Meaning & use
re on a letter
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformal
The abbreviation 'Re:' used at the top of a letter or email to show what it is about.
Grammar: Used as a heading, usually followed by a colon and the subject: Re: Your order #123. Not used in conversation.
Patterns
- Re: something
- Re: your letter of [date]
The letter began with 'Re: Application for the sales manager position'.
In business emails, people often write 'Re:' in the subject line to mean 'about'.
She put 'Re: Our meeting on Friday' at the top of the memo.
Common combinations
- Re: your letter
- Re: your letter of May 5, I am writing to confirm our agreement.
- Re: application for
- The heading read 'Re: application for a research grant'.
- Re: invoice number
- Please include 'Re: invoice number 4567' in the subject line.
Synonyms and how they differ
- regarding
- A full preposition meaning 'about'; use it in the body of a letter, not as a heading abbreviation.
- concerning
- Similar to regarding but slightly more formal; also not used as a heading.
- about
- The everyday word; too informal for a formal letter heading.
Commonly confused: re on a letter or re?
re on a letter vs re
As a musical term, 're' is a note in the scale (do-re-mi). In letters, 'Re:' is an abbreviation meaning 'about'. They are unrelated.
Practice
What does 'Re:' mean at the top of a business letter?
Choose one answer.
'Re:' comes from Latin and means 'about' or 'concerning'. It introduces the subject of the letter, not a request for a reply or a return address.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “re on a letter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.