What Does P.S. Mean? How to Write a Postscript in Letters and Emails

P.S. means postscript, from the Latin post scriptum, "written after". It is a short extra note placed below a letter's signature. American style usually writes P.S. with periods and British usage often writes PS; either is fine if you stay consistent. A second afterthought is P.P.S. In email, use it for one memorable line, not for something you forgot.

What does P.S. mean?

P.S. stands for postscript. The word comes from the Latin post scriptum, meaning "written after". In a paper letter, a postscript was a line added after the writer had signed, because something came to mind too late to fit in the body. Today the abbreviation appears at the bottom of letters, cards, emails, newsletters and sales messages as a short extra note.

A P.S. is not a different kind of message. It is simply the last thing the reader sees, which is why writers still use it on purpose.

P.S. or PS: which is correct?

Both are correct. The difference is style, not meaning.

These are tendencies, not laws, and style guides and publishers set house rules. Whatever you choose, apply it in the same way throughout a document. If you are writing for an employer, a publisher or a university, copy their house style. In Australia, India and other places where British conventions are common, PS without periods is widely seen, and P.S. is also understood everywhere.

Rules of thumb for punctuation

• Use capital letters. "p.s." and "ps" look careless in anything formal, although they are normal in quick texts.
• Do not put a comma or semicolon after it. "P.S. I forgot to mention..." works; "P.S., I forgot" does not.
• A colon or a dash after P.S. is optional. Pick one and keep it.
• Start the note with a capital letter and end it with normal sentence punctuation.
• Keep to one or two sentences.

What is P.P.S.?

P.P.S. means post post scriptum, a postscript to the postscript. Use it only when a genuine second thought arrives after the P.S. In practice it is playful. In a business message it can read as disorganised, and a third one (P.P.P.S.) is a joke. If you need more than one extra note, the main text probably needs editing.

Examples for real situations

A personal letter or card

Dear Maya,

Thank you for having us at the weekend. The whole family loved the garden.

Love, Tom

P.S. I found your scarf in the back seat. I will post it on Monday.

Here the P.S. is warm and genuinely incidental, which is exactly what it is for.

A fundraising letter or charity appeal

Yours sincerely, Priya Nair

P.S. A gift made before 31 December will be doubled by a matching donor. Please reply today.

Direct-mail and fundraising writers keep a P.S. because readers often scan the opening, the signature and the last line. The best ones repeat the main ask or the deadline in one sentence. Only state a matching gift or deadline if it is real, and never invent urgency.

A newsletter or marketing email

See you Thursday, The AdeptWrite Team

PS Replies go to a real inbox. Tell us which guide you want next.

A brand can use the PS for a reminder, a link or a small human touch. Keep the call to action single and clear.

A cover letter

Most cover letters do not need a postscript. A hiring manager may read a P.S. as something you forgot to put in the body. Put your best point in the opening or closing paragraph, then end with a normal sign-off. For more, see our guide on how to write a cover letter.

A formal or professional email

Kind regards, Daniel Okoye

PS The agenda is attached in case you want to review it before Thursday.

This can be acceptable between colleagues who know each other. With a regulator, a client's legal team, a senior executive or in a complaint, skip it and rewrite the message so the point is in the right place.

When a P.S. looks careless

A P.S. can weaken your message when:

• it contains something important, such as a deadline, a price or a required action. Readers may miss it, or think you were disorganised;
• you are writing to someone senior, to a stranger, or in a legal, HR or safety context;
• the email is short. A message of three lines does not need an afterthought;
• you use it every time. Habit makes it look like a template.

Use it when the content is truly optional, personal or a deliberate last reminder.

A rule of thumb for email

On paper, a postscript is a physical afterthought, because you cannot edit ink. In email, nothing is ever really added after the signature. You can reread, reorder and rewrite before you press send. That means every P.S. in email is a choice, not an accident.

Ask one question before you write it: Would this sentence be stronger in the body?

• If yes, move it up and delete the P.S.
• If it is a friendly aside, a single reminder or a final call to action, keep it.

A common layout is: greeting, short body, closing line, name, then the P.S., followed by your automatic signature block if you use one. Some writers place the P.S. above the signature block; whichever you choose, keep the placement the same across your messages. For closing lines and sign-offs, see how to end an email, and for tone, how to write a professional email.

Where does a P.S. go on the page?

In a printed or handwritten letter, the order is: body, closing ("Yours sincerely" or "Love"), signature, then the P.S., with a blank line between the signature and the note. In an email, there is no ink to dry, so the position is a matter of habit. Most writers put it after their name and before any automatic signature block of job title, phone number and legal footer, so the note stays close to the message it belongs to. In a text message or chat, a P.S. is informal and perfectly natural, and nobody checks the periods.

Other abbreviations from the same Latin family

Many English abbreviations come from Latin: e.g., i.e., etc., cf., N.B. (nota bene, "note well"). N.B. is sometimes used as a formal alternative to P.S., especially in British writing, but it flags something important, while a P.S. is usually lighter. Our guide to Latin abbreviations covers when each belongs.

Check your P.S. before you send

1. Is it one or two sentences? Cut anything longer.
2. Is the style consistent? P.S. or PS, matching the rest of your document or house style.
3. Is it capitalised, with no comma after it?
4. Does it belong in the body instead? If it is important, move it.
5. Is the tone right for the reader? Fine for a friend, risky for a regulator.
6. Are names, dates and amounts correct? A small note still needs accuracy.

You can run a draft through the Grammar Checker to catch typos and punctuation, or the Tone Changer to make an informal P.S. suit a formal message. If you are building an email from scratch, the Email & Letter Writer can give you a first draft to edit. Always read the result and adjust it for your reader; these tools may not be right for every situation.

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