The ultimate email sign-offs guide

The way your email ends is crucial. While your subject line and opening hold a lot of weight, the closing line of an email, or email sign-offs, shouldn’t be overlooked.

Email sign-offs can set the overall tone of your email, express gratitude to the reader, boost or impair your response rate, establish a working relationship, and leave a long-lasting impression.

Email sign-offs help shape how your message is received. They can:

• Reinforce the intent of your message

• Establish credibility

• Build rapport with the recipient

• Improve your response rate

• Avoid misunderstandings

In other words, they can make or break your emails. 

And as emails are one of the primary methods of communication used both inside and outside the workplace, using them correctly is essential. 

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the most popular email sign-offs and how they’re used, settle the differences between the sign-offs ‘Yours sincerely’ and ‘Yours faithfully’, and throw in some extra tips and tricks for good measure.

What is an email sign-off?

An email sign-off is the phrase you use to close your message before your name. It’s often the last thing your recipient reads, so getting it right matters. A good email sign-off should reflect your tone, match the context, and support your relationship with the reader.

How to sign off an email the right way 

Before we look at any examples, here are some rules you should bear in mind when choosing your sign-off: 

Keeps things flexible 

Don’t be afraid to mix things up. Sticking with ‘Kind regards’ every time, no matter the context, can make your emails lackluster and less impressionable. 

Consider the tone and intent of your message 

Sending an email with an inappropriate sign-off can easily lead to trouble. While the closing phrase ‘Have a great day’ seems innocent enough, it can easily be viewed as sarcastic if misplaced. Always consider how it will land with the reader.

Include your contact details 

Forgetting your name is guaranteed to leave a bad impression. In your first email correspondence, ensure your chosen sign-off is followed by your contact information (full name, job title, phone number, and email address), and any other essential business information.

Setting up automatic email signatures is an easy remedy for this. 

Consider the audience 

Understanding your relationship with the recipient is essential for choosing the most appropriate email sign-off. Consider carefully – is your chosen email ending suitable for your close friend, family member, employee, colleague, customer, or boss? 

Use the correct grammar 

Sign-offs should start with a capital letter. In the case of sign-offs composed of two or more words like ‘Kind regards’ or ‘Hope this helps’, only the first word should be capitalized. A comma should be placed directly after the sign-off. 

Use proper formatting

• Start with a capital letter: e.g. “Kind regards,” not “kind regards”

• Only capitalize the first word in multi-word sign-offs

• Add a comma after your sign-off

Clearing up common sign-off confusion

Confused about whether to use "Kind regards" or "Yours sincerely"? You’re not alone. Here’s how to get it right.

“Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully”?

The easiest way to clarify the distinction between these two sign-offs is as follows: 

• Use “Yours sincerely” if you know the recipient by name (“Dear Jane”).

• Use “Yours faithfully” if you don’t know their name (“Dear Sir/Madam”).

“Yours sincerely” or “Sincerely yours”?

These email sign-offs are interchangeable in terms of meaning. “Yours sincerely” is more common in the UK, while “Sincerely yours” is the U.S. equivalent.

“Your sincerely” or “Yours sincerely”?

Always use “Yours sincerely.” The other is incorrect.

“Best regards” or “Kind regards”?

Both are appropriate for professional emails. “Kind regards” is slightly more formal and is ideal for first-time interactions. “Best regards” is well suited for ongoing correspondence.

“Kind regards” or “Yours sincerely”?

Use “Yours sincerely” for formal letters or job applications. For most workplace emails, “Kind regards” or “Best regards” will feel more natural and less stiff.

Email sign-off examples 

It’s time to launch into some examples. We’ve grouped popular email sign-offs into these categories:

• General formal sign-offs
• Formal email sign-offs (contextual)
• Semi-formal sign-offs
• Informal email sign-offs
• Informal sign-offs (contextual)

For example, while ‘Regards’ is a universal sign-off, ‘Thanks in advance’ only makes sense if you have asked for something in your email. 

As stated, context is a huge factor when choosing email sign-offs, so the following categories aren’t set in stone. But they should make the selection process a whole lot easier. 

Formal email sign-offs 

The following sign-offs are generally recognized as formal and are classed as professional email closings. They can be used in nearly any email scenario and shouldn’t cause any problems. 

This being said, some people argue that ‘Regards’ and ‘Best’ are abrupt and come off as insensitive, while others vouch strongly for these.

• Best 

• Best regards 

• Best wishes 

• Kind regards 

• Regards 

• Warm regards (Warmly, Warm wishes) 

• Yours faithfully (Faithfully, Faithfully yours) 

• Yours respectfully (Respectfully, Respectfully yours) 

• Yours sincerely (Sincerely, Sincerely yours) 

• Yours truly (Truly yours) 

Formal email sign-offs (contextual) 

Sign-offs that show gratitude are widely believed to get the highest response rate in emails. 

• Many thanks (All my thanks) 

• Speak soon 

• Talk soon 

• Thank you 

• Thanks in advance 

• That’s all for now 

• With appreciation 

• With gratitude 

Semi-formal email sign-offs 

Appropriate for familiar colleagues or internal updates.

• As ever 

• Have a great day (Have a great week, Have a great weekend) 

• Hope this helps 

• Thanks 

• Until next time 

Informal email sign-offs 

Informal email endings should be used with care. Consider carefully whether they are appropriate for your situation. 

This is especially true for text-like acronyms, arguably the riskiest sign-offs to use in a work environment.

For example, if you have a close relationship with a colleague, you may be inclined to use ‘ttyl’ to sign off a work email (an acronym for ‘talk to you later’). 

• Bye 

• Cheers 

• Ciao 

• Later 

• Peace (Peace out) 

• rgds 

• See ya (See you) 

• Take it easy 

Informal email sign-offs (contextual) 

These are highly casual—only use if your audience expects it.

• Stay tuned 

• tafn 

• thx 

• ttyl 

Summary: Make your email sign-off count

The way you sign off an email says more than you think. It sets the tone, shapes how you’re perceived, and can even influence whether you get a reply. And yes, there’s a time and place for ‘All the best’ or ‘Have a good one.’

But a sign-off alone isn’t enough. It needs to be part of a professional email signature that includes:

• Your full name and title

• Your company branding (logo, fonts, colors)

• Contact information (email, phone, website)

• Any required legal disclaimers

• Optional elements like banners, CTAs, and social links

When email signatures are left to individuals, formatting drifts, information goes out of date, and branding becomes inconsistent. That’s where centralized email signature management comes in.

At Exclaimer, we help 70,000+ organizations ensure every email ends with a polished, compliant, and on-brand signature—no matter who sends it or from what device.

Want to see how it works? Explore our email signature solution