name (Mrs George Brown) was used for married and widowed women, whereas Mrs + the woman’s own full name (Mrs Adela Brown) signalled that she was divorced.
Nowadays, women are usually addressed with their own full name (Mrs Adela Brown).
How to avoid gendered language
One way to avoid gendered language is to use the professional capacity of the recipient (Dear International Coordinator,). If the recipient has an academic title, such as Dr Jones or Professor Smith, use that, or use first plus last names, as in Dear George Smith, or Dear Anna Jones,.
Time-specific salutations
In intercontinental correspondence, in particular, time-specific salutations like Good morning, and Good evening, are not advisable unless you know for certain when your email will be read.
Closing salutations
At the end of your email, use a closing salutation. Just as in the opening salutation, aim for politeness.
| Closing salutary phrase | Level of formality |
|---|---|
| Yours sincerely, Sincerely, Best wishes, Best regards, Kind regards, | Formal, polite |
| Yours, Regards, | Informal |