Advice on Special Salutations

I regularly get questions from readers who want to know the proper salutation (greeting) for a letter to someone in a particular role or special job. Here are questions I have received about greetings in letters:

1. How do I address a husband and wife when the wife is a Ph.D. and the state superintendent of schools?
   Answer: Use "Dear Mr. and Dr. Smith," or call the wife's office to find out which title she prefers.
2. Is "Ladies and Gentlemen" acceptable to address a large group of employees?
   Answer: Yes, it is acceptable. Other options are "Dear Associates," "Dear Employees," "Good morning, everyone," "Greetings," and other salutations that suit your business culture. 
3. How do I address three teachers in the same letter?
   Answer: Use their names with courtesy titles, like this: Dear Mr. Devine, Mr. Pule, and Ms. Schneider:
   Or use a generic title, like this: Dear Teachers:
   The second choice is less formal.
4. How do I address readers in a letter introducing our company? We do not have the names of the people who will receive the letter.
   Answer: Use a category greeting, like these:
     Dear Art Lover:
     Dear New Neighbor:
     Dear Lifelong Learner:
5. If I am writing to two people--say a husband and wife--whose name do I use first?
   Answer: If you are using courtesy titles, the husband's name traditionally comes first, like this:
     Dear Mr. and Mrs. Reyes:
   If you are using first names, either name can be first:
     Dear Gloria and Juan Carlos,
   If one of the readers deserves more deference (respect) because of age or status, use that person's name first.
6. What if I am writing to someone, and I do not know whether the person is a man or a woman?
   Answer: Try to find out whether the person is a man or a woman by phoning the office or doing Internet research. If you cannot find the answer, use both first and last name:
   Dear Santosh Pandya:
   Note: I regularly receive letters addressed to "Mr. Lynn Gaertner." The greeting is an immediate signal that the reader does not know me and did not bother to learn about me.
7. What if I am writing to a government official from another country, and I don't know the proper greeting?
   Answer: If you cannot find the proper salutation in a reference book, telephone the office of the official and ask for guidance.
   Note: Just yesterday Dawn, who works in an international pharmaceutical firm, phoned a Canadian government office to inquire about the correct greeting. She wrote to me, "The person I spoke with thanked me and seemed very pleased that we would inquire!"

Notice that Dawn's inquiry (above) created a positive international exchange. Her approach is far preferable to just guessing about the proper salutation and risking a stupid mistake.

For more information on greetings in letters and email, see this post. Or purchase The Gregg Reference Manual, in which I find most of my answers.

Feel free to send a question but be sure to use a subject on your email. Otherwise, I will simply delete it as spam. Sorry!

Lynn
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Other search spellings: salutiaton, salutaiton, salutaion, saluation, greting, wirting, writting

Comments

[Jessica]

When referencing a husband and wife and the husband has a suffix such as Jr., do I list them as John and Jane Smith, Jr. or John and Jane Smith?

[Lynn]

Jessica, it depends what you mean by "referencing." If you are greeting them in a letter, see my December 18, 2006, post. If you are writing about them, you have several choices:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith Jr.
John Smith Jr. and Jane Smith
John and Jane Smith

You cannot include Jr. after the name Jane Smith.

[LaVada Terrell]

How do you address, in a letter, a former governor, now attorney-at law?
Thanks.

[Cathy]

Do you address a JD (doctor of law) as Dr. in the salutation? Thanks.

[Lynn]

Cathy, you use normal courtesy titles with attorneys, that is, Mr. Ms., Miss, and Mrs.

[Lynn]

Cathy, you use normal courtesy titles with attorneys, that is, Mr. Ms., Miss, and Mrs.

[Cynthia LaBombard]

What salutation do I use to the President and members of our Historical Society?

Thank you for a prompt response.

Cynthia

[Lynn]

Why not "Dear Members"? I assume you have a vice president, secretary, treasurer, and perhaps other officers besides the president. Why single out the president?

[Kim]

What salutation do I use to to address two couples with the same last name that live at the same address?

[Greg]

What sort of salutation would I use when addressing a group of park district board members containing one lady and several men? Thanks

[yvon bouchard]

I have been using Dear Sir/Madame: as a salutation to correspondence when addressing a specific title yet unknowing of who is at the other end.

Is this proper?

[Lynn]

Yvon, you can use "Dear Sir or Madam." Another choice is just to address the title, like this:
"Dear Librarian."

Correspondence is much more effective when we know the name of our readers.

[EP]

What is the proper business letter salutation for two doctors (medical or dental). Would it be "Drs. Smith:", "Dr. and Dr. Smith:", or something different?

Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Amy L. Norris]

What salutation is best used when you do not know the name or gender of the person who will be receiving the letter? A letter to be received by a company where any of 100 employees could be the one responding?

[Lynn]

EP and Amy, I have written about those topics. Just type your key terms in the search box on this site to narrow your search and find the answer.

[Keren Pickard]

Dear Lynn,

I am currently consulting a company that does lobbying work with various government agencies such as EPA and USDA. Do special rules exist for writing to these authorities (particularly formal, special titles, etc.)? So far, I have been unable to find anything dealing with this...only information on elected officials. Thanks for your help!

[Karen Ciampa]

Dear Lynn
Can you tell me how to address a letter to a Mayor and his spouse.
I have addressed it to The Honorable and Mrs....., now, how to start the letter - Dear Mayor and Mrs. ?

[doris badia]

I believe it is proper English for a salutation on an outside envelope to be: John & Jane Smith. My question is this inproper: Mr. & Mrs. John & Jane Smith???

ever make a guess as to the gender of the person to whom you are writing the letter. If the name is not gender specific, or if it is an ethnic name that you do not know the gender rules, do not guess. There are many people named "Chris," for example, who are very annoyed by being called the wrong gender. When in doubt, play it safe and use the full name instead of a courtesy title.

[Gerri Lotenero]

Is is proper when addressing a husband and wife in a legal letter to use the & sign as in Mr. & Mrs. Scott Doe, then use Dear Mr. & Mrs. Doe??

[Jennifer]

How do I address a letter to a husband and wife, and the wife has not taken the husbands last name?