Email Writing Guides
How to start an email, how to end it, which greeting and sign-off to use, and the phrases that make everyday emails clear and polite.
11 guides
Starting an email
How to Start an Email: Greetings and Opening Lines That Work
How to start an email the right way: which greeting to use, what to write in the first line, and examples for formal, work, and friendly emails.
“I Hope This Email Finds You Well”: Meaning, When to Use It, and 30 Alternatives
What “I hope this email finds you well” really means, when it works, when it sounds stiff, and 30 alternatives for work, clients, and follow-ups.
Email Greetings: 40 Professional and Friendly Ways to Say Hello
The best email greetings and salutations for formal, professional, group and friendly emails, plus which greetings to avoid and how to punctuate them.
“To Whom It May Concern”: When to Use It and 15 Better Alternatives
When “To whom it may concern” is still appropriate, how to punctuate it, and better greetings to use when you don’t know the recipient’s name.
Ending an email
How to End an Email: Closing Lines, Sign-Offs and Examples
How to end an email the right way: a clear closing line, the right sign-off, and a simple signature. With examples for work, job applications and friendly emails.
Email Sign-Offs: 50 Ways to End an Email (Professional, Friendly and Funny)
The best email sign-offs for work, clients, job applications and friends, plus which ones to avoid and how to format your closing.
“Best Regards”: Meaning, When to Use It, and Alternatives
What “Best regards” means, how it compares to “Kind regards” and “Sincerely,” how to punctuate it, and 20 alternatives for different situations.
60 Funny Email Sign-Offs (And When It’s Safe to Use Them)
Funny, clever and slightly unhinged email sign-offs for work and friends, sorted by situation, plus a quick guide on when humor is a bad idea.
Signatures
Useful phrases
“Please Find Attached”: Is It Correct? Plus 15 Modern Alternatives
Is “Please find attached” correct? What it means, how to use it, what PFA stands for, and simpler alternatives for mentioning attachments in an email.
How to Ask for Help in an Email (Politely, With Examples)
How to write an email asking for help or a favor: the structure that gets a yes, polite phrases to use, and examples for colleagues, managers, professors and strangers.
The three parts of every email
Almost every email has the same structure: a greeting and opening line, the message itself, and a closing line and sign-off. Get the start and the end right, and the middle is usually easy.
- New to this? Start with how to start an email and how to end an email.
- Need the right words? Browse email sign-offs or alternatives to “I hope this email finds you well”.
- Writing something specific? Our email templates give you ready-made examples to copy.
Explore other topics
Email Templates and Examples
Ready-to-use email templates for job interviews, follow-ups, resignations, out-of-office replies, school and everyday work. Copy, edit, send.
Email Terms and Abbreviations
Plain-English meanings of common email terms and abbreviations, from CC, BCC and Re: to FYI, EOD, OOO and PFA.
Gmail and Outlook Help
Simple step-by-step guides for everyday Gmail and Outlook tasks, from unsending and recalling emails to changing your signature.