Yours Truly | Meaning, Definition & Examples

Yours truly is commonly used as a sign-off before your name to end an email or letter. You typically use it when you’re writing to someone you haven’t communicated with before.

Yours truly consists of the possessive pronoun yours and the adverb truly (which is often misspelled “truely”) and is followed by a comma. It’s used in a similar way to Sincerely yours. However, “Sincerely yours” is traditionally used for people you have communicated with before. Nowadays, this distinction is no longer as strict.

When using “Yours truly” and other formal sign-offs, you should always capitalize the first letter of the first word. You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to check for this and other spelling and grammar mistakes.

Yours truly, faithfully, or sincerely

Yours truly is one of three common email sign-offs, along with Yours faithfully (or Faithfully yours) and Yours sincerely (or Sincerely yours). They’re often used interchangeably, but there are some regional and traditional distinctions at play.

Yours truly vs Yours faithfully

• In American English, Yours truly is used as a formal sign-off in emails to people you haven’t communicated with before.
• In British English, Yours faithfully is used in this context.

Yours truly, faithfully, or sincerely

• In American English, Sincerely yours is used as a formal sign-off in emails to people you have communicated with before.
• In British English, Yours sincerely is used in this context.

Yours truly in other contexts

Yours truly can also be used in other contexts. Some people use it to refer to themselves in a humorous way instead of using a first-person pronoun (like “I”).

Yours truely

“Yours truely” is sometimes mistakenly used instead of Yours truly. However, “truely” is not a real word and should be avoided. The correct spelling is always Yours truly.

Frequently asked questions about Yours truly

Is it yours truly or truly yours?

Yours truly is a common sign-off in formal correspondence. It’s typically used when you’re writing to someone you haven’t communicated with before.

“Truly yours” is less commonly used than Yours truly. However, this and alternative forms of the sign-off are used in some contexts. For example, “Very truly yours” is commonly used by attorneys to end an email or letter.

QuillBot’s rephraser can help you vary your vocabulary to reflect your intended meaning.

Should I write “Sincerely” or “Yours truly”?

“Sincerely” or “Sincerely yours” are sign-offs that are typically used when you’re ending an email to someone you’ve been in contact with before as opposed to someone you are reaching out to for the first time.

“Yours truly” was traditionally used when contacting a stranger and was usually paired with the greeting “Dear Sir or Madam.” It is not frequently used nowadays, especially in emails. Instead, a sign-off like “Regards” is more common.

QuillBot’s rewording tool can help you vary your written vocabulary.

What is a synonym for yours truly?

Yours truly is used as a formal sign-off to end an email or letter. Yours sincerely and Yours faithfully are considered synonyms of Yours truly, but there are some regional and traditional distinctions:

• In American English, you use “Yours truly” when you haven’t corresponded with the recipient and “Sincerely yours” when you have.
• In British English, you use “Yours faithfully” when you haven’t corresponded with the recipient and “Yours sincerely” when you have.

QuillBot’s rewording tool can help expand your writing in new ways.