4 Ways To Address A Letter

You’d write your address like this: Tyler Hamilton 123 Scenic Drive Houston, TX 77007

If you’re writing to a couple, provide both of their names unless they prefer to be addressed as Mr. and Mrs. For a family, write out the family name for a casual letter, such as “The LaCour Family. ” If you’re sending a formal letter to a family, write the parents on the first line with their titles, then write the children’s names on the line below the parents. You might write, “Mr. Micah and Ms. Sarah Smith” on the first line and “Callie, Mindy, and Seth” on the second line.

You might write, “University of Houston” or “Bayou Enterprises. ”

As an example, you’d write “Laurel Avenue” rather than “Laurel Ave. ” in a business letter or formal. If you’re writing a personal letter, it’s okay to write “Hamilton St. ” or “Liberty Ln. ”

You might write: 123 Liberty Lane Apt. 3. or 555 Laurel Avenue Suite 44.

For instance, you’d write, “Orange, TX 77630. "

You might write, “USA” or “UNITED KINGDOM. ”

If you’re mailing a letter internationally, use an international stamp for correct postage.

For instance, you’d write Ms. Veronica Johnson or Miss Alyson Meyer.

You’d write, “Mr. Todd Smith. ”

You might write, “Dear Lisa Jensen. "

You might write “Dr. Ashley Matthews and Mr. Sam Matthews,” or “Honorable Kennedy Jones. ”

You might write, “Dear Human Resources Manager” if you’re applying for a job. If you aren’t sure there is a human resources manager, you could write, “To Whom It May Concern. ”

When addressing a casual letter to a friend or loved one, it’s alright to use a shortened form of your given name or a nickname, such as “Chuck” or “Shorty. ” Some versions of the classic business letter call for the sender’s name to go in the signature at the bottom of the letter rather than at the top of the return address. Both formats are acceptable—go with whichever one you prefer. [15] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

You can also put your official title or position on a separate line below your employer’s name if you think it will be helpful to your recipient.

Don’t forget to include your apartment or office number after your street address, if applicable, as in, “2529 Cypress Row, Apt. 5D. " Your address line lets your recipient know where you’re writing from, and also gives them a precise location to which they can address a letter of their own if they wish to write you back.

Unlike the city and state, the state and zip code should be separated using only a space: “Santa Carla, California 95000. "

If you want to provide both your work and personal phone numbers, put the second number on a new line and use the prefixes “Work:” and “Cell:” to make it clear which is which. There’s no need to give your phone or email if you’re writing a message you don’t necessarily expect to get a reply to, such as a letter to the editor or a complaint to one of your local politicians.

If you composed your letter over the course of multiple days, use the date on which you completed it. While it’s not strictly necessary, including the date places your letter within a certain time frame, which can be helpful if it contains time-sensitive information.

If your recipient is female and doesn’t have a formal title, be sure to use her preferred mode of address (“Ms. ”, “Mrs. ”, or “Miss”) to avoid seeming presumptuous. If you’re not sure what she ordinarily goes by, the safest choice is always “Ms. ”[22] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source Double-check the spelling of the person’s name to make sure you get it right. Misspelling someone’s name could be perceived as negligent at best and disrespectful at worst.

Keep in mind that you’ll only need to incorporate a title line if your reason for writing has something to do with your recipient’s position or occupation.

This line isn’t reserved exclusively for the names of companies and businesses. It can also be used to institutions, such as, “The University of Alabama” or “Hollingsworth Museum of North London. ”

Look back over your address lines before mailing your letter to ensure that they’re correct. If you happen to get the street name or postal code wrong, your letter may not get where it needs to go. When addressing an international letter, tack on a final line with the name of the country written in all capital letters. [26] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source