How to End a Letter: 74 Expert Examples for the Perfect Closing

Ever sit there, just staring at your beautifully worded message, wondering how on Earth you should sign a letter? Maybe you’re writing a delightful thank you card and are drawing a blank on how to sign off? Is option A too personal or too stuffy? Is option B too loosy-goosy?! Not sure if you should say thank you — yet again?! Don’t fret, this ridiculously comprehensive list of sign off options will have what you need.

If your handwriting isn’t quite as lovely as it could be or you just don’t have the time to write 300 thank you notes, easily create and write your cards on Postable. We’ll even mail them for you.

Here are 74 ways to sign off your greeting card (or — letter, email etc.).

How to end a friendly letter to a friend?

Much of our communication has been drastically changed over the course of 2020. We’ve gone from seeing our friends and family weekly, if not daily, to coping through months apart. Thankfully we’re in a technologically advanced age and Zoom happy hours will forever be a favorite pastime that we all can look back on. We’ve also been using written communication far more often than before — who knew receiving a friendly greeting card out of nowhere can be such a source of joy (we did)?! And so after you’ve finished composing the perfect friendly letter or delightfully friendly greeting card message, you’ve got to end your letter with a friendly BANG! 

Pro tip: You may want to avoid using most (if not all) of the sign off in this section in a professional letter. These sign offs are for friends and family. 

Here are some options to help you do just that. 

1. Love
2. With Love
3. Lots of Love
4. Later Gator
5. Toodles
6. Your Pal
7. Cheerio
8. My Best
9. All the Best
10. My Best to you
11. Warm wishes
12. Warmest
13. Take Care
14. Peace
15. Be well
16. Yours
17. Take it easy
18. xoxo
19. Sincerely Yours
20. Cheers!
21. Ciao
22. Hugs
23. Yours Lovingly
24. Your friend
25. Wishing you the best
26. Forever thankful
27. Write soon
28. Your loving ____ (ex: daughter)
29. Yours faithfully
30. Confidently yours
31. Excitingly yours
32. Missing You Dearly
33. Fondly
34. Hugs & Kisses
35. Kisses
36. Have a good one!
37. Good luck
38. Live long and prosper
39. Until next time
40. Cheerfully
41. Stay well
42. Your favorite child

How to end a thank you letter or card. 

You’ve composed the greatest thank you card that has ever been written… Congratulations, that’s quite the feat! But now you’ve got to seal it off with the perfect gracious gratitude sign off. Here are some options to get your thinking wheel turning.

1. Thanks
2. Many thanks
3. Kind thanks
4. In gratitude
5. In appreciation
6. With sincere gratitude
7. With gratitude
8. Gratefully yours
9. Gratefully 
10. Thanks for everything
11. Thanks for all you do

Here’s a sample sign off in action:

Miss Dorris,

Your existence is greatly appreciated. I want you to know all those cocktails you got me last night were not for naught. I woke up with a mind-blowing migraine and now have a legitimate reason for avoiding that lunch meeting I told you about. By the time I see you I’ll have recovered and can return the favor.

Cheers!

Jess

How to end a sympathy card.

Writing a sympathy card is no easy task. And while we don’t always know what we can do to help, writing a kind sympathy card will help to aid a grieving heart. Use one of these sign offs to let them know you’re thinking of them and are there for them.  

1. In sympathy
2. My deepest condolences
3. Wishing you peace
4. Thinking of you

Formal ways to end a letter or sign off a card.

If you’re unfamiliar with the recipient and the letter or card is being sent for professional matters — it’s a safe bet that you should keep the ending on the formal side. If you’ve already established a connection with the recipient, you have a little wiggle room depending on the nature of your relationship. 

1. Sincerely
   
   Is sincerely too formal? Typically, if you think it might be too formal we’d say it’d be fine to choose another one of the professional sign offs, but also you really can’t go wrong with this one if you’re writing for a professional reason. With this sign off, you’re essentially saying: I really mean it. And what better way to end a letter or a card than by letting the recipient know you’re genuine about your message.
2. Yours Truly
   
   Kind of a throw away, but at the same time it won’t draw any negative attention away from the core of your messaging.
3. Best
   
   Simple, minimalistic and yes — professional. Ending your card or letter with a simple ‘Best’ will keep the whole tone of the message formal.
4. Thank you
   
   It’s usually not a bad idea to end with a touch of gratitude. Your recipient just took a couple minutes to read through your message — whatever it may have contained — go ahead and thank them.
5. Kind regards
   
   This sign off shows a touch of warmth without going over the line of formality and still staying within professional boundaries.
6. Looking forward to hearing from you
   
   If you’re eager for a response, it’s best not to go overboard. However, it’s also not a terrible idea to show that you’re excited and appropriately eager with a semi-enthusiastic ending such as this one.
7. Thanks again
   
   If you started your card or letter by thanking the recipient, close your message off by bringing it full circle and thanking them again. It’s always nice to show gratitude and it’s usually appreciated by the recipient as well.
8. Respectfully
   
   It’s right there in the sign off — you’re showing your respect to the recipient.
9. Warm regards
   
   While warmly and warm wishes may be best for communication between those with an established connection, warm regards is a little less formal, but still on the professional side. Use this sign off if it makes sense within the context of the rest of your letter. If you’re writing on an extremely dry and formal business matter — warm regards wouldn’t really make as much sense. 

Other ways to end a letter or a card.

What if you’re writing a letter to someone that’s sort of professional, but also sort of friendly and also something totally nondescript? Well, here you have it… A list of some sign off options that don’t neatly fit into any other category. If you’re not seeing the way you’d like to end your card or letter — have a looksie at the rest of our list and see if the shoe fits!

1. Kind wishes
2. Neighborly Yours
3. Fare thee well
4. Hope this helps
5. Stay tuned
6. Best Wishes
7. Best Regards
8. Warmly

Here’s a sample of how to end to a letter or card:

Suzzy,

Happiest of days to you my lady! How wonderful it must feel to celebrate your special day in the greatest city of all. I expect NYC is treating you kindly (I never for a second believed in all that rude rubbish). Happy Birthday!

Warmest Wishes,

June

Other tips for how to sign off a card or a letter.

A few common answers to a few common questions before you go off sending your letter!

Where do you sign a greeting card?

Give your sign off a wee bit of space before plopping it on your card. You want the sign off in it’s own little mini universe. If you’re using Postable to write your greeting card (want to play around with some handwritten fonts?!) the sign off has its own little text box at the bottom right corner. If you’re writing your card by hand, simply give a line break or two between your message and your sign off. 

Write your chosen sign off followed by a coma and another line break. Don’t forget to indent it to the far right.

How to capitalize a closing?

You’ll want to capitalize the first letter of your sign off. If there is more than one word within the sign off (‘Thank you’) — you’ll only want to capitalize the first word. And of course don’t forget to capitalize your name!

Good luck!

If your handwriting isn’t quite as lovely as it could be or you just don’t have the time to write 300 thank you notes, easily create and write your cards on Postable. We’ll even mail them for you.