What do you write in a thank you card?

Thank the person for the specific gift or favour, add one sentence about why it mattered or how you will use it, optionally a line about seeing them soon, and finish with thanks or a warm closing. About four sentences is enough.

Do I need to send a card if I already said thank you in person?

For wedding and shower gifts, yes: the Emily Post Institute says to write even if you thanked the giver in person. For a small gift from a close friend or relative that is not a wedding gift, it says an email or a call is fine.

Is it too late to send a thank you card?

No. The Emily Post Institute says a late note is always better than no note. Skip long apologies, say thank you, and send it.

How do I sign a thank you card?

Match the closing to the relationship: 'Sincerely' or 'Best regards' for work and more formal contacts, 'Warmly' or 'With love' for friends and family. Couples sign with both names.

Thank You Card Wording: Examples for Every Occasion

Q: How long should a thank you card be?

Short. The Emily Post Institute describes a thank-you note as about four sentences, with the third one optional.

Good thank you card wording thanks the person for the exact gift or favour, says in one line why it mattered, and closes warmly. That's about four sentences. "Thank you for the blue serving bowl. It was on the table the same evening, full of salad, and it looked great. We'll have you round to eat from it soon. Thanks again for thinking of us."

Below is a frame you can reuse for any card, ready-made wording by occasion, short verses, and what to know if you print the cards yourself.

How to word a thank you card

The Emily Post Institute describes a thank-you note as about four sentences, with a clear job for each. We turned that into a frame you can fill in:

Line	What it does	Fill in
Greeting	Matches how well you know them	Dear Aunt Ruth, / Hi Sam,
1. Thanks	Names the gift or favour	Thank you for the ___.
2. Why it mattered	Your own thought about it	It's perfect for ___ / It meant a lot because ___.
3. Look ahead (optional)	Links to the future	We can't wait to ___ / See you at ___.
4. Thanks again	Rounds it off	Thanks again for ___.
Closing	Same register as the greeting	Warmly, / With love, / Best regards,

Line 2 does most of the work. "It's lovely" could be about anything. "It's already on the hook by the door" could only be about that scarf.

Thank you card wording ideas by occasion

These are examples we wrote. Swap the details for your own and they stop sounding like a template.

For a birthday gift:

Thank you for the cookbook. I've already folded down the corner on the lemon cake, so you know what I'm bringing next time. It was lovely to be remembered.

For money or a gift card:

Thank you for your generous gift. It's going straight toward a new desk chair, and my back is grateful already. Thank you for thinking of me.

The Emily Post Institute says to tell the giver how you will use a gift of money; mentioning the amount is optional.

For hosting you:

Thank you for having us for the weekend. The kids are still talking about the treehouse, and I'm still thinking about Sunday's pancakes. We'd love to return the favour soon.

For help or a favour:

Thank you for driving me to every appointment last month. I couldn't have managed without you, and the company made the waiting rooms far less dull. Coffee is on me for the rest of the year.

For a coworker:

Thank you for covering my calls while I was out. Coming back to a tidy inbox was a gift in itself. I owe you one.

For a teacher:

Thank you for a wonderful year. Mia comes home talking about the class garden and the reading corner. Thank you for the patience and care you gave her every day.

For a gift you don't love, thank the person for the thought and leave the gift's merits alone. The Emily Post Institute is plain about this: don't mention that you plan to return a gift.

Thank you for the candle and for remembering my birthday. It was so kind of you to think of me. I hope we can catch up properly soon.

Thank you card wording for a retirement gift

Retirement cards often thank a group, so name the group and, if you can, a person or two who organised it.

Thank you all for the send-off and the beautiful watch. Twenty years went by quickly with this team. I'll be wearing it on the golf course and thinking of you.

Thank you for the card and the garden voucher. Linda, I know you organised it, and I'm very touched. The roses will be planted by spring.

Thank you for the lunch, the speeches and the photo book. I'm leaving with a full heart and a very full bag. Please keep in touch.

Change "twenty years" to your real number, or drop it.

Thank you card verses wording

Some people like a short verse on the front or above the message. Pair it with at least one line of your own underneath, because a verse alone reads like a shop card. Here are a few we wrote:

A little note to say it's true: the day was brighter thanks to you.

For the gift, the thought, the time you spent, thank you. We know how much it meant.

Some thanks are big and some are small. Yours was the kindest one of all.

You didn't have to, but you did. Thank you, from the grown-ups and the kid.

Short thank you card messages

For a gift tag, a tiny card or a note tucked into a box:

Thank you for thinking of us.
You made our week. Thank you.
Thank you for the help and the laughs.
So grateful for you.
Thank you for being there.
Thank you for the beautiful gift and the kind words.

Short is fine when the relationship is close. For a wedding or shower gift, use the full four lines.

How to end a thank you card

The closing should match the greeting. The Emily Post Institute lists a range:

Formal or work: Sincerely, Best regards, Regards, All the best, Cordially.
Friendly: Warmly, Best.
Close: With love, Affectionately, With great affection.

Couples sign with both names. A child can add their own name or a drawing; the Institute says photos and children's drawings are fine as long as a short written thanks comes with them.

When a written card is expected

The Emily Post Institute's rule of thumb is a written note whenever you receive a gift and the giver wasn't there to be thanked in person. Some cases need a card regardless:

Wedding gifts, within three months of receiving them. Our wedding thank you card wording has examples for cash, parents and guests who couldn't come.
Shower gifts, even when you opened them in front of the giver. See baby shower thank you card wording for host and group-gift examples.
Gifts that arrive by post.
Flowers, notes or donations after a death.

For a small gift from a close friend or relative that isn't a wedding gift, the Institute says an email or a call is fine. And if you're late, write anyway: a late note is better than none.

Card size and printing your own

If you print thank you cards at home, the most common size is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches. It fits an A2 envelope (4 3/8 x 5 3/4 inches), which the envelope maker Cards & Pockets calls a typical size for thank you cards and party invitations. A US letter sheet (8 1/2 x 11 inches) cut in half gives two 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 pieces, and each one folds into an A2 card.

Card	Envelope	How to get it from a letter sheet
4 1/4 x 5 1/2 in, folded	A2, 4 3/8 x 5 3/4 in	Cut the sheet in half, fold each half
4 1/4 x 5 1/2 in, flat	A2	Print two or four per sheet and trim

Before you buy square envelopes for mailing in the US, check the US Postal Service rules. A letter must be at least 3 1/2 inches high and 5 inches long, and a square envelope counts as nonmachinable, which means a surcharge. Rectangular cards avoid that.

Thank you cards sit next to other printable paper gifts in this category, such as a homemade coupon book, which works as a thank-you in its own right for someone who helped you out. A handmade bookmark slipped inside a card is another small extra; our bookmark ideas give sizes and designs. For party printables on the same theme, see our baby shower games ideas.