How to Start an Email: Greetings, Opening Lines and What to Skip

Start an email with a greeting that matches how well you know the reader, then a first sentence that says why you are writing. "Dear Ms Patel," is formal, "Hello Priya," is the safe middle, and "Hi Priya," suits colleagues. After a short greeting, state your purpose in one line instead of a stock pleasantry. Below: greetings by formality, 30 openers and punctuation rules.

The short answer

Open with two things: a greeting that fits your relationship with the reader, and a first sentence that states your purpose. That is all a good opening needs. "Hello Priya, I am writing to confirm Thursday's interview time" does both jobs in one line.

If you are unsure about the greeting, "Hello" plus the person's name is the safest middle ground. It is polite without sounding stiff, and it works for a manager you have met, a client you have not, and most teachers and lecturers. Move up to "Dear" for formal first contact and down to "Hi" once the other person has used it with you.

Greetings by level of formality

Choose from this ladder, from most to least formal.

Three points help you decide quickly.

• Copy the other person. If they sign off with their first name and write "Hi," you can do the same. If they write "Dear Mr Evans," stay formal until they relax.
• Go one step more formal than you think. A formal greeting rarely offends. A casual one to a senior stranger sometimes does.
• "Hey" is for friends and some start-ups. Avoid it in applications, complaints and anything going to a customer you have not spoken to.

Where each greeting is normal: US, UK, Australia and India

Conventions overlap far more than they differ, but there are habits worth knowing. These are general tendencies, not rules, and every workplace has its own culture.

• United States: first names arrive quickly, even with senior colleagues, so "Hi Dana," is common at work. Use "Dear" in formal letters and applications. For doctoral advisers and professors, "Dear Professor Kim," or "Dr. Kim," is expected until invited otherwise. American style puts a period after Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Dr.
• United Kingdom: "Dear" is still common in business email, and many people write "Hello" or "Hi" once they have corresponded. Titles are written without a full stop: Mr, Ms, Dr. In education, "Dear Dr Hughes," is normal for a first message to a lecturer.
• Australia: workplaces are often informal. First-name greetings such as "Hi Sam," are usual from the first message in many industries, though government, law and academic contacts often still start with "Dear". Australian spelling follows British titles without full stops.
• India: formal greetings remain common in business and education. "Dear Sir/Madam" is still seen, and "Respected Sir/Madam" appears in letters to schools and officials. In international English business email, "Dear Mr Sharma," or "Hello Ananya," reads naturally, and many Indian professionals simply use "Hi" with colleagues. Use the honorific the person uses for themselves when you know it (Dr, Prof, Mr, Ms, Mrs).

If your reader is in a different country from you, follow their convention when you can tell what it is, and stay neutral ("Hello Priya,") when you cannot.

Using Ms, Mrs, Miss and titles

Use "Ms" for a woman when you do not know her preference; it works whether or not she is married. If a person has a title such as Dr or Professor, use it. If you are not sure of someone's gender, or the name could belong to anyone, write the full name instead: "Dear Alex Morgan,". Our guide to Ms, Mrs, Miss and Mx goes into more detail.

Punctuation and capitalisation after the greeting

Small details show care, and they are easy to get right.

• Comma after the name: "Hello Priya," is standard in both US and UK business email. A colon ("Dear Ms. Patel:") is an older, very formal US style that you will still see in printed letters.
• Comma before the name when you use a separate word: "Hello, Priya," is acceptable, but many writers skip the first comma. Either way, keep the final comma.
• Capitalise the first word of the line after the greeting. Because the greeting ends in a comma, some people wrongly start the next line in lower case. Start a new line and capitalise it: "Hello Priya," then a new line beginning "Thank you for…".
• Capitalise "Dear", the name, and titles directly attached to a name (Professor Lindqvist). Do not capitalise a general job title: "Dear hiring manager," is a common choice in running text, though many writers capitalise it in a greeting, and either is accepted if you are consistent.
• Leave out the exclamation mark in a greeting. "Hi Priya!" is fine between friends and often reads as too excited in a formal message.
• Use a blank line between the greeting and the first sentence. It gives the message room to breathe.

"I hope this email finds you well": when it is fine

The phrase is not wrong. It is polite and well known. The problem is that it has become so standard that many readers skip it, and in a long chain of messages it can sound automatic.

It is fine when:

• it is a first message to someone formal, such as a professor or senior official;
• you are writing across cultures where a courteous opening is expected before the request;
• it sits in a longer, warm message, followed straight away by your point.

It is better to skip or replace it when:

• you emailed the same person yesterday;
• the message is urgent;
• you are replying within a thread;
• you do not have a real wish to know how the other person is.

A better rule: if a pleasantry is going to appear, make it specific. "I hope your trip back from Leeds went smoothly" says more than any stock line.

Openers that sound robotic

Some openings take up the reader's first line and say nothing. Here are common ones with better versions.

"Per my last email" and similar phrases can read as passive-aggressive. If you need to remind someone, say what is outstanding and what you need: "Could you send the signed form by Friday?" For the rare occasions when no name exists, see To Whom It May Concern.

30 opening lines you can use

Copy the pattern, then put in your own details. Each line works as the first sentence after the greeting.

To state a purpose (any email)

1. I am writing to confirm our meeting on Thursday at 2 pm.
2. I am writing to ask about the job advertised on your website.
3. I would like to request an extension on the report due on Friday.
4. Could you help me with a question about the enrolment form?
5. I am emailing about the delivery that was due on Monday.
6. I have attached the signed contract for your records.

To thank someone

1. Thank you for your message and for sending the figures so quickly.
2. Thanks for meeting with me on Tuesday; it was useful.
3. Thank you for your time at the interview yesterday.
4. I appreciate your help with the booking.

To open a cold email

A cold email goes to someone who does not know you. Give them a reason to keep reading within one sentence.

1. I am a final-year chemistry student at the University of Leeds, and I am writing about your research on solar cells.
2. I noticed your talk at last month's conference and have a question about the case study you showed.
3. I run a small bakery in Cardiff and would like to ask whether you take on wholesale customers.
4. I found your name on the department's staff page and wondered who handles placement enquiries.
5. A colleague, Maria Santos, suggested I contact you about the new training programme. (Only if true.)

Keep a cold email short, say who you are in one clause, ask for one small thing, and make it easy to say no. Never pretend you have met.

To reply after a delay

1. Apologies for the slow reply; I was away until Monday.
2. Thank you for your patience while I checked this with my team.
3. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Here is what I found.
4. I have only just seen your message. The answer is yes.
5. Thank you for your reminder; I am sorry I missed it.

State the reason for the delay in a few words, not a paragraph, then give the answer.

To write to a group

1. Hello team, a quick update on Friday's launch.
2. Hi all, please see the agenda for Monday below.
3. Good morning everyone, three things before the meeting.
4. Dear parents and carers, this message explains next week's timetable.
5. Hello all, thank you to everyone who sent feedback on the draft.

In a group message, put what you need people to do near the top, ideally in the first two lines, and bold the deadline.

To continue an existing thread

1. Following our call this morning, here is a summary of what we agreed.
2. Just checking whether you had a chance to look at the proposal.
3. Further to your email of 3 November, I have updated the schedule.
4. Picking up from where we left off on Wednesday, I have two questions.
5. Here is the revised version, with your comments included.

For a reminder or chaser written in full, read how to write a follow-up email.

Greetings for special cases

• No name available: Search the company website, LinkedIn or the department page first. If you really cannot find one, use a team name ("Dear Admissions Team,") rather than "Dear Sir or Madam".
• Two recipients: "Dear Ms Patel and Mr Evans," or "Hi Priya and Tom,".
• Many recipients who do not know each other: "Dear all," or "Hello everyone,".
• A reply in a thread: You can drop the formal greeting after the first exchange, but a quick "Hi Priya," still feels polite.
• Complaints: Stay formal even if you are angry. "Dear Customer Services," followed by the facts is stronger than a sarcastic opener.
• Emailing a professor: "Dear Professor Kim," plus a clear first line (course code, your name, your question) is the standard; our guide to email etiquette gives more detail.

Checklist before you press send

• Is the name spelled correctly? Check it against the reader's signature or website.
• Does the greeting match the relationship and the country?
• Does the first sentence say why you are writing?
• Have you put a comma after the greeting and capitalised the first word of the next line?
• Is the subject line clear enough that the opening can be short? See email subject lines.
• Is your ask visible without scrolling?

Using AdeptWrite to polish your opening

Three tools help here, and each does one specific job.

• The Email & Letter Writer drafts a message from a few details. It is AI-generated, so check every line and fill in anything it marks as missing; it will not know your relationship with the reader.
• The Tone Changer rewrites a draft in a formal, office or casual tone. It is useful for turning a blunt first line into something polite, but read the result and decide whether it sounds like you.
• The Grammar Checker catches comma and capitalisation slips in the opening lines. Choose American or British English first, because greeting punctuation and spelling differ.

None of these replaces your judgement about who the reader is. Tools do not know whether your manager prefers "Hi" or "Dear". When you finish the opening, move on to the other end of the message with how to end an email.

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