Yours Truly vs. Sincerely – It’s Truly Your Choice

Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette

My wife and I have a score for you to settle … I’ve always signed greeting cards “Yours Truly,” but she insists that “Sincerely” is more appropriate for personal correspondence. I think it’s a matter of preference. Can you straighten us out on this one? Thank you!

Yours Truly,
Mr. Smith

Well, Mr. Smith, in a way, you’re both right. Yours Truly conveys a more formal tone than the simple Sincerely, so you could argue that Yours Truly is better saved for formal and business correspondence. But, as far as I know, there are no hard-and-fast rules for specifically when to use which one … so, it is fundamentally a matter of preference.

If the two of you had any money riding on my answer, you can put your original bets back in your pockets now, because I’m calling this one a tie! If it’s actually a major point of contention with family greeting cards, maybe you could compromise with “Sincerely Yours”?