"With best regards" appears at the bottom of millions of emails every day. Most people type it without thinking, which is exactly why it's worth pausing on. The phrase carries real meaning, and choosing it thoughtfully, rather than reflexively, tells your reader something about you.
What "with best regards" actually means
Regards, at its core, means good wishes toward another person. "Best regards" intensifies that: you're sending your best wishes. "With best regards" adds a slightly more formal, courtly framing. The "with" signals that the wishes accompany whatever you've written, like a verbal bow at the end of a letter.
It's not a meaningless filler. It was once a full phrase: "I write this with best regards to you and yours." Over the decades it shortened. The formality stayed. That history matters, because it tells you who the phrase was designed for: correspondence between people maintaining a certain professional or social distance.
With best regards vs best regards: is there a difference?
"Best regards" and "with best regards" are functionally identical in most professional contexts. Neither is more correct than the other. The version with "with" reads as fractionally more formal, suitable for first contact, senior recipients, or international correspondence. "Best regards" is slightly warmer and more common in ongoing professional relationships.
Both sit comfortably above "regards" (which can read as curt) and below "warmest regards" (which can read as overly intimate unless you know the person well). Think of them as two points on the same scale.
When to use it
Use "with best regards" or "best regards" when you want a closing that is:
- Professional but not stiff
- Appropriate for someone you've met or corresponded with before
- Neutral enough for most business contexts
It works well in client emails, proposals, follow-ups, and routine professional correspondence. It's also a sensible default when you're unsure what tone to strike. The phrase offends no one and fits almost every industry.
Where it doesn't fit as well: very casual teams, internal Slack-style messages, or any context where the rest of your email is conversational. Ending a breezy note with "with best regards" creates a tonal mismatch that readers notice, even if they can't name it.
Common mistakes with the phrase
The first mistake is capitalization. Only the first word should be capitalized. Write "With best regards," not "With Best Regards." Treating every word as a proper noun is a formatting error, not a sign of formality.
The second mistake is punctuation. "With best regards" takes a comma after it, not a period. The comma sets it apart from your name as a soft pause rather than a full stop. Some writers omit the comma entirely, which is acceptable in casual email, but if you're choosing "with best regards" in the first place, you probably want the comma.
The third mistake is inconsistency within a single document or email thread. Switching between "with best regards," "best regards," and "kind regards" in the same thread for the same recipient signals that you're not in control of your own voice. Pick one and hold it.
Alternatives and when they work better
"Kind regards" is the most common alternative. It's slightly warmer than "best regards" and has become the default closing in British and Australian business writing. Many writers use "kind regards" for ongoing client relationships and "best regards" for new contacts.
"Sincerely" or "yours sincerely" suit very formal letters, including legal correspondence and official complaints. They feel stiff in email but remain correct in traditional letter format. If you're uncertain about greetings and salutations more broadly, the formality of your opening should match the formality of your closing: "Dear Ms. Okonkwo" pairs with "yours sincerely" more naturally than it does with "cheers."
"Thanks" or "thank you" works when the email is actually a request. Ending with gratitude makes sense when you've asked for something. It doesn't make sense when you've sent a report or confirmed a meeting. The phrase thank you in advance is a variant that carries its own pitfalls, so use it carefully.
"Best" is a popular shorthand, particularly in U.S. business culture and startup environments. It's warmer than "regards" alone and shorter than "best regards." Some writers find it too abrupt. Others appreciate its efficiency. Your audience decides which camp they're in.
How to write it correctly, every time
The format is simple:
With best regards,
[Your full name]
[Your title and contact details]
One blank line before the closing, one after it before your name. Don't write "With best regards!" The exclamation mark undercuts the professional tone the phrase exists to create. And don't stack it with another pleasantry, like "Hope this helps! With best regards," which collapses two registers into one awkward sentence.
If your organization uses a specific email signature format, the closing sits above the signature block. It's the last human sentence before the automatic footer takes over. Treat it accordingly: it's the final impression you leave, not a checkbox to tick on the way out.
A note on "looking forward to" as a closing
Some writers close with a forward-looking line before the formal sign-off, such as "Looking forward to hearing from you. With best regards," This works well when you genuinely expect a reply or next step. The difference between "looking forward to" and "I look forward to" is subtle but real, and the version you choose affects the grammatical structure of the sentence that follows. Get that right before the closing sign-off lands.
The bottom line
"With best regards" is a solid, reliable, professional closing. It's not exciting. It's not meant to be. Its job is to end the email cleanly and leave a neutral-to-warm impression, and it does that job consistently. Use it when the tone fits, format it correctly, and don't let it become so automatic that you'd slap it on an internal Slack message without thinking.