Wondering how to apologize in an email? When apologizing, finding the right things to say is sometimes easier said than done. however, admitting a mistake, learning to apologize, and overcoming a mistake are essential skills in your career development because we all make mistakes at work.
This blog post gives you 100 examples of sincere apologies to help you understand how to apologize professionally in an email. We provide you with apology statements and sample sentences that make your apology messages feel sincere, just as flowrite’s apology templates make your apology emails seem like more than just a copy-pasted apology note.
When you’re done reading, you’ll know exactly what to say in an apology the next time you need to apologize and make amends.
how to apologize
everyone makes mistakes at work; dealing with them defines you personally and professionally. So how do you apologize professionally?
If you’ve made a mistake, you’re probably feeling stressed. You may need help designing an apology to your boss, sending an apology email to a client, or wondering how to apologize to a client.
Whatever reason you’re seeking an apology email, we can help you learn how to sincerely apologize.
When considering how to professionally apologize for a mistake, you should be sincere, not cynical, researchers say. that means saying sorry and leaving the ifs and buts for later.
An effective apology involves acknowledging what you’ve done wrong and admitting it. ok, it sounds simple, but it’s not. but, to save face, many of us seek to qualify an apology which can affect how it is received. How does this work?
“I’m sorry I made a mistake, I was under pressure at the time.”
In a nutshell, say “I apologize,” not “I apologize, but…”
Another important apology etiquette includes the use of the active voice and the first person. If you’ve made a mistake and you’re sorry, say “I’m sorry” instead of “We’re sorry.”
when to apologize at work
We all make mistakes at work and are constantly learning and improving. in most cases, you’ll know you did it wrong and you’ll have to apologize. We have divided the types of apologies into three categories.
professional errors
These are some of the reasons you may need to email an apology for a professional error:
- apology email for missing deadline
- sorry for missing a meeting
- sorry for submitting documents late
- sorry email for forgetting something</li
- sorry for not responding to an email
- sorry for sending the wrong attachment
- sorry for not seeing an email
- sorry for a typo in an email
- sorry for forgetting to do something
- sorry for miscommunication
personal slips
We’ve all probably had to send an email apology for using the wrong name in an email. is an example of a standard personal slip that is easily handled. here are some others…
- sorry for using the wrong name in an email
- sorry email for sending an email to the wrong person
- sorry for using the wrong title
- sorry for using the wrong company name
- sorry for addressing someone using the wrong gender
technical issues
You may have to apologize for a technical problem with some software, system, or solution. here are some examples of technical issues that may require an apology.
- sorry for sending too many emails
- sorry for server outages
- sorry for service failure
- sorry email for technical issues
- sorry for system downtime
how to apologize when…
Not everything in business is black and white. sometimes there are gray areas. In this section, we look at some of the situations where you may need to apologize in slightly different ways, including:
- other ways to apologize without saying sorry
- how to apologize when you’re not wrong
- how to apologize for saying something you didn’t mean
- how to apologize when both are wrong
let’s dive into the details.
other ways to apologize without saying sorry
It may seem strange, but sometimes you need to know how to apologize without saying sorry, but it is a skill that you must know. This situation can occur when a customer, for example, has not understood how a product or service works, was unable to update some software, or has lost their login.
here is an example of how to apologize without saying sorry.
how to apologize when you’re not wrong
The first rule of business is that the customer is always right (even when wrong). It may seem strange to apologize when he is right, but sometimes it is necessary to protect the public perception of your organization. here’s an example of how to apologize when you’re not wrong.
“I apologize for the trouble you’ve had in returning your product. However, our terms and conditions are clear that we will not pay for the return postage of your items. I can assure you that we will process your refund as soon as we receive return the item.”
how to apologize for saying something you didn’t mean
Sometimes we may say or write things that others may misunderstand. it is important to respect how the other person feels and express regret. it is also essential to ensure that the error does not occur again. this is how it can work.
how to apologize when you’re both wrong
In some situations, both sides are wrong and both need to apologize. here’s how to apologize when you’re both wrong (and how to make things right).
100 examples of apologies
There are an almost endless number of ways to apologize, but here are 100 of our favorites. these are divided into categories to help you select the most appropriate apology for each situation.
how to write a personal apology
Here are some examples of how to write a personal apology to someone you know.
- I apologize sincerely
- I apologize very much
- I apologize very much
- I apologize deeply
- I would like to apologize sincerely for…
- I would like to express my sincerest apology for…
- I would like to offer a sincere apology for…
- I apologize for no…
- I apologize for the confusion
- I apologize for what happened
- I apologize for the multiple emails
- I apologize for the mistake I made
- I apologize on behalf of the company
- I apologize for any grammatical errors
- I’m sorry for my mistake
- I’m sorry for my actions
- I’m sorry for being wrong
- I’m sorry for any misunderstandings I may have caused
- I’m sorry I disappointed you
- sorry and apologize for…
- sorry to bother you again
- sorry and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused
- so sorry
- I’m asking for an apology
- I have to apologize
- Please accept my sincerest apologies for the error
- Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused
- Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay
- please accept my apologies for the late response
- please accept my apologies for the short notice
- my apologies, I forgot to attach…
- my apologies for the mistake
- my apologies for the delay in sending the document
- my apologies for the confusion
- my apologies for overlooking your email
- my apologies for my absence…
- my apologies for the last minute request…
- many apologies for…
- most apologies for…
- a deep apology for…
- a formal apology for…
- a sincere apology for… .
- a personal apology for…
- sorry for the typo
- sorry for the problem
- sorry for the confusion
- sorry for my actions
- sorry for the mishap
- sorry for the problem
- sorry for my behavior
- sorry for the carelessness
- sorry for bothering you
- sorry for disrespecting you
- sorry for my incompetence
- sorry for wasting your time
- sorry for the inconvenience
- sorry for the misunderstanding
- sorry for the last minute notice
- sorry for not responding sooner
- sorry for the delay in sending the report
- sorry to confuse you
- sorry to inform you late
- sorry I made a mistake
- sorry it was a mistake
- sorry I said something wrong
- sorry I missed your visit
- sorry I missed your email
- sorry I couldn’t make the meeting
examples of business apologies
These apology examples are suitable for writing as a representative of a company, business, organization, or service provider.
- we sincerely apologize
- we are very sorry
- we are very sorry for
- we are deeply sorry
- we would like to for we apologize for…
- we apologize for the error and inconvenience
- we apologize for any misunderstandings
- we apologize for the oversight
- our apologies for the error
- our sincerest apologies for…
- please accept our sincerest apologies for…
- please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused
how to apologize at the end of an email
We suggest you apologize in advance, but sometimes you’ll want to leave one last. so here you have to apologize at the end of an email.
- …my sincerest apologies.
- …my sincerest apologies.
- …I am deeply sorry.
- …I’m sincerely sorry.
- …I’m sorry for my mistakes.
- …I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.
- …sorry for the inconvenience.
- …sorry for the roadblock.
- …sorry for pushing.
- …sorry for the late reporting.
- …sorry again.
- …sorry if there are any mistakes in…
- . ..sorry again for the inconvenience.
- …with regret,
- …with my apologies,
- …we would like to apologize in advance for the inconvenience.
- …we are very sorry for the trouble caused.
- …we are very sorry for the inconvenience.
- … please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
- … we are sorry and apologize for the error.
- …we are sorry for the inconvenience caused .
- …our deep and sincere apologies.
- …once again, sorry for any inconvenience caused.
apology email format
As you can see, there are hundreds of ways to say sorry, but luckily there is only one accepted format.
Researchers studying effective apology emails have found that there is a standard structure, including:
- greeting
- thank you
- excuse me
- explanation
- conclusion
- signature/ signature
We can translate the researchers’ findings into a professional email format. As we have pointed out in previous blogs, each professional apology letter consists of five parts:
- subject line
- email greeting
- email opening line and body
- email ending
- email signature
Here’s a visual representation of how the apology email format works in practice.
Let’s look at each of these parts in more detail.
subject line of the apology email
Each subject line is short and to the point, so we recommend including an apology up front, not hiding it in the body of the message.
Some examples of acceptable apology email subject lines include:
- please accept my apologies
- are you confused with my last message?
- we made a mistake
- an apology from <business name> ;
- An apology from <your name>
- I am sincerely sorry
these are examples that you can apply to your apology messages. we suggest you find ways to personalize them where possible, including details that are relevant to your customers, managers, or teams.
sorry regards
An apology is an official email, so follow the accepted rules and formal greetings when deciding how to start an apology email. The rules for starting an apology letter are quite simple; use ‘dear <firstname,lastname> if you know the person.
If you’re apologizing for something, you probably know his full name. if you don’t, you can use an appropriate collective term, such as “dear customer” or “dear team”.
Learn more about professional email greetings in our article.
three parts of an apology
A sincere apology has three parts, says Jeffrey Bernstein, Ph.D., in Psychology Today. each great apology includes:
- acknowledgment – admit that you have done something wrong and say so clearly.
- empathy – it is essential to understand how your actions and their mistakes they have made the other person feel, and what this can mean for them.
- restitution: they have said that they are sorry and have recognized that the emotional impact is great; Now say what you are going to do to make things better. restitution is about restoring respect and building a better and stronger relationship in the future.
We use this structure in our examples, so read on to see how it might work in practice.
how to recognize an error in an email
Using the three-part model of an apology developed by Bernstein, we can tackle the most challenging part: how to recognize an error in an email.
Here are some examples of how you can own up to your mistakes, make it clear that you understand the problem, and accept that the mistake is yours:
- It’s my mistake that…
- I made a mistake
- I made a mistake
- I made a terrible mistake
- I made a big mistake
- I admit I made a mistake when…
- I accidentally left your name in my last email
- a correction to my email previous…
- this will not happen again
how to close an apology email
The principles of how to close an apology email are all about setting the stage for a future relationship that is better and stronger. obviously it depends on the error, the relationship and what needs to be fixed. Still, some positive ways to close an apology email include:
- I look forward to working with you in the future
- I am confident that we can put this situation behind us
- we will never make the same mistake again and I hope you will continue to work with us
- we are excited to continue our partnership
- hope this apology brings closure to the matter and allows us to positively move forward
In case you want to learn more email closing phrases, check out our article on the subject.
examples of apology emails
As we’ve established, crafting professional apology emails isn’t simple, but by following the structure outlined above and our tips, you’ll be able to create impactful apology emails.
Here are three sample email apologies that illustrate how to apologize at work in various everyday situations you may experience.
apology email to customer
Crafting an apology message to a customer means following the above format, structuring a response that acknowledges the issues and provides a positive way forward. In this example of how to apologize to the customer for a mistake, we have provided a standard apology letter that you can adapt to your circumstances.
apology email to customer
Depending on your business, service, or industry, this customer service apology template can help you regain trust and restore respect.
some of the reasons you may need to send an apology email to a customer:
- Apology email to customer for late delivery
- Apology to a customer for a mistake
- Apology to a customer for a long wait time
- apologies to a customer for a late response
- apologies to a customer for poor service
- apology email to a customer for poor service
- apology email to customer for damaged service product
Here’s an example of an apology email to a customer that you could use in several different situations.
apology email to boss
There are many situations where an apology email or an apology to a boss is required. still, they can all be managed with our template on how to apologize to a boss for his mistake. we’ve stuck to the structure outlined above in this apology message to a boss, delivering a straightforward apology with a focus on the future.
apology templates by flowrite
flowrite is an AI writing tool that turns your instructions into ready-to-send emails and messages in seconds. It takes care of email structure, capitalization, grammar, spelling, punctuation, you name it. you can essentially focus on your thoughts and ideas, and flowrite will give them wings. we dare to say that it is the fastest way to start writing better emails. Our ai template collection features dozens of email templates that can help you with all aspects of apology emails. To understand how easy and fast it is to write an apology message with flowrite, just take a look at the example of how to resolve a customer complaint below.
conclusion
While admitting a mistake can be challenging, it shows a maturity that commands respect. We all make mistakes, so we should also know how to apologize both at work and in our personal lives. While “I’m sorry” is the most commonly used apology statement, it is usually not enough to consider what to say in an apology given the context. This blog post on apology emails and apology messages has presented you with over 100 sample sentences that can help you figure out what to say when you apologize, so be sure to put them to good use. In addition, Flowrite’s apology template can help you with apology statements in emails when you doubt how to do things right. If you found this article helpful, we suggest you bookmark it for the next time you need to fix a mistake and apologize professionally in an email.