How to end a letter to a pen pal: 25 sign-offs and how real letters end
61% of 532 English letters on Lettie ended with no sign-off at all. How to close with three lines (a question, a warm line, a sign-off), 25 sign-offs by tone, and what to avoid.
Close a pen pal letter with three lines: a question → one warm line → a sign-off and your name. When we counted how letters on Lettie actually end, far fewer people sign off than you might think, so those last three lines make a letter feel like a letter.
How real letters end
We counted the last 80 characters of every human-written letter over 40 characters in Lettie's data (October 20, 2026).
| Ending | 532 English letters | 102 Korean letters |
|---|---|---|
| No sign-off at all | 61% | 54% |
| Ends with a question | 16% | 17% |
| Waiting for a reply ("looking forward…") | 11% | 12% |
| "Have a nice day" | 3% | 15% |
| Thanks | 5% | 9% |
| Take care | 5% | — |
| Best wishes, Regards and similar | 3% | — |
| Signed with a name | 7% | 2% |
A letter can fall into more than one row, so columns add up to more than 100%. Six in ten English letters simply stop, and fewer than one in ten signs off with a name. Messaging-app habits, probably.
The last three lines
- One question — it gives them a place to start their reply. "What season is it where you are?"
- One warm line — "Have a lovely week." "Stay warm."
- A sign-off and your name — "Take care, Minji." One word of name turns a message into a letter.
25 sign-offs
| Sign-off | Tone |
|---|---|
| Take care, | The safest choice |
| Talk soon, | Light and friendly |
| Write soon, | A gentle "please reply" |
| Looking forward to your next letter, | Thoughtful |
| Can't wait to hear from you, | Excited |
| Until next time, | Looking ahead |
| Best wishes, | Fine even for a first letter |
| All the best, | Neutral |
| Warm wishes, | Warm |
| Warmly, | Short and warm |
| Cheers, | Casual, British or Australian flavour |
| Stay well, | Caring |
| Stay warm, | For winter |
| Have a lovely week, | Swap in any day |
| Wishing you a great day, | Bright |
| Sending good vibes from Seoul, | Swap in your city |
| Greetings from Korea, | Swap in your country |
| Your friend from Busan, | After a few letters |
| Your pen pal, | Classic |
| Keep in touch, | For the long run |
| With gratitude, | When they did something kind |
| Bye for now, | Very casual |
| Hugs, | Once you're close |
| Love, | Once you're very close |
| Kind regards, | Formal; can feel stiff with a pen pal |
What to avoid
- Love or Hugs in a first letter — it can feel like too much too soon.
- "Reply ASAP" — it reads as pressure. "No rush" works better.
- Contact details in your signature — keep phone numbers and messenger IDs out of letters. See our pen pal safety guide.
Example
…so this weekend I helped make kimchi for the winter for the first time. Does your family make any food to get ready for winter? It's getting cold, so stay warm. Take care, Minji
For opening lines, see how to start a pen pal letter; for what to write, see what to write to a pen pal. The numbers use the same rules as Lettie letter statistics (AI, operator and test accounts excluded), and no letter text is published.
Frequently asked questions
- How should I end a letter to a pen pal?
- Three lines: a question for them to answer, one warm line, and a sign-off with your name. For example: "What season is it where you are now? Have a lovely week. Take care, Minji"
- What sign-off works for a pen pal?
- Take care, Talk soon, Best wishes and Warm wishes all work. Sincerely and Kind regards feel like work email; save Love and Hugs for once you know each other well.
- How do real pen pal letters end?
- In Lettie letter data (2026-10-20), 61% of 532 English letters had no sign-off, 16% ended with a question and 7% ended with the writer's name.