In business and formal communication, we often send emails and messages with the expectation that someone will respond. Sometimes, we receive a response that opens with “Thank you for your email.” Is this a common and correct way to respond in formal writing?
It is correct to say “Thank you for your email” to express gratitude for the sender’s message. For example, if you submit a service request on a website, the reply might say, “Thank you for your email. A representative will respond shortly.” In business use, this interjection acknowledges that you received the message.
Read on to learn more about when and how you can best use this phrase.
What Does “Thank You for Your Email” Mean?
“Thank you for your email” is a polite way to express gratitude to the sender of a specific electronic message. Let’s examine the meaning of the individual words in this phrase.
“Thank you” is a common expression of gratitude. It is a minor sentence derived from the full sentence, “I thank you.” Like most minor sentences, “thank you” omits the subject because it is clear that the speaker is the subject.
“Thank you” and “thanks” both express gratitude, but they are not necessarily interchangeable. “Thanks” is suitable for personal and informal conversation, while “Thank you” is a polite expression that is appropriate in formal and business correspondence (source).
“Email” refers broadly to a written message that the writer produces and transmits via computer or other electronic means (source), including direct messages between users of a shared platform or the transmission of information via a web-based form.
More importantly, regardless of its delivery channel, an email has a specific sender and a targeted recipient (or group of recipients).
How Do You Use “Thank You for Your Email”?
“Thank you for your email” is a minor sentence you would write to a specific person in direct response to a particular email. As a minor sentence, “Thank you for your email” only makes sense when you use it in context. This is because the context supplies the information that minor sentences leave out.
In this case, you are omitting the subject “I” to form the minor sentence. But because you are the writer, the recipient understands that you are the one who is expressing gratitude.
Similarly, because you are saying “Thank you for your email” to a specific person, that person understands that he or she is the recipient of your gratitude, represented by the object “you” in your sentence.
The prepositional phrase “for your email” adds the rest of the context. Since you are thanking the person for an email, you would only use this phrase in response to an email that the other person sent you. Typically, you would use “Thank you for your email” as a direct and immediate response to the other person’s message.
When Can You Use “Thank You for Your Email”?
You may say “Thank you for your email” in response to the initial message of a new conversation. Use it when you wish to acknowledge your receipt of a message or when you wish to establish a polite tone for the discussion.
Below, you will find several contexts in which “Thank you for your email” often appears.
Automatic Contact Form Responses
When you visit a commercial website, you can probably find a link that says “Contact us.” On most commercial sites, this link directs the user to a form you must fill out and submit.
If you supply your email address when you complete the form, you will likely receive an automated response that includes “Thank you for your email,” as this example from a state government agency shows (source).
In this way, the phrase confirms that the form you submitted has reached its destination. Often, this automated response will explain what happens next with your request.
Out-Of-Office Replies
Another everyday automated use of “Thank you for your email” is in out-of-office replies. Many companies require employees to use the out-of-office feature on their email systems when they are away or unable to respond to emails.
Some style guides for crafting out-of-office replies even suggest thanking the sender for their message, as in this example (source).
Live Writing
“Thank you for your email” is helpful in live writing, too, particularly when you wish to express gratitude in response to receiving new or important information.
If a customer or employee reports a problem, concern, or complaint, you might open your response by saying, “Thank you for your email,” before discussing the content of the message.
“Thank you” is a powerful phrase that establishes cooperation and politeness between two parties. By thanking someone for raising a concern, you are committing to take the sender’s concern seriously and work toward a resolution. Furthermore, it shows that you do not wish to argue with the other person or dismiss his or her concern.
Using “Thank You for Your Email” in a Full Sentence
As a minor sentence, “Thank you for your email” expresses a complete idea when delivered in context. However, there are ways to add other useful information when it is helpful to do so.
When you are responding to a concern or complaint, you might add a clause to summarize the issue:
- Thank you for your email about your missing package.
- Thank you for your email about the broken light.
Other times, you might give the user insight into what steps you are taking next or suggest that they take:
- Thank you for your email; I have forwarded it to our maintenance manager.
- Thank you for your email. Please call me to discuss this matter.
- Thank you for your email; I will respond when I return to the office.
When Not to Use “Thank You for Your Email”
Do not use “Thank you for your email” in casual conversations, during an ongoing discussion, or in places where the sender and recipient are not clearly understood.
“Thank you for your email” works nicely in response to an initial message, but it is out of place once a conversation has progressed. For example, if your exchange with the complaining customer develops into a continuing dialogue, it would not be appropriate to thank the customer for subsequent emails in the exchange.
If you do, the customer might think that the response is coming from a different person who was not involved in the initial exchange or that the company representative hasn’t been paying attention. In either case, an out-of-place “Thank you” will probably have the opposite effect from what you intended.
Remembering that our definition of “email” refers to communication with a specific sender and recipient, you wouldn’t say “Thank you for your email” on a message board or comment thread where anybody can contribute.
Public forums such as message boards are useful places to discuss with many people at once, and another user might provide a helpful link or a beneficial insight. But you wouldn’t thank the other user for their email because a post in a public space is not an email.
You also wouldn’t use “Thank you for your email” in personal or informal conversations. Doing so might come across as cold and detached. So, if a friend sends you a text or even an email to wish you well or follow up on a situation you’ve previously shared, an informal “thanks” is more appropriate.
What Can You Use Instead of “Thank You for Your Email”?
Below are common variations of “Thank you for your email” and suggestions for tailoring your response to your specific situation.
Here are some equivalent phrases that are suitable for business or other formal writing:
- Thank you for contacting us.
- Thank you for your message.
- Thank you for your inquiry.
Many companies add specific details to their automated responses:
- Thank you for contacting Member Services.
- Thank you for submitting a missing order claim.
In casual conversation and personal discussions, you can use informal alternatives:
- Thanks for thinking of me!
- Thanks for the heads up!
You can read more about using “Thanks” in informal contexts by visiting our article Is It Correct to Say “Thanks for the Add”?
Expressions of Gratitude as Interjections
Interjections are interruptions of speech that express a reaction or sentiment (source). For example, expressions of gratitude are helpful interjections because they affect the tone and meaning of the words that follow them.
In our earlier examples, we dealt with forms, absent employees, and complaints. Each of these situations has the capacity to leave a message sender feeling frustrated and angry. By using an interjection, we can succinctly express a particular reaction (gratitude, in this instance) in a way that the recipient understands without explaining it.
Without having interjections in our grammatical toolbox, we might end up writing very clumsy-sounding responses, such as:
- Unfortunately, I can’t answer your message today, but I will when I return next week.
- I am happy to discuss your complaint and will try my best not to argue with you.
This article was written for strategiesforparents.com.
Instead, by opening with “Thank you for your email,” we can skip that extra stuff and get right to the heart of the discussion because the sender knows that we are writing in the spirit of cooperation. To see more examples of expressions of gratitude as interjections, read our article Is It Correct to Say “Thanks for Asking”?
Final Thoughts
“Thank you for your email” is a helpful minor sentence in formal writing. Use it in response to an initial email whenever you wish to express gratitude for or acknowledge receipt of the sender’s message.