# Yours sincerely vs Yours faithfully



## majlo

Hey,
Is there any difference between those expressions? I've heard that one of them, though, don't know which one, is used when we know the name of the recipient. Could you confirm it? 
Thanks


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## lux86

Hey!

You would use sincerely when a name of the reciever is mentioned at the beginning. faithfully when it's not.

Ex.

Dear Martha.
ssadad
Yours sincerely,

Dear Management
sdfsd
Yours faithfully.

cu! and good luck


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## lux86

and if u *you* start with Dear Sir or Madam you use faithfully , too. cheers


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## GenJen54

lux86 said:
			
		

> You would use sincerely when a name of the reciever is mentioned at the beginning. faithfully when it's not.


 
Hmmm.  I've not heard of this "rule" before (not that it is a rule, necessarily).  

I used "Sincerely," in all business correspondence regardless of to whom the letter is addressed.  I rarely use "Yours .... " at all, except in very specific circumstances.

It seems to me that "faithfully" takes on a much more personal register than does "sincerely," which is pretty ubiquitous.


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## Black_Mamba

My mum always said that it depends on whether or not you have met the person as well. If you have not met the person or corresponded with them before it is 'Yours sincerely' if you have met them or written to them specifically before, it is 'Yours faithfully.' Good old mum.


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## panjandrum

The difference is one of convention, not rule. It may have started with the English Civil Service, but I couldn't be sure. Dear Sir/Madam - Yours Faithfully and Dear Mr xxxx - Yours Sincerely were part of the civil service style guide at one time. That would be back in the time when "civil service style guide" wasn't littered with oxymorons.


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## jdenson

majlo said:
			
		

> Hey,
> Is there any difference between those expressions? I've heard that one of them, though, don't know which one, is used when we know the name of the recipient. Could you confirm it?
> Thanks


In the US, "yours truly", "sincerely", "yours sincerely", "sincerely yours", "yours faithfully", and "faithfully yours" are all used in exactly the same way. "Yours truely" and "sincerely" are probably the most common, while "faithfully yours" and "yours faithfully" are not so common.

JD


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## river

"Yours truly" or "sincerely" is for someone you don't know at all.
"Yours faithfully" is for someone you know slightly.
"Yours sincerely" is for friends in personal letters.


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## bartonig

It's clear there is a lack of agreement as to the use of these salutations. One option available to you is to throw them out. Dispense with them! Is there a rule that demand you use them? No. Make up your own!


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## panjandrum

I only ever use them in official or impersonal correspondence where their impersonalness is an asset


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## lux86

Frankly, In Poland students of High schools get additional points on their final exam for placing such a phrase at the end of (for ex.) an informal letter.


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## DesertCat

I've never seen "faithfully yours" used in business correspondence in the US. It may be used in personal correspondence but I've never seen it.  In personal correspondence I usually just sign my name and skip the closing salutations.  I prefer to use "regards" in business.

In any case, it's all a matter of personal style.


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## jess oh seven

lux86 said:
			
		

> Hey!
> 
> You would use sincerely when a name of the reciever is mentioned at the beginning. faithfully when it's not.
> 
> Ex.
> 
> Dear Martha.
> ssadad
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> Dear Management
> sdfsd
> Yours faithfully.
> 
> cu! and good luck


exactly, yes. i learned this in my administration class.


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## jimreilly

Part of the disagreement between various respondents could be a difference in American and British current usage. I think  "faithfully" is not used often today in the US, and it seems to me, as to others, quite personal, whatever it's usage may have been in the past or in British English. And I'm older than average, so I wonder what younger people think ?


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## maimere

I completely agree with jimreilly.  In the U.S. "Faithfully yours" or "Faithfully" are not seen almost at all, and I would almost say would take on a quasi-religious or at least highly personal tone over here.  "Sincerely yours" is absolutely form-letter fodder, and "Sincerely" both for business and personal letters.  I prefer  a personal sign-off which melts into the signature, such as:

I am very worried about your house burning down and 
remain anxiously yours,..."


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## grm33223

In UK, 'Yours faithfully' is if one does not know the addressee (i.e Dear Sir/Madam), and 'Yours sincerely' if one does (.e Dear Mr./Mrs. X) Both sound a  little strange, when you think about it- they are quite intense adverbs. Though as they are seen all the time, they are not seen as that, merely as a way to sign off correspondance.


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## mjb

I was told that if you are stating something or replying to something, you end it with "Yours sincerely" but if you are requesting something, you end it with "Yours faithfully" because you are conveying a sense of humility and that only by your faith in the recipient honouring your request will your request be honoured.  That sounds a bit like I'm repeating myself but I can't really figure out how to put that better so I'm leaving it how it is!  Hopefully it can be figured out what I'm trying to convey.

Yours sincerely,

mjb!


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## Karmele3

Can anybody tell me the difference in use between "yours sincerely" and "yours faithfully"?


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## Dimcl

Karmele3 said:


> Can anybody tell me the difference in use between "yours sincerely" and "yours faithfully"?


 
There really is no difference in the sentiment but both phrases are considered rather old-fashioned and quaint these days although "Yours sincerely" is still, occasionally, used.  "Yours faithfully" is very, very old-fashioned.  Most business correspondence (in Canada, at least) is signed "Yours truly".


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## Thomas1

Karmele3 said:


> Can anybody tell me the difference in use between "yours sincerely" and "yours faithfully"?


The difference is that you use the former when you address your mail to a particular person (know their personal details) and the later when you don't.
So starting a letter from:
_Dear Mr Smith,_

_XXXX_


_Yours sincerely,_
_Karmele3_

but:

_Dear Sir,_

_XXXX_

_Yours faithfully,_
_Karmele3_


This is a textbook differentiation and as you see it doesn't have much to do with reality. 


Tom


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## irene.acler

I agree with Thomas: I have be taught at school that there is a distinction between the two expressions depending on the personal details of the person you are writing to.


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## Hermit

In England these are the most usual ways of signing off a business or formal letter.  It is very rare indeed to use anything else unless writing to friends.

Thomas1 describes the use correctly, but it is not only textbook, it is the norm in England.


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## Thomas1

Hermit said:


> In England these are the most usual ways of signing off a business or formal letter. It is very rare indeed to use anything else unless writing to friends.
> 
> Thomas1 describes the use correctly, but it is not only textbook, it is the norm in England.


Thanks for this piece of information.  I based my comment on Dimcl's message, there must be variations according to which English you speak, then. 


Tom


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## Hockey13

Hermit said:


> In England these are the most usual ways of signing off a business or formal letter. It is very rare indeed to use anything else unless writing to friends.
> 
> Thomas1 describes the use correctly, but it is not only textbook, it is the norm in England.


 
I have never heard of this distinction, but I am a child of the internet generation. We tend to not write as many formal letters, but if I write a formal email, I often finish it with my own variation that is neither of these things. Sometimes I'll write:

Sincerely,
Coach Gordon Bombay


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## Dimcl

Thomas1 said:


> Thanks for this piece of information.  I based my comment on Dimcl's message, there must be variations according to which English you speak, then.
> 
> 
> Tom


 
Interesting thread... it's obviously a cultural difference - "Yours sincerely" and "Yours faithfully" are so little used in Canada that I didn't even know about the "rule" discussed here.   Notwithstanding our close ties to British culture/language, I guess we've adopted some less formal tendencies.


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## panjandrum

It's not a rule, it's a convention in formal letter-writing.  It is still the norm here and no one thinks anything of it.


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## LouisaB

panjandrum said:


> It's not a rule, it's a convention in formal letter-writing. It is still the norm here and no one thinks anything of it.


 
I would agree with this, but I think it's also a matter of register. I've noticed writers to The Times still begin simply 'Sir' (on the whole) and end almost always with 'Yours faithfully', but in other papers 'Yours sincerely' seems to be growing in popularity.

The distinction I was taught was exactly that outlined by Thomas. The reason given was that 'faithfully' was used in its legal sense, ie the letter is written in good faith - meaning the signature is your real name, your address is as stated, and the contents of your letter are truthful to the best of your knowledge and belief. This is not something you would write to someone you know. 'Sincerely' is used for that, because it supposedly expresses something of a more personal emotion - though not a great deal, in my opinion! As Panjandrum says, it's really just a convention, that's all.

Louisa


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## timpeac

I was taught by a very non-prescriptive English teacher at school that it was "Dear Sir/Madam + yours faithfully" and "Dear Mr(S) Smith + yours sincerely" and before reading this thread I had no idea that this rule wasn't universally observed (since I have heard it many times since).

I think that this distinction is generally observed in the UK (as do many of my compatriots above, I see) (and I see nothing quaint or old-fashioned in it - if I were to be formal enough to call someone "_Mr_ whatever" at the start of the letter I would view it normal to end with "yours sincerely") and I would suggest that you observe it if writing to this country. I might be a bit of a pedant but I would notice if someone got it "wrong".


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## Janka

Dear friends,

I was taught that if you know the person you are writing to, you use yours sincerely at the end, and if not, you use yours faithfully. But, a few days ago, I found a sample cover letter on the official BBC website where they started with dear Sir and ended with yours sincerely. So, is it strictly as I've  written above, or the rules and English are changing?

Thanx


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## sarcie

As far as I know, it should strictly speaking be as you described. However, many thousands of native English speakers use "Yours sincerely" and "Yours faithfully" interchangeably - if you wrote the wrong one on a letter, it's unlikely that they would criticize you for it (or even notice).


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## Janka

But BBC?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Horrible. Who can I trust?


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## Janka

I have to apologise to the BBC. I  checked it once more  and I was wrong. I can trust them.


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## Thomas Tompion

Janka said:


> Dear friends,
> 
> I was taught that if you know the person you are writing to, you use yours sincerely at the end, and if not, you use yours faithfully. But, a few days ago, I found a sample cover letter on the official BBC website where they started with dear Sir and ended with yours sincerely. So, is it strictly as I've written above, or the rules and English are changing?
> 
> Thanx


 
The polite formula in the UK is as you've described it:

In formal letters:

Dear Sir (or Madam) or (Sir or Madam) or (Sirs)

Yours faithfully, or Yours truly,

Less formally:

Dear Mr Podsnap or whatever,

Yours sincerely,


Among friends, it's up to you and very various, I'm pleased to say.

The BBC has a lot of people who know these rules very well, and probably a lot who don't.  So don't put your entire trust in what is said on television or in the newspapers.


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## desperate housewife

Janka said:


> I have to apologise to the BBC. I checked it once more and I was wrong. I can trust them.


 
In which sense you were wrong? Did they say "Yours sincerely" on the sample or not?


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## moo mouse

Just to confuse things a bit more, I'll add my opinion.

I was taught to use 'yours sincerely' on all formal letters regardless of whether or not you know the person's name or have met them. I was told that you only use 'yours faithfully' when you are expecting a reply from the person.

I would say that 'yours sincerely' is much more prevalent in BE formal correspondence than 'yours faithfully', but these days (thanks to email) 'kind regards'  or 'best wishes' seem to be the norm.


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## timpeac

moo mouse said:


> I would say that 'yours sincerely' is much more prevalent in BE formal correspondence than 'yours faithfully'


I agree - since we, more often than not, write to someone whose name we know and so starting "Dear xxxx" rather than "Dear Sir", "yours sincerely" is more often the appropriate ending.


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## Orange Blossom

I have never heard of any of those rules or conventions.

I have never used: yours faithfully, faithfully, or yours sincerely

In official correspondence, I use

Sincerely,

Orange Blossom

In personal correspondence it varies depending on whom I'm addressing and the closeness of relationship.

Addressed to a fellow and sincere Christian I might say:

Yours in Christ,

Orange Blossom

Addressed to believers of other faiths with whom I've had religious discussions or with fellow Christians.

Peace and blessings be upon you,

Orange Blossom

Addressed to other friends.

Take care,

Orange Blossom

In some situations I might use:

My sincere thanks,

Orange Blossom

There are other closings I might use with friends, but this covers the more formal ones that I might use.

Orange Blossom


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## winklepicker

Dear Non-Natives,

You may by now be hopelessly confused. I certainly am. Let's try to sum up.

1) At some point in the past, a convention (*NOT* a rule as Panj points out) arose of using _Dear Sir... Yours faithfu_lly and _Dear Mr Snooks... Yours sincerely_. If you are faced with the question in an exam, this is probably the answer they are looking for.

2) This convention is not now recognised by all English natives - if it ever was. There are regional, generational and individual variations. Hermit says it's _'very rare indeed to use anything else'_, whereas I have not used either phrase any time this last 20 years! The convention appears to be breaking down - at least in some times and in some places. _(And as I've said before - threads passim - Dear Sir or Madam is dubious too.)_

3) If you are corresponding in English, you may choose to observe the 'corrrect' form, and risk sounding old-fashioned.

4) Or, knowing that English in use is increasingly informal, you may want to examine the phrases for meaning. What are they actually _*for*_? 

In my humble opinion, they are empty phrases, worn out by time and overuse until they are now semantically Teflon-coated: they slip past without you noticing them. So one wonders what is the point of them? 

As bartonig says, throw them out and put in what you mean. _I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Best wishes to you._ Or any formulation you fancy. As Andreas Ramos once said, "Be creative - you're not Nancy Reagan".


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## Thomas Tompion

winklepicker said:


> Dear Non-Natives,
> 
> You may by now be hopelessly confused. I certainly am. Let's try to sum up.
> 
> 1) At some point in the past, a convention (*NOT* a rule as Panj points out) arose of using _Dear Sir... Yours faithfu_lly and _Dear Mr Snooks... Yours sincerely_. If you are faced with the question in an exam, this is probably the answer they are looking for.
> 
> 2) This convention is not now recognised by all English natives - if it ever was. There are regional, generational and individual variations. Hermit says it's _'very rare indeed to use anything else'_, whereas I have not used either phrase any time this last 20 years! The convention appears to be breaking down - at least in some times and in some places. _(And as I've said before - threads passim - Dear Sir or Madam is dubious too.)_
> 
> 3) If you are corresponding in English, you may choose to observe the 'corrrect' form, and risk sounding old-fashioned.
> 
> 4) Or, knowing that English in use is increasingly informal, you may want to examine the phrases for meaning. What are they actually _*for*_?


 
Hi Winklepicker, In your address to Non-natives you slip from descriptions of the state of things (1 & 2) to recommendations (3 & 4), which clearly represent your own preference for a less formal world.

If you live in a foreign country, *you need* *to know the conventions, *so that you can write to the gas board or your internet service provider without raising eyebrows, or committing a *solecism of register*.

People need to know what the simple rules are in a foreign language, and these *conventions of politeness* are important.

You write as though you underestimate the ability of foreigners to gauge the tone of informal speech or writing. I've been living in France for many years and I hesitate to use slangy expressions in speech, because I know how comic slight errors of emphasis or register can be.

So my advice to the Non-natives would be: *learn the conventions and stick to them until you've become extremely familiar with the language*.


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## timpeac

winklepicker said:


> In my humble opinion, they are empty phrases, worn out by time and overuse until they are now semantically Teflon-coated: they slip past without you noticing them. So one wonders what is the point of them?


But, rightly or wrongly, arbitrary form is important in official correspondence. There are rules about where you write your address, where you write your correspondent's address, where you write the date, where exactly you start writing the text etc etc. None of them have any meaning in themselves, just a general acceptance of form.

I completely agree that "yours sincerely" has nothing necessarily sincere about it - but I would use it after "Dear xxx" in the same way I would capitalise "I" and use a comma after "Dear xxx" and not a semi colon or an exclamation mark as they do in some other languages.


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## winklepicker

Two recent quotes:

*Panjandrum:* The difference is one of convention, not rule.

*Nun-Translator:* _Consciously_ breaking rules can be an effective technique; unconsciously breaking them just reveals ignorance.


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## timpeac

Is it a convention or a rule not to draw _consciously_ conclusions from statements?


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## Orange Blossom

This is what my dad says concerning the use of signing letters with 'sincerely' or 'faithfully'.

Sincerely is used strictly for letters of business and when the letters are impersonal.  Often, the writer won't know who the person is.

Faithfully is used when there is something involving trust or faith in the interaction between the two people.
------
Other closings include:

Respectfully yours,

Cordially yours,

Orange Blossom


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## super mama

Hi,

Yours sincerely - is used if you don't know the person
Yours faithfully - is used when you know the person 

Hope this help!
Super Mama


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## Orange Blossom

I never heard of that rule before reading this thread, and I have a degree in English with a masters in Language Education.  What's more; my father who is 85, has 2 doctoral degrees, and studied 4 languages in addition to English; never heard of that rule.  Additionally, neither of us follows that rule when signing letters, and I've never seen that pattern followed in letters addressed to me.

I personally have never used faithfully when closing letters.  I use 'sincerely' when writing impersonal business letters regardless of whether the person's name is known or not.  My father does the same, and I was taught to do this in school.  'Faithfully' never entered the picture.

'Faithfully', according to my father, is used when the subject of the letter involves a matter of trust or faith between the correspondents.  Of course, the two people likely would know each other; certainly the names would be known to each other.  Knowing the name, however, is not the determining factor here in whether to use faithfully or not.

Orange Blossom


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## roland098

UK (I don't know about USA)

Standard practice (not old-fashioned/rare/etc)

Dear Sir (i.e.where you don't know the name)

Yours faithfully

Dear Mr Jones

Yours sincerely

......... simple.

I never use Yours truly, which to the (mine anyway) English ear sounds a bit quaint or twee, and don't know any special rules applying to it. It sounds somewhat formal to me, but perhaps slightly less so than the above.

I would never use any of these for someone I knew well or wanted to be affectionate towards. I'd just say: bye for now, see you, all the best, hugs, love, best, best wishes etc (not in any order of formality!).

For less formal, but still businesslike, correspondance, I'd use Kind regards, or just "Regards" (ie for emails).

PS Some of the answers on this thread go to show how arbitrary these "rules" are. But, that said, they still apply (in the UK anyway) in practice.


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## Thomas Tompion

Orange Blossom said:


> I never heard of that rule before reading this thread, and I have a degree in English with a masters in Language Education.


 
Hello, Orange Blossom, You must take us Brits seriously over this: roland has made an excellent summary (apart from his doubting _yours truly_ as an acceptable substitute for _yours faithfully_) of what several of us (Brits) have been saying throughout the thread. These are the conventions in formal letters, which have to be learnt by people writing such letters in the UK, who don't want to raise eyebrows.  I'm not surprised the conventions are different in the States; such things often develop on different lines.


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## Orange Blossom

I never said it wasn't a pattern in England; I implied that it wasn't in the United States. 

In short, the letter writer needs to know the English conventions in whatever country or area he/she is writing them in.

Following the British pattern in this case wouldn't work in the United States.  I suspect the reverse is true as well.

Orange Blossom


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## super mama

Okay, i'm back!!  

As was pointed out " yours faithfully " is out of style but it still can be found in use especially in British English. 

Use 'Yours sincerely' when you have addressed someone by their name. Use 'Yours faithfully' if you don't know the name of the person you're writing to. 

blessings
Super mama*


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## liliput

In school, I was taught "yours faithfully" for informal letters and "yours sincerely" for formal letters. This is of course nonsense, I don't know anyone who would sign a letter to a friend or family member with "yours faithfully". I usually write "see you soon" or "take care" (or both).
Recently, in an Oxford English-Spanish dictionary, I came across the rule that several people have mentioned (Dear Sir/Madam + yours faithfully; Dear Mr./Mrs. Smith + yours sincerely). Personally, I *always* use "yours sincerely" for formal letters and for particularly formal emails (job applications and complaints), whoever they're addressed to. In regular emails, it's now the custom to write "Regards" or "Best Regards" - the latter being slightly more formal to my mind.


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## Thomas1

Thomas Tompion said:


> The polite formula in the UK is as you've described it:
> 
> In formal letters:
> 
> Dear Sir (or Madam) or (Sir or Madam) or (Sirs)
> 
> Yours faithfully, or Yours truly,
> 
> [...]





Thomas Tompion said:


> [...] roland has made an excellent summary (apart from his doubting _yours truly_ as an acceptable substitute for _yours faithfully_) of what several of us (Brits) have been saying throughout the thread. [...]


 Helo, Thomas, 

Could you, or anyone else, tell when you would use "Yours truly" and not "Yours faithfully" and all the way round, please? Or, are they completely interchangeable?



GenJen54 said:


> [...]  I rarely use "Yours .... " at all, except in very specific circumstances.[...]


In what circumstances would you use "Yours" at the end of a letter?

Thank you,
Tom


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## Thomas Tompion

Thomas1 said:


> Helo, Thomas,
> 
> Could you, or anyone else, tell when you would use "Yours truly" and not "Yours faithfully" and all the way round, please? Or, are they completely interchangeable?
> 
> In what circumstances would you use "Yours" at the end of a letter?
> 
> Thank you,
> Tom


Hello Thomas1,

I think they are completely interchangeable. Until three weeks ago I would have said I always ended a business letter starting Dear Sir with Yours faithfully, but, for some reason, the other day I put Yours truly. I suspect it was because it sounded just a little bit less cold, and the person, whose name I didn't know, had been particularly helpful. I wouldn't take this as meaning very much.

Remember that this is the BE convention. Take the AE advice for letters in AE.

I don't put Yours at the end of a letter or email these days. It strikes me as showing a lack of resolve; you can't make up your mind what it should be, but that doesn't mean you should put something it shouldn't be. People do put it, though; I think they do so because they don't want to write Yours sincerely and can't bring themselves to put Kind regards, Regards, or Best wishes, or something like that. 

 Best wishes,

Thomas2


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## panjandrum

I have not used "Yours truly" at the end of a letter since I was at school.
I don't remember the last time I saw a letter with "Yours truly" at the end.


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## Kevin Beach

In the legal profession, where we sometimes still write in the plural, letters starting "Dear Sir" end in "Yours faithfully". Letters addressed to an individual by name but still written in the plural end in "Yours truly".

Be glad it's been so long since you saw it, panjandrum!


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## Thomas Tompion

Panjandrum said:
			
		

> I have not used "Yours truly" at the end of a letter since I was at school.
> I don't remember the last time I saw a letter with "Yours truly" at the end.


Maybe it sounds strange to us also because of the fact that some people say 'Yours truly' to refer to themselves in everyday conversation. That's probably old-fashioned too, though I haven't started doing it yet.


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## panjandrum

Kevin Beach said:


> [...]
> Be glad it's been so long since you saw it, panjandrum!


Thank you, KB.
I shall feel truly threatened if I come across one


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## timpeac

Don't think I've ever written, or received, a letter ending "yours truly" either. In formal letters I stick to the (apparently BE convention) of sir + yours faithfully or Mr name + yours sincerely. Informal letters, and all emails, I end with any informal ending I feel like at the time. "Thanks" is a good one to avoid the issue, since it sounds sincere and suggests that you are awaiting something to be thankful for...


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## carog

Hello everyone!

I looked at other threads but I don't seem to find exactly what I want! 
In business letters (specific context here being communicating with customers in an accounting department in the U.K.), could someone confirm that :
If you started your letter with "Dear Sir/Madam" you end the letter with "Yours faithfully",
and if it started with "Dear Mr Smith/Mrs Jones/Dear John" then you would end with "Yours sincerely"? 
And is it ALWAYS the case? And when you get it wrong is it likely to be only noticed by the older generation?
Thank you in advance for your answers,
Yours sincerely,
Caroline


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## ewie

Hello Caroline.  See post #57 above ~ I believe that's still the general 'tradition' in the UK

Oh and yes, I imagine _most _people wouldn't notice if you got them the wrong way round ... or care much.


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## carog

Thank you ewie! I can't believe I looked for threads on the subject and didn't see this one! 
Caroline


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## bluegiraffe

I have to say I'd notice if you got them wrong.  We had this drummed into us at school and I've used it ever since.  We were taught that you never have the 2 S's together - if you use Dear Sir (or Madam), you don't use Yours Sincerely.


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## timpeac

bluegiraffe said:


> I have to say I'd notice if you got them wrong.  We had this drummed into us at school and I've used it ever since.  We were taught that you never have the 2 S's together - if you use Dear Sir (or Madam), you don't use Yours Sincerely.


Yes same here.


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## ewie

I had it drummed into me at school too ... but have since totally forgotten the 'rule'.  As the only formal letters I write these days are letters of complaint, my habitual sign-off is _Yours in disgust_.


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## timpeac

ewie said:


> I had it drummed into me at school too ... but have since totally forgotten the 'rule'.  As the only formal letters I write these days are letters of complaint, my habitual sign-off is _Yours in disgust_.


Presumably appropriate given their feelings on receiving it.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

I realize I am joining this late, but the claims made by OrangeBlossom above regarding American usage are in error.

In the United States, "Sincerely yours" is not traditionally a closing used for business letters.  It is instead a closing traditionally used for social, and not business, correspondence.

The traditional business closings were "Yours truly", or "Very truly yours", or (in the past) "Yours faithfully".

"Cordially yours" has traditionally been considered to convey a forced and artificial heartiness, and thus not good form.  It was commonly thought inappropriate for business correspondence.


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## Moi-même.

I learnt at school that we use:
Yours Faithfully (for respect, when we don't know the person-along with Dear Sir/Madam/Director/etc.. at the start of the letter)
And;
yours sincerely (for respect to someone I met/know, with Dear Mr.John/Mrs.Lauren for example or maybe even when I'm writing to my grandmother I think but I'm not so sure if "yours sincerely" is used in letters to grandmothers, aunties etc..)

I hope I helped!


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## EdisonBhola

How about "Dear people of the world"?  In this case, I know a minority of them.  Would you use "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully" to close the letter?


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## Educational

Thank you mjb, I believe you made a good final point about this question.

*NB:* In defining/understanding the meaning of these expressions, it is of paramount importance to consider the context of utilization.

If I understood correctly, for instance, nobody would use the expression _"yours faithfully"_ in the USA, very few would use it today in UK but, for the rest of the world _(not-English speaking countries)_, that expression could mean a lot when they have to correspond in English.

That's why I think mjb answer is right.


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## Thomas Tompion

The COCA (AE Corpus) has some examples of _Yours faithfully_, but only one of them looks authentic, to me.

MJB's point was back here - 





mjb said:


> I was told that if you are stating something or  replying to something, you end it with "Yours sincerely" but if you are  requesting something, you end it with "Yours faithfully" because you are  conveying a sense of humility and that only by your faith in the  recipient honouring your request will your request be honoured.  That  sounds a bit like I'm repeating myself but I can't really figure out how  to put that better so I'm leaving it how it is!  Hopefully it can be  figured out what I'm trying to convey.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> mjb!


There are those who believe that the ending chosen should reflect the content of the letter rather than its social and commercial context.  I don't think the view is very general, and I know many people who deplore the idea.  

I remember a friend telling me that she had had a correspondence with a UK firm making thermal underwear whose employees were instructed to sign all letters, _Warmly yours_.  I'm not joking, but I think the firm was.  That struck me as fair enough.


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## Mady'

Hye everybody. Sorry to add my opinion 2 years later...
But I think that after a quite long exchange on the subject there's still an aspect missing.

Nowadays, the difference between mail and email is important I think in that kind of situation. For example, I don't use the same expression to end a email _<...> _to someone I don't know as I would do to end an mail _<-----French phrases removed by moderator (Florentia52)----->_

Instinctively, writing an email to someone at Eurostat that I don't know, I would have finished it by "regards" but I wasn't sure so I came looking for the answer here.

Do natives make a difference between mail and email regarding the use of formal expressions ?


By the way : I don't know if that linked to the fact that English isn't my native language but I found "Sincerely yours" or "Faithfully yours" really personnal when you think about it. I feel committed, very involved by writing this though it basically means "bye" in an official letter from what I understand.
The basic meaning seems to me to be very far from the idea of a nice and warm goodbye to someone I don't know...


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## DonnyB

For what it's worth, and judging solely by business emails I've received recently , "Kind regards" seems to be favoured by nearly all the senders, although it's not something I'm particularly keen on using in reply.  It's starting to be used in actual letters too, as an alternative to "Yours sincerely".  I can't remember the last time I received a letter from anyone ending "Yours faithfully".


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## Scott AM

Mady' said:


> Do natives make a difference between mail and email regarding the use of formal expressions ?



I send and receive physical mail so rarely, it's hard to make a generalization! Nonetheless, in my experience, a physical letter will almost always have some kind of closing statement. Where I'm from, expressions like "Yours truly", "Yours sincerely", or just "Yours" are common. I almost never see these words used to end an e-mail, unless it's a very professional e-mail, among people who have never met, perhaps. Often, e-mails will have no statement - the body of the letter ends, and the sender closes with their name only. If they do, "Thanks" is popular, and some people like "Cheers".



> By the way : I don't know if that linked to the fact that English isn't my native language but I found "Sincerely yours" or "Faithfully yours" really personnal when you think about it. I feel committed, very involved by writing this though it basically means "bye" in an official letter from what I understand.
> The basic meaning seems to me to be very far from the idea of a nice and warm goodbye to someone I don't know...



I think it's because you're looking at the literal meaning of the words. Seeing as how they have become idiomatic phrases that basically mean "this is a good way to end a serious letter", most native speakers don't give the intimacy a second thought.[/QUOTE]


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