When is faithfully and when sincerely

As can happen with the English language, there are slight differences in opinion and habitual use when it comes to British English and American English. In general, American English would include Canada, whereas British English means every other country that speaks English. Despite being nearly a hundred years old, it is still referred to as a principle guide for writing in English.

So what does Watson say exactly? This approach is supported by advice given in the Oxford Handbook of Commercial Correspondence, which classifies the two terms as follows:.

The Oxford Handbook of Commercial Correspondence also offers up the most informal of salutations:. I would still prefer them in dead-tree letters, but only in the most formal of circumstances probably when invited to a cup of tea by the Queen of England I usually just write "Sincerely,".

I understand it to be a contraction of "I am yours sincerely" or "I am yours faithfully". If I used it, I'd probably invert it to "Sincerely yours," or "Faithfully yours,". These statements are typically reserved for love letters or other personal correspondence, although faithful could technically describe a business relationship. The modern era does not routinely recognize the "complimentary close" as such, and its use is becoming rather quaint.

Since Julius didn't specifically ask for a «commercially» correct way of signing a letter, less informal alternatives to what others have posted include:.

I just use "Thank you" - it seems to fit everywhere and doesn't sound like the letter was auto-generated by some letter writing wizard. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Is it "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?

Ask Question. Asked 10 years, 8 months ago. Active 8 years ago. Viewed 1. When should one sign a letter with "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"? Improve this question. Julius A Julius A 1, 4 4 gold badges 19 19 silver badges 20 20 bronze badges. Add a comment. Dear Sir, [blah, blah] Yours truly, Matt Brown. Dear Mr. Jones, [blah, blah] Yours sincerely, Charles Windsor-Smyth.

Jones, [blah, blah] Sincerely yours, Matt Brown. Dear Sir, [blah, blah] Yours faithfully, This comma is correct. Matt Brown. Dear Sir, [blah, blah] Yours faithfully, Matt Brown. Ready for the Test? Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.