10 Irritating Phrases You Should Stop Writing in Emails 

“We need to …”

Translation: XYZ needs to be done, but … I’m not actually going to come out and directly tell any of you to do it.

“Cheers”

… especially when used outside British pubs or the United Kingdom in general.

“Thanks in advance”

As opposed to thanks from the past? No thanks on all accounts. Make sure you also avoid the 10 most annoying phrases in the English language.

“Touch base”

We all appreciate catching up with friends or colleagues, but where did “touch base” even come from? What base are we touching? Is it a baseball analogy gone wrong?

“Circle back”

“To be honest”

You may write this thinking that you’re showing how open and trusting you are, but the recipient probably won’t respond that way. In fact, you’re giving her good evidence that anytime you don’t start a sentence with that phrase, you could very well be lying. Make sure you don’t use these petty work phrases everyone is guilty of writing in emails.

“Please consider the environment before printing this email.”

I love the Earth as much as the next guy, but if I need to print an email, I will—whether you nag me or not. That said, here are 16 overused words (and phrases) you should retire.

“Respectfully,”

This is a much too formal sign off for any email, and ironically, it can come off as the opposite of respectful. Stick with a simple “Thanks” or “Sincerely.” Here are more toxic phrases to avoid in work emails, and what to say instead.

“FYI”

“HELLO!!!”

… or anything written in all caps and/or followed by multiple exclamation points. No one wants to read an email that looks like it was written by a hyper middle schooler. Next, check out these 11 ways productive people manage their emails.