It sometimes occurs that you will need to address a women without knowing her name. In this case, use Dear Madam. If you are not aware of the gender either, you can use “To whom it may concern”. [1] X Research source
Start with a formal salutation such as “Dear” and follow it by the job title of the intended reader, followed by their full name. If you do not know if the reader has a formal title, be sure to look it up first by searching the organizations website or asking somebody. By using the job title of the intended reader you can avoid having to worry about using gender-specific titles. For example, if you’re writing a business letter to an Inspector, your business letter salutation would be “Dear Inspector”. This alone could be the entire salutation, or “Dear Inspector” could be followed by the intended reader’s last name. The same would apply if the woman if a Doctor, and in this case, the letter could begin with “Dear Dr. Johnson”, for example. Use the correct salutation for a minister. Use the minister’s first and last name in the address in the form, “Reverend Jane Doe,” or “Pastor Jane Doe. " In the salutation, it is acceptable to abbreviate the term “Reverend” but not the term “Pastor,” so you would use the form, “Dear Rev. Doe,” or “Dear Pastor Doe. The correct salutation for an attorney is “Mrs. /Ms/Mr. [First & Last Name], Esquire”, or “Mrs. /Ms/Mr. [First & Last Name], Esq. ”
In addition, it is also possible to use “Ms. " for women whose marital status you are unsure of.
“Mrs. ” is used for married women. “Ms. ” is used for both married and unmarried women. Use this formal title when the woman’s marital status is unknown or irrelevant. “Miss. ” is used for unmarried women. Avoid using this formal title because its use is often considered to be condescending to the reader, especially when used to address an older woman.
If you have a pre-existing relationship with the reader, or the circumstances dictate that the letter not be exceptionally formal, it is possible to not use the formal titles. For example, if you are contacting a business partner or someone whom you know or have a relationship with, you can simply use Dear [First Name] rather than a formal title. [4] X Research source A formal title should always be used when the formal salutation only includes the intended reader’s last name, ie. “Mrs. /Ms/Mr. [Last Name]”. A formal title may not be necessary when using both the first and last name. Be cautious with using no formal title. Avoid using a woman’s first name in the salutation, unless you know her well. Otherwise, a formal salutation should be used, followed by a colon in order to avoid a false presumption of intimacy. For example, “Dear Ms. Brown:” or Dear Ms. Lucy Brown:”, should be used instead of “Dear Lucy.
A receptionist or human resource employee of the intended reader can verify the proper and correct spelling of the intended reader’s name and functional title. When writing a business letter to an unknown party, you should attempt to verify the proper spelling of the intended reader’s name in order to determine gender, and thus the necessary formal title.
In American English, the titles are usually written followed by a period. For example “Dear Ms. Johnson”. In British English, periods are typically not used. For example, “Dear Ms Johnson”. [5] X Research source In American English a colon typically follows the person’s name. For example, “Dear Ms. Johnson: “. In British English, no colon is used, so it would read “Dear Ms Johnson”. [6] X Research source
