Common problems for email salutations: “Miss, Mrs., Ms.” and other salutations
When I read emails from international lawyers, here are the common problems I see.
- Using “Miss” or “Mrs.” when the reader hasn’t shown that they prefer that title
- Using “Dear Madam” or “Dear Sir” to address someone whose name you don’t know
Here is the correct way:
Ms., Mrs., and Miss are all titles used to address women formally
Miss (pronounced [miss]) is used to address a young unmarried woman or girl.
Use Miss if you are writing to an unmarried woman under the age of 18.
Mrs. (pronounced [miss-iz]) is used to address a married woman of any age.
Use Mrs. when you are writing to a married woman who prefers to be addressed in this manner.
Ms. (pronounced [miz]) is a neutral option that doesn’t indicate any particular marital status.
Use Ms. when it doesn’t specify whether the woman is married or not or when a woman uses her maiden name professionally. For example, I go by Ms. Stephanie Schantz because I have not taken my husband’s last name.
Don’t Use “Dear Sir or Madam”
Dear Sir or Madam is to address someone whose name you don’t know. It is old-fashioned and can evoke a negative feeling from the reader.
Instead use:
• Good Morning, Good Day, Good Afternoon
• Hello
• Dear [Name]. For example Dear [Jamie] (when you don’t know if the person has a gender neurtal name is a man or a woman
• Dear Hiring Manager
• Dear Attorney Graham
• Dear colleagues
Don’t use “To Whom it May Concern”
Why? It is overly formal, impersonal and outdated.
Instead use:
• Greetings
• Hello
• Dear Marketing Department
• Hello
• Hi (less formal)
• Good morning, evening,