How to End a Letter to a Friend | Full Guide & Samples

When writing a letter to a friend, you must close it with the right words. The ending of a letter is as important as the beginning. This article explores how you can end a letter to a friend.

The end of your letter should be short and sweet. It should also carry the tone of the rest of your letter. If you’ve been chatting with your friend in a friendly and casual way, keep the language informal and warm when you sign off.

If you’ve been having more serious conversations, then make sure that the end of your letter reflects this as well.

The letter’s closing should be written to impress your friend. It should not only be polite but also convey your feelings towards them. You can end your letter to a friend in many ways.

This is a complete guide to help you end a letter to a friend. This can be a guide, template or example to help you write your letter.

Let’s dive in!

Why Letter Endings are Important

Here are three reasons why letter endings to a friend are essential:

1. It shows how you feel about your friend.

If you say goodbye, it is like you don’t care about your friend anymore, which might sound rude. Using a friendly ending to end your letter shows that you care about them and that they are essential to you. 

2. It makes them respond easier.

If you end your letter with something like “Yours sincerely” or “Sincerely yours,” it will be much easier for them to respond to your letter without thinking too hard about how they should sign off on their note. It saves them time and effort.

3. They show your personality.

When writing a letter, you want to ensure that your personality shows through in your words. By sending your letters with something like “Yours Truly,” “Sincerely,” or even just “Love,” you’re letting your friend know who you are as an individual and how you feel about them as well. This can help strengthen the bond that you both share.

4. It shows respect

Also, letter endings are essential because they show how much you respect your friend. In any situation, showing respect for the person receiving your letter is important.

This means using proper closing etiquette when writing all correspondence — including letters to friends and loved ones — so you don’t appear unprofessional or rude.

Using proper closing etiquette in your letters, you’ll show that you value your friendship with this person and take them seriously.

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How to Make Your Letter Friendlier

• Start the letter out with a kind greeting.
• Be sure to mention in the letter what you expect from this individual.
• Keep it succinct and to the point, and be sure to sign off with one of the following phrases we will discuss below in this article.
• Particularly true for a cover letter.
• As a bonus tip, ensure that your pleasant letter is written by hand (it’s simpler than you would think).

Tips to End a Letter to a Friend

• Use a short concluding paragraph
• Wrap up the letter
• Choose a friendly closing
• Ending with a directive closing
• Using a signature and a postscript

1. Use a short concluding paragraph.

A concluding paragraph is the last paragraph in the body of a letter. It helps you to correctly tie up loose ends and leaves the reader with a feeling of satisfaction. Your closing sentence should be short, but it needs to be powerful.

Be sure to leave your friend with a positive feeling about the letter and remind them what they should do next.

A good closing paragraph will focus on how your friend will benefit from what you’re saying in your letter. It should also include steps to help them put your advice into action. 

For example, if you’re writing to a friend who wants to improve their health, you might offer specific tips such as eating more fruit and vegetables or exercising regularly.

2. Wrap up the letter

• Wrap up the letter by referring back to the beginning or middle of the letter.
• Thank your friend for taking the time to read your letter, even if it was long.
• Express how much you appreciate them and value their friendship.

Also, you could end your letter by expressing hope for future contact with your friend (e.g., “I look forward to hearing from you soon”). If needed, provide an update about what’s happening in your life (“I’m busy at work right now, so I don’t have much time for socializing, but I hope we’ll get together soon”).

3. Choose a friendly closing.

Closing is more than just a friendly “goodbye.” It’s also an opportunity to show your friend that you care about them as a person, not just as someone who needs something from you. It’s a chance to reinforce the friendship and make them feel better.

Here are some ideas for friendly closings:

•  “Love always,” “Forever,” “As always,” or “As ever.”

This kind of closing is usually reserved for long-distance relationships or letters between friends who often don’t see each other. If you use it, make sure that it’s appropriate for the length of your relationship and how often you communicate with each other by mail, phone calls, or email messages.

• “See you soon” or “See you shortly.”

Use this closing if you will soon be seeing your friend in person. It is short and to the point and helps wrap things up nicely. You’re letting them know that you’re eager to see them.

• “Gratefully” or “Thankfully yours.”

This closing will be great if you appreciate your friend for a favor or a reward you received from them.

• “Cordially,” “Fondly,” “Affectionately,” “Hugs,” “Love,” or “Yours.”

For a great friend, use these words. They imply fondness. They also express how much you cherish your friendship with them.

•  “Kind Regards” 

Use this closing for someone you are not so close to or an acquaintance.

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4. Ending with a directive closing

The best way to end a letter is with a directive closing. It helps to keep the conversation going so that you can stay in touch with your friend in the future. This type of closing can be direct or indirect. A natural directive closing is one where you give instructions to your reader. An example would be: “Please take care of yourself and remember I love you.”

An indirect directive closing uses an imperative verb to give someone an instruction but doesn’t state it directly. An example would be: “I hope you have a great day at work!”

“Take care” will convey to your friend that you are thinking about them. This conclusion demonstrates your concern for your friend and your desire for them to care for themselves. “Take care of yourself” or “Take it easy” are acceptable phrases. “Kind thoughts” would also assist in this situation.

If you are concerned about your friend, use “Be safe.” Perhaps your friend travels a lot or spends much time alone. This conclusion demonstrates to them your concern for their security and your desire for them to take responsibility for their protection. You might also say, “Watch out for yourself” or “Stay safe.”

You could also use “Keep being amazing” or “Remain awesome” as an indirect closing. It shows how much you love your friend’s personality.

If you include a gift, use “Enjoy.” “Enjoy” conveys to the recipient that you hope they enjoy receiving and using your gift.

Say “Have a pleasant day” to your friend to wish them well. You’re encouraging your friend to enjoy themselves by concluding in this manner. That’s always a suitable letter closing. Another option is “Have a wonderful weekend!”

5. Using a signature and a postscript

A comma should follow your closing. It would be best if you often put a comma right after any close. Use an exclamation point instead of a comma if your statement is enthusiastic.

You could end your letter with one of the following phrases: As ever, Fondly, Love, Stay safe, Sincerely, Affectionately, and Have a great day!

Skip one line and then sign your name. Leave a clear space or empty line between the ending and your signature. Your first name works perfectly as a signature when sending a letter to your friend. If the person typically addresses you by your nickname, you can also use it.

If you omitted something in your letter, include a postscript. Postscripts—represented by a “P.S.” after your signature—were first used to add information to handwritten letters that the author had forgotten to mention. There isn’t enough room to add stuff in the back. 

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How to End a Letter to a Friend

Here is how you can end a letter to a friend:

1. Best regards

The phrase “best regards” conveys that you have the recipient’s best interests in mind.

Despite being compared to the best, this closing is a touch more official and is reserved for business correspondence and new relationships. Warm regards is a more informal variant, and respect is even more official.

2. Sincerely

With good reason, the standard closing for formal letters is genuinely (or sincerely yours).

This conclusion reiterates the earnestness of your letter’s purpose; it is a safe option if you don’t know the receiver well since it’s better to use a formal and conventional sign-off in such circumstances.

3. Yours truly

Here, formality and informality start to blend. Yours truly suggests the sincerity of the message that comes before your name and that you are somehow committed to the receiver.

This conclusion may be used in various contexts when composing letters to acquaintances and strangers. Still, it is ideal for friends and family since it has a more relaxed and comfortable tone.

The most incredible time to utilize it is when you would like to clarify that you mean what is said in your letter.

4. Cheers

A humorous conclusion that conveys your best wishes to the reader is “cheers.” It’s recommended to save using this sign-off for situations where you are comfortable with the reader and if the tone is upbeat and easygoing due to its connotation with consuming alcohol.

Also, be aware that readers that speak other forms of English and are unfamiliar with the phrase may find cheering strange because the term is linked to British English.

5. Speak to you soon

Alternatives to this parting speech include looking forward to chatting with you soon and seeing you soon. These sign-offs convey your expectation for the dialogue to continue with your contact.

Confirming or setting up a precise date for a face-to-face encounter may be a powerful way to finish a letter or email.

Although these ends can be used in formal and informal contexts, they frequently have a more traditional style. Talk to you later is an exception to this rule because it leans more casually.

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6. [No sign-off]

A bit odd, but sometimes appropriate, is not having a sign-off on your letter. When responding to an email chain, skipping the sign-off is the most suitable practice.

However, in the first email, leaving out either your name or a sign-off would make your letter appear to stop abruptly. It should be avoided in certain circumstances or when you are unfamiliar with the recipient well.

Conclusion

If you want to learn how to end a letter to a friend, you need to understand that it all depends on your relationship with them. 

If you’re in a close relationship, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t tell them how much you care about them and how glad you are that they were able to share their thoughts with you.

The end of your letter should leave your reader with something to think about. You can use it to thank your friend for their time or tell them what you plan to do next.

There are many ways to end a letter, but the most important thing to remember is that you should ensure your tone is friendly. This will help you ensure that your friend does not end up feeling hurt or upset by what you have said.

FAQs

References

• Indeed.com – How to End a Letter
• emilypost.com – Writing Personal Letters
• wikihow.com – End a Letter to a Friend

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