How do you say good-bye?

The optimal email sign-off

As one of the remaining vestiges of writing formal letters, the sign off in the email is supposed to convey some level of sincerity as it reminds the reader who the email is from. And that’s why I always think that when someone signs Best or Best wishes, it’s not sincere and it is insulting. I don’t really believe the writer is giving me their best. And certainly not their best wishes. If they were giving me their best wishes, what are they giving to people they actually like? But if it’s not with their best, how should someone sign and email.

A lot of people use Cheers these days. It’s less misleading. It’s less committal. It’s a simple toast, like wishing someone good luck or bon voyage. It doesn’t give too much of the writer. It’s a positive wish without being overly sentimental. But, for some reason, I’ve never felt comfortable using it. Maybe it was too British. Maybe too light. Or maybe it was that I read a comment that if someone ends their email with Cheers you should feel compelled to sign off with Seinfeld on your reply. I tried it a few times. No one got the joke.

This is a generic email icon. Did you really need a figure legend?

Some still sign with the old standards. Sincerely. Truly. These are great for more formal emails. They’ve stood the test of time. And there is an honesty in them. I want to believe that the email has sincerity. And it’s still better than Best.

For a long time, I would sign off with an abbreviation (I’m fond of them ICYMI). TTYS (talk to you soon). TTYT (talk to you tomorrow). TTYNW (talk to you next week). Even the occasional Hugs, LY or LY2 for that someone special. Maybe an occasional SYS (see you soon). But sometimes even the abbreviation would require some explanation. More recently I’ve expanded the text and I’m signing off with Talk soon. I do try to reserve this for people that I actually do want to talk to soon. So, if you get an email from me that ends with Talk soon, it means something.

There are more generic sign offs like Have a good one. It leaves it open to the recipient what good one they want to have. And then of course there are some select ones that you save for the right moment like I’ll see you in hell. I’ve only used that once or twice. And surprisingly I’m still employed.

The pandemic inspired me to start using Stay safe. It was a general wish for safety and health, something that everyone appreciated. It also gave the (perhaps false) impression that we had some control over our destiny; that it was feasible to stay safe. The sentiment is still useful today, when there are even more forces that seem to be beyond our control.

But in 2025 we’re living in times of diminished expectations. Diminished prosperity. Diminished faith in government (justified) and science (not justified). Diminished hope. So maybe all we can do is wish that someone has the power to make it through the day ok. The latest I’ve been using is Have an adequate day. You can do a lot of variations on this. Have an adequate night or Have an adequate weekend. And if you want an upgrade, kind of like the deluxe version, you can sign off with Have an acceptable day. Adequate is just ok. Acceptable seems nicer. In science, the best thing you can get is acceptance; of your paper, your paradigm, your offer, and your resignation, each at the appropriate time.

If you’ve read through all the way to this point, you are the best. And I am

Gratefully,

Mark