Yours Truly | Meaning, Usage & Examples
Yours truly is a standard sign-off that you can write before your name to end an email or letter. It combines the possessive pronoun “yours” with the adverb “truly” (be careful not to misspell it as “truely“) to express a sense of honesty toward the person you’re addressing.
Traditionally, it’s used when you write to someone for the first time, without having interacted with them previously. “Sincerely (yours)” is used instead when writing to someone you’ve corresponded with before. But this distinction is not strictly observed nowadays.
I am reaching out to inquire about …
Yours truly,
Jack Caulfield
Truly, sincerely, or faithfully?
There are various options for letter or email sign-offs that start (or end) with “yours.” They’re used somewhat interchangeably, but some traditional and regional distinctions are made:
- Yours truly is used in US English as a formal sign-off in correspondence with someone you don’t know.
- Yours faithfully is used instead for the same purpose in UK English.
…
Yours truly,/Yours faithfully,
Emma Johnson
- Sincerely yours is used in US English in formal correspondence with someone you have interacted with before.
- Yours sincerely is used for the same purpose in UK English.
Thanks for your reply. I would like to follow up …
Sincerely yours,/Yours sincerely,
Amina Patel
“Yours truly” in conversation
You might also encounter “yours truly” outside the context of a letter or email. The phrase is often used in a facetious way to refer to oneself, essentially replacing a first-person pronoun like “I” or “me.”
This usage is a way of placing special emphasis on oneself, usually in a humorous way—being either self-deprecating or ironically boastful. It’s considered quite informal and almost never used in a serious context.
Note that when using the phrase in this way, it’s usual to combine it with third-person, not first-person, pronouns and determiners (e.g., “Yours truly slept through his alarm this morning”—not “my alarm”).
Dinner is served, courtesy of yours truly. Bon appetit!
Never fear, yours truly is here to save the day!
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Caulfield, J. (2023, June 26). Yours Truly | Meaning, Usage & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://www.scribbr.com/effective-communication/yours-truly/