Question: if I'm writing a letter ..and I don't know to whom...

[Rustyeye77]

Do I write....

Dear Sir/ Madam
Dear Sir/Ms
Dear SIr/ ??

What is currently the correct way to address a person you don’t know who is reading it ?

[Phoenix61]

1. "To Whom It May Concern:" nt

[targetpractice]

3. Covers all the bases, certainly! n/t

[flor-de-jasmim]

2. Good question!

To Whom It May Concern sounds very outdated.

I've used "Dear staff", or "Good morning/afternoon/evening", or even just "Hello"

I have also used the title of the person I think might be reading the letter/email, such as "Dear Sales Manager".

[targetpractice]

4. "To whomevs" is a bit more contemporary.

I personally open with "Greetings"

[Rustyeye77]

8. Did you spell that correctly? Or am I out of step ?

.

[MissB]

11. I think it's a play on

Whatevs, meaning whatever. So whomevs would be short for whomever. Don’t recommend that approach and am guessing it was said tongue in cheek.

[Rustyeye77]

12. Thank you........I guess I'm a little slow.

[targetpractice]

13. Yes, tongue in cheek (before coffee). n/t

[hlthe2b]

22. Greetings works. Personally, though I suspect you aren't serious, if anyone used

"To whomevs," I would read no further. The round file awaits.

If you know their name, that is always best (Dear Mr. or Ms. .... or Dr. or whatever). If you don't know their name, guessing at their title might be best: Dear Customer Service Representative (or Manager), Dear Human Resource Representative, etc., etc.

As to the three choices in the OP above, Dear Sir or Madam is traditional. Perhaps outdated, but still used. Probably not the best choice, though.

[targetpractice]

23. Yes... I was not serious with "whomevs"... However....

... It's important to know your audience and the purpose of the letter. I do think both "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir/Madam" are quite formal, yet indicates you have no idea who the recipient may be, and Sir/Madam could be insulting to some people.

That's why I stick to "Greetings" if I don't know who might read the letter... It's friendly, generic, yet may be too informal.

[Rustyeye77]

9. "Good day" ??...maybe or is that too weird ??

[Harker]

5. I have used "Greetings", but "Earthlings" would do it, too. n/t

[ret5hd]

6. "Sentient Being"?

[Harker]

7. That's pretty gracious, and includes most people.

[lillypaddle]

19. I'm in the "Greetings" camp, too.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Depends on the situation...

In a formal/business setting "Dear Sir/Ms" might be correct, though I'm woefully out of touch with that world.

If you're writing to a more informal group something more personable might be in order.

[Turbineguy]

14. If you want to be snooty....

Lectori Salutem

[Fla Dem]

15. I think you're correct with the Dear Sir/Madam salutation

But here are a couple of other suggestions......

"To Whom it may Concern"

Or if writing to a Human Resource department, Dear HR Manager. Same would hold true for other departments, like
Dear Customer Service Representative or Manager.


Dear Vice President, Operations

[Rustyeye77]

16. Is Dear Sir/ Madam politically correct ? not sure that's not offensive.

I may go with “To whom it may concern”,

[Midnightwalk]

17. In emails I sometimes use Hello,

Among basically colleagues I haven’t talked to before. Or Hello Fla. Even if you were a VP.

Dear anything would seem strange. I very rarely see that.

Like I said this is in a setting where collegiality is the norm and expected. In other settings I might be more formal and use one of your suggestions.

To whom...always sounds confrontational. My mom would write letters like that and then describe very well why she was pissed off.

[lillypaddle]

18. "Greetings"

That's what I always used. Less formal and cold than "To whom it may concern" and just a tad friendly and casual without being presumptuous.

[Rustyeye77]

20. Thank you..

[malaise]

21. I always write Madame/Sir

because I am female and made a commitment to put myself first.
Our male brethren have perfected that.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. Dear Reader, ... nt

[Rustyeye77]

25. Thats a new one. I'll have to think about it.

[gratuitous]

26. "Yo"

Followed by a comma if this is an informal letter, a colon for more formal correspondence.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

27. Is the letter going to a business, or other organization? If so, contact it and ask for the name and

title of the individual that should receive the correspondence based on the subject.

[lastlib]

28. "Ladies & Gentlemen"