Professional Writing
How to write a formal letter
Writing a formal letter well is mostly about order and restraint. This guide covers what to include, what to leave out, and how to lay out a letter with the right heading, salutation, body, and sign-off. There is a tool at the end if you would rather start from a draft.
The parts of a formal letter
1. Your address and the date, top right or top left depending on convention. 2. The recipient’s name and address. 3. A formal salutation: Dear Mr/Ms [Surname], or Dear Sir or Madam when the name is unknown. 4. The purpose in the first paragraph. 5. Supporting detail in one or two short paragraphs. 6. A clear request or next step. 7. Yours sincerely (when you named the recipient) or Yours faithfully (when you did not), followed by your name.
Try it now
Example
Worked example · Input
Ask a supplier to confirm a delivery date in writing.
Result
Dear Mr Hartono, I am writing to request written confirmation of the delivery date for order 4482, placed on September 12. Our production schedule depends on this delivery, and we need confirmation to plan accordingly. Could you please confirm the date by Friday, October 24? Yours sincerely, A. Wibowo
The tool behind this page
FormalizeTurn casual writing into polished professional text.More in Professional Writing
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- Formal Letter template and formatThe standard formal letter format, section by section, with a copy-paste template. Generate your own customized version free with the AI tool on this page.
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