{"id":23462,"date":"2022-02-16T02:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T09:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/?p=23462"},"modified":"2022-01-31T15:14:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T22:14:03","slug":"how-to-end-a-letter-example-closings-and-sign-offs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/how-to-end-a-letter-example-closings-and-sign-offs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to End a Letter (Example Closings and Sign-Offs)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether it\u2019s a cover letter, a resignation letter, or a reference letter, the ending of your letter is a crucial component<\/strong>. Not only does it signal \u201cthe end,” but it also sends a message about your feelings and intentions toward the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Close It Out with the Right Closing Sentence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ending a letter consists of two parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first part of your letter ending is the closing<\/strong>. This is one or two sentences that sum things up. It can express gratitude, invite the reader to act, or whatever is appropriate for the situation and audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some closing examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to connecting.<\/em><\/p>\n

I look forward to seeing you at the [event] on [date].<\/em><\/p>\n

I appreciate everything you\u2019ve done, and I hope we can work together again soon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

10 Endings for a Letter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve summed things up, you can end your letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This \u201cfinal word\u201d cements the overall message of your letter<\/strong>. So, consider your relationship with the recipient and the reason why you\u2019re writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re writing a resignation letter<\/a> to your boss, you\u2019ll likely choose an ending that\u2019s professional and polite, as opposed to mean and spiteful. Likewise, the ending of a cover letter<\/a> is very different from how you might end a complaint letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because there\u2019s no one \u201cright\u201d way to end a letter, here are 10 suggestions to help you out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Sincerely<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A classic ending, \u201cSincerely\u201d is as polite and neutral of a letter ending as you can get! When you end a letter with this, you\u2019re signaling that you’re honest, genuine, and straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Respectfully<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRespectfully\u201d is another classic ending. To some, this ending is a step up from \u201cSincerely\u201d in that you are signaling your respect for the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, depending on the nature of the letter and your relationship to the reader, it\u2019s possible that \u201cRespectfully\u201d could be read, ironically, as disrespectful. Sometimes, people use \u201cRespectfully\u201d and its variations (\u201cWith Respect,\u201d for example) to indicate that while you respect the reader\u2019s right to whatever it is, you are not on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Yours Truly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though some may consider it bland or even outdated, \u201cYours Truly\u201d is a safe, polite, and generally neutral ending for a letter. It\u2019s unlikely to ruffle any feathers or be misinterpreted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Thanks (or Thanks Again)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks\u201d and \u201cThanks Again\u201d are generally great options when you are truly thanking your reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, like \u201cRespectfully,\u201d you may need to exercise caution when writing \u201cThanks.\u201d If, for any reason, the reader doesn\u2019t believe you are thankful, \u201cThanks\u201d could have a flat landing or even read as sarcasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Appreciatively<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve already thanked the reader once (or even more than once), \u201cAppreciatively\u201d is a fantastic alternative. And unlike \u201cThanks,\u201d there\u2019s less of a chance it lands the wrong way, as people don\u2019t often use \u201cAppreciatively\u201d in the same negative way \u201cThanks\u201d is sometimes used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Regards (or Best Regards, Warm Regards, and Kind Regards)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the many meanings of \u201cregards\u201d includes feeling respect and affection. Because most readers won\u2019t associate affection with \u201cRegards\u201d or any version of it, this is usually a safe bet to end your letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Best<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBest\u201d is another common letter ending. It implies that you only have \u201cthe best” wishes for the reader and that you hope they experience only good things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBest\u201d is an informal ending, though, and should generally only close a letter with people you\u2019re familiar with. You can use \u201cBest\u201d on a business letter as long as your relationship with the reader and the situation merit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Cordially<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though some might say that \u201cCordially\u201d is a bit stiff and formal, it does indicate that you are sending sincere or deeply felt wishes. It\u2019s usually associated with pleasant and friendly feelings, although \u201ccordial\u201d can be used to indicate strong negative feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, \u201ccordial\u201d is a liqueur, and though your ending probably has nothing to do with alcohol, depending on the situation, you may want to skip the cordial wishes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Speak to You Soon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpeak to You Soon\u201d is very straightforward. You are clearly stating that you want to and likely will speak with the reader soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s nothing wrong with this ending, depending on the situation, it can seem threatening, so it\u2019s generally best to use this closing only on pleasant letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Nothing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When in doubt, it\u2019s perfectly acceptable to end your letter with nothing. Simply close your letter, then sign your name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While leaping from closing to your name without an ending is a bit abrupt, sometimes it\u2019s better to end things than choose an ending that is misinterpreted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the End<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From beginning to end, your letter should be a cohesive message for your reader. Make sure you finish your letter on the right note by selecting the ending that best fits your relationship with the reader and the situation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it’s a cover letter, resignation, or reference, the way you end your letter is important. Use these example closing sentences and sign-offs to end your letters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":23538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"old-site-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,102,78,28,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-advice","category-job-recruiters","category-job-search-advice","category-job-search-for-new-grads","category-veteran-and-transitioning-military-jobs"],"last_modified_at":"","edited_by":"Jessica Howington","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23462"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24016,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23462\/revisions\/24016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}