If you know the person's name:
Dear Ms / Miss / Mrs / Mr / Dr + surname
Dear Mr Miller
You can also write the person's full name. In this case, leave out
the title (Mr/Mrs). This way of writing the salutation is very handy if
you don't know the gender of the person.
Dear Chris Miller
If you don't know the person's name:
There are several possibilities to address people that you don't know by name:
| salutation | when to use |
| Dear Sir / Dear Sirs | male addressee (esp. in British English) |
| Gentlemen | male addressee (esp. in American English) |
| Dear Madam | female addressee (esp. in British English) |
| Ladies | female addressee (esp. in American English) |
| Dear Sir or Madam | gender unknown (esp. in British English) |
| Ladies and Gentlemen | gender unknown (esp. in American English) |
| To whom it may concern | gender unknown (esp. in American English) |
Business partners often call each other by their first names. In this case, write the salutation as follows:
Dear Sue
Punctuation
In British English, don't use any punctuation mark or use a comma.
Dear Mr Miller or Dear Mr Miller,
In American English, use a colon:
Dear Mr. Miller:
For examples see → Subject.
Ms, Miss or Mrs?
- Mrs – to address a married woman
- Miss – to address an unmarried woman (rarely used now)
- Ms – to address a woman whose marital status you don't know; also used to address an unmarried woman
