Meaning & use
appointment letter
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Meanings
nouncountable
An official letter that confirms you have been given a job or position, usually stating your start date and pay.
Grammar: Countable; use 'an appointment letter' or 'appointment letters'. Often followed by 'for' or 'from'.
Patterns
- appointment letter for a job
- receive an appointment letter
- appointment letter from a company
She was thrilled when the appointment letter from the hospital finally arrived.
The company sent him an appointment letter with all the details of his new role.
Without a signed appointment letter, he couldn't start work at the bank.
nouncountable
A formal letter that gives someone a time and place to meet, especially for a medical or official visit.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'for' to show the purpose of the appointment.
Patterns
- appointment letter for a check-up
- bring your appointment letter
- appointment letter from the clinic
Please bring your appointment letter when you come to the clinic.
The appointment letter said to arrive fifteen minutes early for the blood test.
He lost his appointment letter and had to call the office to confirm the time.
Word forms
| plural | appointment letters |
|---|
Common combinations
- receive an appointment letter
- You will receive an appointment letter within two weeks of the interview.
- send an appointment letter
- The HR department will send an appointment letter to the successful candidate.
- signed appointment letter
- Please return the signed appointment letter by Friday.
- appointment letter for a position
- He showed me the appointment letter for the manager position.
Synonyms and how they differ
- offer letter
- An offer letter is often the first letter offering a job, while an appointment letter officially confirms the appointment and may include contract details.
- letter of appointment
- This is a more formal British variant with the same meaning; 'appointment letter' is more common in American English.
Commonly confused: appointment letter or appointment card?
appointment letter vs appointment card
An appointment card is a small card reminding you of a future appointment, not a formal letter that confirms a job or meeting.
Practice
After the interview, the company sent Maria a(n) ______ confirming her new job.
Choose one answer.
'Appointment letter' is the correct term for an official letter confirming a job. 'Appointment card' is a reminder card, not a formal job confirmation. 'Appointment book' is a diary for scheduling, and 'appointment slip' usually refers to a small piece of paper, not a formal letter.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “appointment letter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.