Salutation (greeting)

Encyclopedia : S : SA : SAL : Salutation (greeting)

redirect

A salutation is a greeting, in particular a formal greeting used in a letter. Salutations usually take the form " X", or sometimes simply "X", followed by either a colon or a comma.

According to Wilbers:

Salutations in formal letters end with a colon; salutations in informal letters end in a comma.
Professional titles ("Professor", "Doctor") are preferred over social titles ("Mister", "Miss").
Dignitaries are addressed by their titles. (e.g. "Dear Lord Mayor:")

When the recipient of the letter is unknown—for example, in a letter of recommendation, or when writing to a company—the salutations "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To Whom It May Concern" are used.

For each style of salutation there is an accompanying style of valediction.

Salutation (greeting)

References

Further reading

See also