Knowing how to address multiple people in an email or letter seems like a minor detail until you get it wrong. A clumsy salutation, a misspelled name, or a tone that doesn't match the group can put readers on the defensive before they've even read your first sentence. The good news: a few clear principles cover most situations you'll encounter.
Start with how many people you're writing to
The right approach depends partly on how large the group is. Two or three people is different from twelve. With a small group, addressing each person by name is both possible and worthwhile. With a larger group, you'll need a collective term that fits your relationship with them.
For two people, simply list both names in the salutation, separated by "and":
- Dear Marcus and Priya,
- Dear Dr. Chen and Ms. Okonkwo,
- Hi Tom and Sarah,
Order matters more than people think. Put the most senior person first in formal contexts. In an informal email to colleagues, alphabetical order or the order in which they appear on the To line works fine.
Addressing three or more people by name
Three names is about the upper limit for a name-by-name salutation. Beyond that, the line starts to look like a roll call. For exactly three, the same logic applies:
Dear Carlos, Mei, and Anita,
Don't drop the Oxford comma here. "Dear Carlos, Mei and Anita" can read as though Mei and Anita are a paired unit and Carlos is separate. The comma before "and" keeps the three on equal footing.
Once you're writing to four or more named recipients, a collective address is cleaner. More on that below.
Using titles and last names in formal correspondence
In formal letters, many writers default to last names with titles. That's correct, but it creates a subtle hierarchy problem when the recipients have different titles. A panel that includes a doctor, a professor, and a plain "Ms." requires a decision about whether to use formal titles for all, or none.
The safest rule: be consistent. Either use titles for everyone or use first names for everyone. Mixing "Dear Dr. Patel and John" signals that one person got more respect than the other, even if that wasn't the intent. When in doubt, give everyone a title or call everyone by their first name based on the formality level of the relationship.
If you're unsure of someone's preferred title (for example, whether a woman uses Ms., Mrs., or Dr.), do a quick check before sending. Getting this wrong in a letter addressed to multiple people is visible to the whole group. Greetings and salutations covers the wider logic of which form to use depending on context and relationship.
Collective salutations for larger groups
When writing to four or more people, a collective salutation keeps things readable. Your options depend on tone and relationship:
- Dear all – neutral, works in most professional email contexts
- Dear team – warm, appropriate when you lead or are part of the group
- Dear colleagues – slightly more formal; good for cross-department messages
- Hi everyone – informal, fine for internal teams with a casual culture
- To the hiring committee (or similar role-based address) – formal, useful when you don't know names
Avoid "Dear All" with a capital A. The word "all" isn't a proper noun. Lowercase looks more deliberate and polished.
One salutation that's fallen out of favour is "To Whom It May Concern." It signals that you didn't know who you were writing to, which can undermine your credibility in a targeted business letter. If you can identify even a role or department, use that instead.
When "Gentlemen" or "Ladies and Gentlemen" comes up
These forms still appear in highly formal legal and corporate correspondence, particularly in some industries. Outside those contexts, they read as dated and may put off readers who don't fit neatly into those categories. "Dear panel," "Dear board members," or "Dear committee" achieves the same formality without the friction.
Emails vs. letters: the format difference
In a letter, the salutation sits below the inside address and above the body, with a colon (formal) or comma (informal) at the end. In an email, you skip the inside address and go straight to the salutation. Both follow the same logic for addressing multiple people; the structural difference is in the surrounding format, not the greeting itself.
One practical tip for emails: when you're writing to three named recipients, make sure all three appear in the To or CC field, not just the salutation. Readers check the header. A name in the salutation that's absent from the header looks like an error. The guide on when to CC and when not to is worth reading before you finalise the recipient list on a multi-person email.
One salutation, one message
Addressing multiple people well is only half the job. The body of your message needs to acknowledge the group too. Phrases like "as you all know" or "I wanted to update the three of you" reinforce that the message was written for this specific audience, not pasted from somewhere else.
It also helps to think about who the primary reader is even in a group message. If you're writing to a client and copying two colleagues, the salutation likely names the client. Your colleagues are context, not the audience. That distinction shapes the entire tone of the email, not just the first line.
For messages that mix a direct ask with a wider audience, consider whether the opening line itself sets up the right dynamic. Opening sentences for global email covers how the first line signals intent and sets tone before the reader has absorbed any of the content that follows.
A quick reference
Two named recipients: list both names with "and." Three named recipients: list all three, with a comma before "and." Four or more: use a collective salutation matched to the tone (Dear all, Dear team, Hi everyone). Formal letters with titles: be consistent across all recipients. Unknown recipients: use a role or department, not "To Whom It May Concern."
Small decisions in business writing compound. A well-chosen salutation tells everyone in the room that you thought about them before you started typing.