How to avoid being rude when sending short messages.

Bryce Purnell
5 min readDec 27, 2022

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Do you ever find yourself stuck in a situation where you need to send a short message via text or email, but are worried about sounding rude? If so, you’re not alone.

The words, yes, no, update, can you do this, why and OK are pictured here to display examples of words that can often come across rude and too direct in English.

Many people struggle with conveying their message in a polite and professional manner when using short messages.

Fortunately, there are ways to avoid sounding rude while sending these types of messages.

Check out these phrases to use, why you should use them and when you can apply them to your life below! 👨🏽‍🏫

Photo of lady on the phone looking at a watch on her wrist shocked and looking like she should say sorry.
Sorry for how long it took me to get back to you, I have been very busy over Christmas with Family.

👨🏽‍🏫I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Apologizing for a delay in responding to someone is a great way to show you care about their time and appreciate their patience.

Even when it’s not your fault, taking ownership of the delay and expressing regret can go a long way in keeping relationships strong and respectful.

Here are some ways to apologize without sounding rude or disrespectful:

🗣️“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I really appreciate you being patient.”

🗣️“I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. It was never my intention to leave you hanging.”

🗣️“I apologize for the delay. It won’t happen again.”

🗣️“My apologies for taking so long to respond. Please forgive me for the inconvenience.”

🗣️“I apologize for the long wait. It was completely unintentional and I’m sorry for any trouble it caused.”

Thank you so much for your help and support in text on a peice of paper.

👨🏽‍🏫Thank you so much for your help.

Expressing gratitude is a great way to maintain positive relationships.

When you’re sending short messages or emails, saying “thank you so much for your help” shows appreciation for the help you received. T

his simple phrase can make a huge impact on your recipient and leave them feeling appreciated.

Even though it is short, this phrase conveys how grateful you are for their assistance.

It also shows that you recognize and acknowledge the effort that was put in to help you. You can even add a few more words to further show your appreciation.

For example

🗣️“thank you so much for your kind help”

🗣️“thank you so much for all your help”.

These phrases can help strengthen relationships, so use them whenever appropriate.

I appreciate you in text written ripping off the page

👨🏽‍🏫I really appreciate your time.

When sending short messages, it is important to show your gratitude for the other person’s time and effort.

This is especially true if the other person has taken the time to help you out in any way. Showing gratitude for their time will help to soften the message and make it less direct and less likely to be interpreted as rude.

Using phrases such as “I really appreciate your time” or “Thank you so much for your help” can be effective when sending short messages. By expressing gratitude, you are making it clear that you value the other person’s time and efforts.

This can help make the conversation more polite and friendly.

Additionally, it can show that you are thankful for their input and are acknowledging the fact that they took the time to help you out.

Expressing appreciation for someone’s time also conveys a sense of respect.

It shows that you understand how valuable the other person’s time is, and that you are grateful for any help they have given you. This can be an important part of maintaining a respectful relationship with colleagues, clients, and partners.

Overall, it is essential to remember that short messages can easily come across as rude or direct. To avoid this, it is important to include phrases of appreciation, such as

🗣️“I really appreciate your time”

🗣️“Thank you so much for your help”.

Expressing gratitude will make your message less direct and more polite, while also conveying a sense of respect for the other person’s time and efforts.

A girl with her back to the camera missing the train with her hands in the air.
Missing the train, such a inconvenience

👨🏽‍🏫I’m sorry for the inconvenience.

When sending a short message, the phrase “I’m sorry for the inconvenience” is one of the most polite and courteous ways to apologize.

This phrase is a good option when you want to convey your sincere apology without sounding overly direct or dismissive.

It implies that you understand that the recipient of the message has been inconvenienced by whatever issue you are addressing.

The phrase “I’m sorry for the inconvenience” also works well when you need to apologize for something that you had no control over, such as an unexpected delay in response time or a technology glitch.

For example, you might say

🗣️“I’m sorry for the inconvenience caused by the website outage”

🗣️“I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you; I hope the inconvenience wasn’t too great.”

Finally, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience” is a great way to acknowledge mistakes that you have made and apologize for any disruption they may have caused.

It shows that you are taking responsibility for your actions and want to do what you can to make it right.

This phrase can be used in any situation where an apology is due, from technical problems to customer service issues.

👨🏽‍🏫Thank you for your understanding.

Expressing gratitude and appreciation for someone’s understanding is a great way to show that you value their opinion and respect them.

When sending a short message, it’s important to be polite and express your gratitude.

Whether you are responding to a colleague, customer, or friend, thanking someone for their understanding is an effective way to build and maintain relationships.

When sending a thank you for understanding message, you can use phrases such as

🗣️“thank you for understanding my situation”

🗣️“I really appreciate your understanding.”

Additionally, using expressions of gratitude such as

🗣️“I’m so grateful for your understanding”

🗣️“I’m thankful for your patience”

This can help demonstrate your appreciation for their willingness to work with you.

The key to expressing thanks for understanding is to be genuine and sincere.

Whether you are thanking someone for understanding a mistake you made or just simply acknowledging their patience, it’s important to be genuine in order to show that you genuinely appreciate the other person.

By showing gratitude and appreciation for someone’s understanding, you can strengthen your relationships and show that you value the other person’s opinion.

So the next time you need to send a short message, don’t forget to thank the other person for their understanding!

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Bryce Purnell
Bryce Purnell

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