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Email sign-offs: Examples and how to choose the right one
TL;DR
A professional email sign-off is the closing phrase before your name, and the right one depends on your relationship with the reader, how formal the message is, and whether you know their name.
Use "Yours sincerely" when you know the recipient's name, "Yours faithfully" when you don't, and "Kind regards" or "Best regards" for most everyday business email.
Sign-offs scale by formality: "Yours sincerely" and "Yours faithfully" for formal correspondence, "Kind regards" and "Thanks" for semi-formal, "Cheers" and "Speak soon" for informal — match the register to the relationship, not the other way round.
Exclaimer's 2026 research into how people communicate found 56% of people choose email specifically to keep a permanent record of a conversation, and 51% turn to it for formal complaints — the sign-off is doing more work than it looks like it is.
The sign-off itself is always the employee's own choice; it's the rest of the signature block (name, title, disclaimers, branding) that companies increasingly standardize centrally, using a tool like Exclaimer
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, improve or hurt your response rate, establish a working relationship, and leave a long-lasting impression.
Email sign-offs help shape how your message is received: they reinforce your intent, establish credibility, build rapport, improve your response rate, and help 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.
Tip: Your email sign-off should match the tone of your message. A casual "Cheers" might work for a colleague but not for a client or executive.
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
Warning: Using the same sign-off in every message (like "Kind regards") can feel robotic. Vary your closings based on the relationship and context.
Which email sign-off should you use? Common mix-ups explained
Confused about whether to use "Kind regards" or "Yours sincerely"? You’re not alone.
Here's the fast answer to the five sign-off pairs people mix up most:
If you're deciding between… | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
"Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully" | Yours sincerely if you know the recipient's name; Yours faithfully if you don't | Matches formal UK letter convention |
"Yours sincerely" or "Sincerely yours" | Either — they mean the same thing | "Yours sincerely" is more common in the UK; "Sincerely yours" is the US equivalent |
"Your sincerely" or "Yours sincerely" | Yours sincerely | "Your sincerely" is grammatically incorrect |
"Best regards" or "Kind regards" | Kind regards for first contact; Best regards for ongoing correspondence | Kind regards reads slightly more formal |
"Kind regards" or "Yours sincerely" | Kind regards for most workplace email; Yours sincerely for formal letters or job applications | Yours sincerely can feel stiff in daily correspondence |
Best practice: Always follow your email sign-off with your full name and contact information, especially in first-touch messages. Automate this with a professional email signature.
Don't use these email sign-offs (unless you're sure)
Some sign-offs can feel too casual, outdated, or just plain confusing in a professional setting. Unless you know your audience well, it's best to avoid these:
Sign-off to avoid | Why |
|---|---|
Sent from my iPhone | Looks careless or unfinished |
TTYL | Too informal; belongs in chat, not business email |
Rgds | Feels lazy or cryptic; write it out |
Respectfully yours | Dated and overly formal unless legally required |
Later | Too casual for most workplace emails |
Take it easy | Can sound flippant or dismissive |
When in doubt, stick to professional email sign-offs like Best regards, Kind regards, or Many thanks.
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.
Want to complete your sign-off with a professional signature? Explore these email signature examples to find pre-built designs for different role and industries.
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)
Avoid: Sign-offs like "Respectfully yours" or "Sent from my phone" can feel dated or careless. Stick to concise, modern alternatives like "Best regards" or "Many thanks."
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
Do your email sign-offs include legal disclaimers? Learn how to stay compliant with our email disclaimers guide, packed with tips and examples for regulated industries.
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.'
A sign-off is only ever the closing phrase, not the full signature block. That block also needs your full name and title, your company branding (logo, fonts, colors), contact information (email, phone, website), any required legal disclaimers, and 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. A sign-off is one line, but it's one line among thousands your company sends out every day, and each one is a small data point in how professional you look. Centralized email signature management, like Exclaimer and its Signature Rules feature, standardizes everything in that block, name, branding, disclaimers, so it stays consistent no matter who's sending. The sign-off phrase itself stays each employee's choice; what stops drifting is everything else around it.
At Exclaimer, we help 80,000+ 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
