business letters: salutation
The salutation will vary depending upon the person addressed and the nature of the letter. The following are some appropriate salutations for various circumstances:
- Sir or Dear Sir
Madam or Dear Madam
(for very formal correspondence, when receiver’s gender identity is known) - Dear Mr. or Mrs.
or Ms. Jones
(for a standard letter, when receiver’s gender identity is known) - Dear C. Jones, Dear Chris Jones
(if receiver’s gender or gender identity is not known) - Dear Customer Service Manager
Dear Occupant
(where a title is used but the receiver’s name is not known)
It is not recommended that Mr., Mrs. or Ms. be used with a title as a salutation, as in “Mr. Premier.”
The salutation begins at the left margin. Use capitals for the first word and all nouns in the salutation of a letter. The salutation is usually followed by a colon in a business letter. For more information on punctuation, see colon.
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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
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