Email sign off examples are easiest to pick from when you start with the situation, not the phrase. “Kind regards” suits a first message to a stranger, “Thanks” suits a reply in a friendly thread, and “Yours faithfully” suits a formal letter that opens “Dear Sir or Madam”. This page gives 30 email sign off examples in six situations, with a note on tone for each.
A sign-off is the line you type before your name. It is not your email signature, which is the block your mail app adds underneath. The two work together, and we cover that near the end.
Email sign off examples at a glance
- First message to someone new: Kind regards or Best regards.
- Reply in a friendly thread: Best, or Thanks.
- Chasing: Thanks in advance, with a date.
- After a mistake: With apologies, then the fix.
- Formal letter, name known: Yours sincerely. Name unknown: Yours faithfully.
Email sign off examples, grouped by situation
Three questions narrow down any list of email sign off examples. How well do you know the reader? Are you asking for something, or giving something? And has the thread already settled into a tone? A stranger plus a request points to “Kind regards”; a colleague plus a thank you points to “Thanks so much”.
The tone notes below are our judgement, not a rule. Where a source states a convention, we say which: the British Council’s LearnEnglish unit on starting and finishing emails and the University of Twente’s English style guide on closings, both read in October 2026. Match the other person: if they sign “Cheers”, you can too.
Email sign off examples for first contact
You do not know the reader yet, so stay polite and plain.
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Kind regards | Warm, professional | The default for a new contact. |
| Best regards | Professional, a little brisker | A business request or an introduction. |
| Regards | Neutral, slightly cool | A short factual message. |
| Warm regards | Friendly | You already share a connection, such as a mutual contact. |
| With best wishes | Gentle, a little old-fashioned | A message to someone senior or older who values courtesy. |
Email sign off examples for a reply in an ongoing thread
By the third message, the long sign-off starts to feel stiff.
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Best | Light, professional | The usual choice in a long thread. |
| Thanks | Direct, friendly | You are answering a question or receiving a file. |
| Cheers | Casual | The other person is informal. The British Council lists it among informal closings. |
| Talk soon | Friendly, forward-looking | A call or meeting is already planned. |
| Speak soon | Slightly more formal than “Talk soon” | You know you will speak, and want to sound organised. |
Email sign off examples for chasing or following up
The risk here is sounding impatient. Give a reason or a date, then close politely.
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks in advance | Brisk, can sound pushy | You ask for something specific and the reader cannot easily refuse. |
| Looking forward to your reply | Polite, slightly formal | You have asked a question and want an answer. |
| Thank you for your time | Respectful | You are asking a busy person for a decision. |
| Grateful for any update | Soft | A deadline has slipped and you want news, not blame. |
| Appreciate your help | Warm | The reader is doing you a favour. |
Apologising
Put the apology in the body of the message. The sign-off only needs to close without drama.
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| With apologies | Formal, sincere | You made a clear mistake. |
| Apologies again | Brief, plain | You have already apologised higher up in the message. |
| Sincere apologies | Serious | The mistake cost the reader time or money. |
| Thank you for your patience | Gracious | There was a delay and the fix is on its way. |
| Sorry again | Informal | A small slip, in a friendly thread. |
Saying thank you
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| With thanks | Formal, warm | A written thank you after a meeting or a favour. |
| Many thanks | Warm | A longer message that ends on appreciation. |
| Thanks so much | Informal, warm | A colleague or client you know. |
| With gratitude | Heartfelt | Something went well beyond the call of duty. |
| Thank you | Plain, universal | Nothing else fits. |
Email sign off examples for formal letters and official correspondence
| Sign-off | Tone | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Yours sincerely | Formal | The greeting names the person, such as “Dear Ms Okafor”. |
| Yours faithfully | Formal | The greeting is “Dear Sir or Madam”. |
| Yours truly | Formal | The British Council lists it among formal closings. |
| Sincerely | Formal, shorter than “Yours sincerely” | A formal message to a named person. |
| Respectfully | Very formal | Addressing an official, a court or a senior person. |
The Twente guide, which follows formal British usage, gives the same rule for the first two rows: “Yours sincerely” with a named recipient and “Yours faithfully” with “Dear Sir/Madam”. It also describes “Best regards” and “Kind regards” as semi-formal choices.
Best regards alternatives
The email sign off examples above already include several swaps. A few more are worth keeping to hand.
If “Best regards” feels worn, these are close in tone:
- Kind regards: a touch warmer.
- Best wishes: warmer still, good for a friendly client.
- All the best: friendly, with a hint of farewell.
- Thanks again: useful when the main point of the message was a favour.
- Best: shorter, and fine in an active thread.
None is wrong. Among all these email sign off examples, the phrase matters less than the match: a very formal close on a one-line reply, or “Cheers” on a first message to a regulator, will read as off.
Professional email sign offs: punctuation and habits
- Comma after the sign-off. The University of Twente guide says the closing always takes a comma, and only its first word is capitalised (“Yours sincerely,”).
- Name on its own line. Your first name alone is fine in a friendly thread. Use your full name on a first message.
- One closing, not two. “Thanks in advance, kind regards” asks twice. Pick one.
- No abbreviations to strangers. “Rgds” appears on the British Council page among informal closings. Leave it for people you know.
- Keep punctuation plain in a formal close. A row of exclamation marks after “Thanks” reads differently from a plain “Thank you”.
Regional habits: what we could verify
People ask whether the email sign off examples above change in the UK, the US, Nigeria and South Africa. We checked what we could. The two sources above are British in outlook (the Twente page addresses “formal British usage” and makes no distinction for American English) and agree on the sincerely and faithfully convention. We did not find an official page describing sign-off habits in the US, Nigeria or South Africa, so we make no claim about them.
If you write across regions, the safest habit is to copy the sign-off your correspondent used in their last message, and to stay on “Kind regards” when you have nothing to copy.
How the sign-off and your signature fit together
The sign-off is typed. The signature is automatic. Do not repeat yourself:
- Type the sign-off and your first name: “Kind regards, Maya”.
- Let the signature add your full name, title and contact details.
- Leave out lines like “Sent by Maya Chen, Head of Partnerships” in the body, because the signature already says it.
Here is how the two look together, with “Kind regards, Maya” typed above a made-up company signature:
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Example only. The company and person are made up. The sign-off is typed by the writer; the block below it is the signature.
A signature that looks right but carries the wrong sign-off is a common slip in teams, because the sign-off belongs to the person and the signature belongs to the company. That is why email sign off examples work best as suggestions, not as part of a template. If your company wants every message to look the same, set the signature once for everyone with emailfooter and leave the sign-off to each writer. The article on email signature etiquette covers more habits, and the complete guide shows how the pieces fit.
Frequently asked questions
What are good email sign off examples for work?
“Kind regards” or “Best regards” suit most business messages, whatever the topic. Use “Best” or “Thanks” in an ongoing thread.
Which email sign off examples can I use instead of “Best regards”?
Kind regards, Best wishes, All the best, Warm regards or simply Best. They differ slightly in warmth, not in correctness.
Do email sign off examples take a comma after the sign-off?
Yes. The University of Twente’s style guide says the closing always takes a comma, and only the first word is capitalised.
Is “Yours faithfully” or “Yours sincerely” correct?
In formal British usage, “Yours sincerely” goes with a named person and “Yours faithfully” with “Dear Sir or Madam”.
Do I need a sign-off if I have an email signature?
Yes. The signature gives your contact details, but a short sign-off such as “Thanks” or “Kind regards” closes the message in your own words.
Keep reading
- Email signature etiquette: what is polite, what is noise: Email signature etiquette in one table for new emails, replies, long threads and internal mail, plus nine habits that waste the reader’s attention.
- Email signature best practices: 15 rules that hold up in every inbox: Email signature best practices as 15 numbered rules, each with a bad and a good example and the Gmail or Outlook limit behind it. Read in October 2026.
- What is an email signature? A plain explanation with examples: What is an email signature? A clear explanation of what it is, what it contains, why businesses use one and how it differs from a disclaimer or a sign-off.
- Email signature: what it is, what to put in it and how to set it up: Everything about the email signature: what to include, how big it should be, design rules, legal lines, examples and how to set it up in Gmail and Outlook.
Make every signature in your company match
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