Sincerely Yours | Meaning, Definition & Examples

Sincerely yours 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 already know to some extent.

Sincerely yours consists of the adverb sincerely (which means “genuinely”) and the possessive pronoun yours. The sign-off should always be followed by a comma. It’s used in a similar way to Yours truly, although that’s traditionally used for people you haven’t communicated with before. Nowadays, this distinction is no longer as strict.

Example: Sincerely yours
Dear Miss Levy,
I am writing to ask you about …
Sincerely yours,
Mercedes Akafi

Whether you have or haven’t communicated with someone before, it’s important that your emails don’t contain spelling and grammar mistakes. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.

Yours sincerely and Sincerely yours are two variants of the same email sign-off. The word order depends on the variant of English you use

• In American English, you use Sincerely yours.
• In British English, you use Yours sincerely.

Example: Yours sincerely or Sincerely yours
Dear Mrs. Johnson,
I hope this email finds you well …
Sincerely yours/Yours sincerely,
Grey Ryan

Sincerely yours is one of three common email sign-offs, along with Yours faithfully (or Faithfully yours) and Yours truly. The last two are used to sign-off an email to someone you haven’t communicated with before (e.g., when you begin the email with “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”).

• 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” is sometimes used in British English, but it’s considered more informal. It’s best to use “Yours faithfully” in business emails.

Example: Yours truly vs Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam,
I want to inform you about …
Yours truly/Yours faithfully,
Dolores Callas

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