Is a reminder less intrusive or irritating if it’s paired with “friendly” or “gentle”? Apparently, that’s the perception for many people. “Friendly reminder” is the most common phrase professionals use to soften their tone in emails, a new study shows, followed by a series of phrases apologizing for late replies.
The study, conducted by email deliverability company ZeroBounce, analyzed more than 1.6 million work emails to determine the phrases professionals use to apologize and soften their tone.
While “friendly reminder” topped the list, most of the next few spots were taken by variations of “sorry for the late reply,” suggesting that responding to emails late is a major source of workplace guilt.
Here are the 10 apology and softening phrases you’re most likely to see in your inbox:
1. “Friendly reminder”
2. “Sorry for the delay”
3. “My apologies”
4. “Apologies for the delay”
5. “Sorry for the late reply’
6. “Sorry for any inconvenience”
7. “My bad”
8. “Sorry for the confusion”
9. “Sorry for the delayed response”
10. “Sorry it took”
• “Apologies for the delayed response” (no. 15)
• “Sorry for the late response” (no. 16)
• “Sorry for my late reply” (no. 18)
• “Sorry for this delay” (no. 22)
• “Apologies for the late response” (no. 23)
Aside from expressing guilt over responding to emails late, professionals often pad their emails with phrases meant to sound less direct, such as “quick nudge,” “gentle reminder,” or “sorry for the inconvenience.”
These phrases rank lower on the list, but their occurrence shows a propensity for overly apologetic language:
“Many professionals apologize for simply doing their jobs – asking questions or sending reminders,” says Liviu Tanase. “The data shows how concerned people still are about sounding polite and not too demanding. Even quick workplace emails carry a surprising amount of emotional calculation,” adds the entrepreneur.
If you find yourself in that situation, here are a few tips that may help.
A short line should be enough to explain your absence, then answer the question. Most likely, your recipient cares less about why you haven’t replied and more about getting an answer to their specific request. If the deadline has long expired, you can still write them back and let them know your schedule has cleared and that you’re happy to answer any questions.
Before you send your next email, take a second to scan it and see if you’re using any of these buzzwords: “just following up,” “I’m circling back,” “I’m touching base,” or “sorry to bother.” Then try editing them out and read your email again. You’ll notice it sounds more clear and to the point.
Clean, straightforward language that simply delivers the message stands out and brims with confidence. Who couldn’t use more of that?
Read next:
• Spy agencies say AI can help combat AI cyber risks. But don’t forget the basics
The study, conducted by email deliverability company ZeroBounce, analyzed more than 1.6 million work emails to determine the phrases professionals use to apologize and soften their tone.
Here are the 10 apology and softening phrases you’re most likely to see in your inbox:
1. “Friendly reminder”
2. “Sorry for the delay”
3. “My apologies”
4. “Apologies for the delay”
5. “Sorry for the late reply’
6. “Sorry for any inconvenience”
7. “My bad”
8. “Sorry for the confusion”
9. “Sorry for the delayed response”
10. “Sorry it took”
Professionals mostly apologize for replying late
“Sorry for the delay” is number two on the list, but if we look beyond the top 10, we see several variations of the same phrase popping up in inboxes everywhere:• “Apologies for the delayed response” (no. 15)
• “Sorry for the late response” (no. 16)
• “Sorry for my late reply” (no. 18)
• “Sorry for this delay” (no. 22)
• “Apologies for the late response” (no. 23)
Aside from expressing guilt over responding to emails late, professionals often pad their emails with phrases meant to sound less direct, such as “quick nudge,” “gentle reminder,” or “sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Sorry to bother”: people apologize for doing their jobs
One of the most surprising findings of the study was that professionals still apologize for things that are normal in the workplace, like asking a question or following up on a previous email. What’s more, a certain set of phrases indicates that people sometimes apologize for no reason at all.These phrases rank lower on the list, but their occurrence shows a propensity for overly apologetic language:
- “Sorry for bothering you”
- “Sorry to bug you”
- “Sorry to trouble you”
- “Sorry to ask”
- “Sorry in advance”
- “Sorry to disturb you”
“Many professionals apologize for simply doing their jobs – asking questions or sending reminders,” says Liviu Tanase. “The data shows how concerned people still are about sounding polite and not too demanding. Even quick workplace emails carry a surprising amount of emotional calculation,” adds the entrepreneur.
How to avoid over-apologizing in your emails
A couple of days have gone by since a colleague reached out with a question, and your instinct is to start your response with a version of “sorry for the late reply.” It happens to all of us – email cliches have a way of enduring despite generational shifts.If you find yourself in that situation, here are a few tips that may help.
Set an auto-responder if you take time off
Not only will this prevent repeated follow-ups, but it will also give you peace of mind that whoever emails you knows you won’t be able to respond right away. A short message stating the date of your return will let the person know when to expect a reply.Ask yourself if your reply is truly late
Sometimes people feel the need to apologize for replying late, although it’s been merely hours since they received an email. So before you start typing “sorry for the delayed reply,” ask yourself if the person was really expecting you to write back within minutes. What may seem late to you may not be late at all to the other person.If you really are late, own it and move on
There are days or weeks when things get overwhelming – a big project to deliver at work or significant changes in your personal life. Colleagues and peers may not hear back from you for a while, and that may cause delays in their own projects. If that happens, it’s completely normal to apologize, but don’t dwell on it too much.A short line should be enough to explain your absence, then answer the question. Most likely, your recipient cares less about why you haven’t replied and more about getting an answer to their specific request. If the deadline has long expired, you can still write them back and let them know your schedule has cleared and that you’re happy to answer any questions.
Simple and straightforward emails sound more confident
There’s a whole dictionary of cliches and corporate jargon infesting emails across cultures around the globe. Despite Millennials and Gen Z bringing their own flavor to workplace language, these cliches endure – often because people don’t really know what else to say.Before you send your next email, take a second to scan it and see if you’re using any of these buzzwords: “just following up,” “I’m circling back,” “I’m touching base,” or “sorry to bother.” Then try editing them out and read your email again. You’ll notice it sounds more clear and to the point.
Clean, straightforward language that simply delivers the message stands out and brims with confidence. Who couldn’t use more of that?
Read next:
• Spy agencies say AI can help combat AI cyber risks. But don’t forget the basics
