Business Letter Greetings: Professional Examples and Common Mistakes

Key takeaways

• The most widely accepted formal business letter greeting is Dear [Title] [Last name]: followed by a colon in American English and a comma in British English.
• When you do not know the recipient’s name, Dear Sir or Madam is formal and safe; To Whom It May Concern is acceptable but considered dated by many style guides.
• The greeting sets the register for everything that follows. A greeting that is too casual makes a formal letter feel inconsistent. A greeting that is too stiff in a warm business relationship feels cold.
• Common mistakes include using Hey, using the wrong title (Mr. for a woman, Dr. when not applicable), and writing Dear [First name] [Last name] instead of Dear [Title] [Last name].

You sit down to write a business letter and the opening line stalls you. The name is right there, but you are not sure whether to write Dear John Smith, Dear Mr. Smith, Dear John, or something else entirely. Get the greeting wrong and the reader notices before they have reached your first sentence.

italki connects professionals and learners with business English teachers who can review real writing, correct register errors, and help you develop the tone that your specific professional context requires.

This guide covers business letter greetings for formal and semi-formal situations, email greetings, how to address someone when you do not know their name, the correct use of titles, and the most common mistakes that undermine professional letters before the first paragraph.

Standard formal business letter greetings

The table below covers the most widely used business letter greetings by formality level.

Greeting	Formality	When to use
Dear Mr. Smith:	High	Formal letters to a man you do not know personally
Dear Ms. Johnson:	High	Formal letters to a woman (avoids marital status)
Dear Dr. Patel:	High	When the recipient holds a doctorate or medical degree
Dear Professor Chen:	High	Academic and university correspondence
Dear Mr. Smith and Ms. Johnson:	High	Two named recipients
Dear John:	Semi-formal	You know the person but maintain some professional distance
Hi Sarah,	Informal/semi-formal	Established working relationship, conversational context

American vs. British punctuation:

• American style: comma or colon after the greeting (Dear Mr. Smith, or Dear Mr. Smith:)
• British style: no punctuation or comma after the greeting (Dear Mr Smith, or Dear Mr Smith)

The colon after a greeting signals formality in American business writing. Most professional American correspondence uses Dear Mr. Smith: for formal letters and Dear John, for semi-formal.

Greetings when you do not know the recipient’s name

Greeting	Use	Notes
Dear Sir or Madam,	Formal, unknown recipient	Accepted across most contexts; slightly formal
To Whom It May Concern,	Formal, general/policy letters	Considered dated by some; still used in reference letters
Dear Hiring Manager,	Job applications	When you cannot identify the hiring contact
Dear Customer Service Team,	Complaints and inquiries	Addresses the team, not a specific person
Dear [Department] Team,	Internal communications	e.g., Dear Finance Team

Dear Sir or Madam is the safest option when you do not know the recipient’s name or gender. To Whom It May Concern is appropriate for general letters of recommendation or policy inquiries but sounds impersonal in a targeted pitch or application.

When you can find the name through a quick search or phone call, use it. A named greeting signals that you did your research and increases the chance your letter is read carefully.

Work with a business English tutor to practice writing formal and semi-formal greetings across different professional scenarios, including how to adjust tone when moving from letter to email format.

Email greetings versus letter greetings

Business emails follow looser conventions than printed letters, but the register still matters.

Context	Appropriate email greeting
Cold outreach, formal	Dear Mr./Ms. [Last name],
Formal ongoing correspondence	Dear [First name],
Regular professional contact	Hi [First name],
Internal team message	Hi [First name], / Hello [First name],
Very casual team context	Hey [First name], (only if very established rapport)

What changes between email and letter:

• Letters almost always open with Dear. Emails can open with Hi in professional contexts.
• Emails are shorter, so the greeting line transitions more quickly to the subject.
• Good morning and Good afternoon work as email greetings when you know the recipient’s time zone and want a warmer tone than Dear.

Never open a professional email with: Hey, Greetings, Hello there, To all, or no greeting at all. These either signal low effort or undermine the professional register you are trying to set.

Titles and how to use them correctly

Title	Used for	Notes
Mr.	Adult men	Does not indicate marital status
Ms.	Adult women	Gender-neutral for marital status; preferred in most business contexts
Mrs.	Married women	Only use if the recipient uses it herself
Miss	Unmarried women	Rarely used in business; use Ms. instead
Dr.	Holders of a doctorate or medical degree	Use for PhD, MD, JD if the person uses the title professionally
Professor	University faculty	Use the full title in academic correspondence
Mx.	Gender-neutral	Used when requested; increasingly common in some industries

Key rules:

• Never assume Mrs. Use Ms. unless you know the recipient prefers Mrs.
• Do not use both the title and the full name together if it creates redundancy: Dear Dr. John Smith is less clean than Dear Dr. Smith.
• If someone signs their email with a first name only, you can mirror that in your reply: if they signed Sarah, replying Dear Ms. Johnson creates unnecessary distance.

Opening lines that follow the greeting

The greeting and the first sentence of the letter body work together to establish tone. Here are effective opening lines for common situations:

Situation	Opening line
Following a meeting	Thank you for taking the time to meet with me on [date].
Responding to an inquiry	Thank you for your inquiry regarding [topic].
Making a request	I am writing to request [specific thing].
Introducing yourself	My name is [name], and I am [role] at [company].
Following up	I am writing to follow up on my letter of [date].
Applying for a position	I am writing to apply for the [position] advertised on [platform].
Lodging a complaint	I am writing to bring to your attention an issue I experienced on [date].

Avoid opening with I hope this letter finds you well or I hope you are doing well. These phrases are overused to the point of being invisible. If you want to acknowledge the relationship, do it specifically: It was great to speak with you last week is more effective because it references a real interaction.

Business English conversation uses the spoken equivalents of these opening lines in meetings and calls, where the same register principles apply.

Common business letter greeting mistakes

Mistake	Why it is a problem	Correct version
Hey John,	Too casual for any formal or semi-formal letter	Dear John, or Hi John, depending on relationship
Dear John Smith,	First and last name together sounds impersonal	Dear Mr. Smith, or Dear John,
Dear Mrs. Chen, (assuming marital status)	Ms. Chen may prefer Ms.	Dear Ms. Chen,
To whoever reads this,	Sounds dismissive	To Whom It May Concern,
No greeting at all	Abrupt; removes the personal framing of the letter	Add a greeting before the first paragraph
Dear Sir, (when writing to a woman)	Wrong title signals you did not check	Use Dear Ms. [name] or Dear Sir or Madam if unknown
Greetings,	Unusual and slightly awkward in English	Dear [name],
Hello Mr. Smith,	Hello with a title feels inconsistent in register	Either Dear Mr. Smith, (formal) or Hi David, (informal)

Greetings for different professional relationships

Relationship	Recommended greeting
First contact, formal (unknown)	Dear Sir or Madam,
First contact, named recipient	Dear Ms./Mr. [Last name],
Client (established)	Dear [First name],
Senior executive in your company	Dear [Title] [Last name], or Hi [First name] if the culture allows
Colleague at the same level	Hi [First name],
Government or institutional recipient	Dear [Title] [Last name]:
Academic recipient	Dear Professor [Last name],

The culture of your industry and company also matters. Law firms and financial institutions tend toward formal greetings even in emails. Technology companies often use Hi [name] across all levels. When in doubt, mirror the register of the most recent communication from that person.

An English teacher online who works with professionals can advise on industry-specific conventions and review a real letter or email you are writing before you send it.

Ready to write with confidence?

The greeting is the first thing a recipient reads and the first signal of your professionalism. Getting it right is a small change with real impact: the correct title, the right level of formality, and a natural transition into your opening line tell the reader you are worth their attention before they have finished the first sentence.

Writing formally in a second language adds an extra layer of difficulty. A business English specialist who reads and corrects real professional writing, not just exercises, gives you feedback that generic grammar rules cannot. italki has 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, including business English tutors who can review your letters and emails directly. Book a trial lesson and bring a letter you are working on.

FAQ

What title should I use if I do not know a woman’s marital status?

Use Ms. It is universally accepted in professional contexts and does not reference marital status. Only use Mrs. if the recipient has specifically indicated she uses that title. Miss is generally avoided in formal business correspondence.

How do business letter conventions differ between American and British English?

The main difference is punctuation after the greeting and closing. American English uses a colon after the greeting (Dear Ms. Smith:) and a comma after the closing (Sincerely,). British English typically uses a comma after the greeting (Dear Ms Smith,) and no punctuation after the closing (Yours sincerely). Neither is more correct – the choice depends on the audience.

What do I write if I have been emailing someone informally but now need to send a formal letter?

Return to Dear [Title] [Last name] for the greeting, regardless of how casual your previous emails were. A formal letter signals a shift in the nature of the communication. The channel change itself justifies the register change, and recipients generally understand this without it being awkward.