How to Address a Letter to Two People (or More)

To address a letter to two people at the same address, put both names in the inside address and both in the salutation: "Dear Ms. Diaz and Mr. Grant:". If they live or work at different addresses, send each person their own copy, with their own name in the inside address, and add a cc line under your signature that names the other. For four or more people, or a board, address the group: "Dear Members of the Board:".

Ms. Rosa Diaz, Controller
Mr. Paul Grant, Office Manager
Lakeview Dental
200 Main Street, Suite 4
Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Ms. Diaz and Mr. Grant:

Find your case below; the examples paste straight into Word or Google Docs.

Two people at the same address#

Canada's government writing guide, Writing Tips Plus (opens in new tab), splits this into two cases: people who live together and people who work together.

A couple or household#

Put both names together on the first line of the inside address, joined by "and", then the street and city once. One of Canada.ca's examples leaves the courtesy titles off ("Alex Gilmore and Lou Trépanier"), which saves you guessing who goes by Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Mx. "Mr. and Mrs. Kim" is the formal form for a married couple, and some households still prefer it; use it when you know they do. When the last names differ, write each full name: "Ms. Ana Johnson and Mr. Tom Kelly".

For the etiquette of couples, see the Emily Post Institute's guide to addressing correspondence (opens in new tab). Its short version: order doesn't matter unless one person outranks the other.

Dana Kim and Sam Kim
48 Orchard Lane
Springfield, IL 62704

Dear Dana and Sam Kim:

Two people in the same office#

Write each name on its own line, in order of rank, then the company and street once. If the job titles are short, put each one after a comma on the same line as the name; leave long titles out. The example at the top of this page follows Canada.ca's rule for receivers in the same organization. When the two are equals, alphabetical order by last name keeps it neutral, the same order Canada.ca gives for listing names in a cc line.

Two people at different addresses: one letter each#

When the two people don't share an address, write the letter once and send two originals. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's correspondence handbook lists this as its first option for multiple addressees: prepare "an original for each addressee." Each copy names its own reader in the inside address and salutation, and a copy line tells them who else received it.

That copy line sits at the left margin, on the line right after your reference initials or enclosure line, or two lines below your signature block if you have neither, per Canada.ca's copy notation page (opens in new tab). Some guides put the cc inside the address block or the salutation; keep it below the signature. With a full name you can skip the courtesy title: "cc Paul Grant".

Ms. Rosa Diaz
1418 Oak Street
Columbus, OH 43206

Dear Ms. Diaz:

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Sincerely,

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cc Paul Grant

Letter 2 is the same letter with the names swapped: Mr. Grant's name and address at the top, "Dear Mr. Grant:" as the greeting and "cc Rosa Diaz" at the bottom.

For more on the copy line itself, read where the cc line goes and how to list names.

Two letters means two envelopes. Save each version as its own PDF, since Postmarkr mails each file as one letter. Add both letters to the Cart and pay for them in one checkout (up to 10 letters at a time). We print each one, add the address page that shows through the envelope window, and mail it USPS First-Class: upload both PDFs and we mail each copy. A one-page black-and-white letter is $2.05, so the pair comes to $2.05 × 2 = $4.10. Our print partner adds a small code strip in the bottom-left margin of each page. The Cart steps are laid out in sending different letters to different people.

Writing the salutation for two or three people#

The salutation repeats the names and titles from the inside address, as Purdue OWL's business letter guide (opens in new tab) puts it, and in a business letter it ends with a colon. Canada.ca keeps the comma for social business letters, such as thanks or condolences. A few rules keep the line clean:

• Match the formality. Give both people a title or neither: "Dear Dr. Park and Mr. Haddad:", never "Dear Dr. Park and Omar:".
• Order by rank. If they're equals, go alphabetical by last name.
• Shared last name. "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Kim:" if they use those titles, or "Dear Dana and Sam Kim:".
• Different last names. Name each person: "Dear Ms. Johnson and Mr. Kelly:". HUD's handbook uses this two-name form.
• Three people. List all three, with a comma before "and", so no two read as a pair (Business Writing Blog).
• Unknown title. Drop the courtesy title and use the full name, as Canada.ca advises: "Dear Jordan Lee and Avery Patel:".

Dear Dr. Park and Mr. Haddad:
Dear Ms. Johnson and Mr. Kelly:
Dear Ms. Ruiz, Mr. Chen, and Dr. Abbott:

Writing an email instead? The To line carries the names there, and email conventions apply; this guide covers the printed letter.

Four or more people, a board or a committee#

Past three names, a salutation turns into a roll call. Address the group instead. The inside address starts with the organization, with the committee on the line below; if one person should see it first, start with their name and role ("Maria Ortiz, Chair"), then the committee and the organization. For the greeting, Canada.ca suggests "Dear Members of the Selection Committee:" or "Dear Colleagues:", and steers you away from "Ladies and Gentlemen" and "To Whom It May Concern".

Maria Ortiz, Chair
Selection Committee
Riverside Community Foundation
900 River Road
Dayton, OH 45402

Dear Members of the Selection Committee:

If each member should get their own copy at home, it becomes one letter to a list: the same PDF goes to every address. One letter to a whole list with Bulk Send explains how that works, up to 100 recipients per batch.

Addressing the envelope for two people#

The envelope follows the same split. Same address: one envelope, both names on the name line. Different addresses: one envelope per letter, each matching its own inside address. For attention lines and c/o on the envelope, see our envelope guide.

If you mail through Postmarkr, the address page we print takes the place of the envelope you'd write by hand. The recipient name field holds 40 characters, so "Dana Kim and Sam Kim" fits with room to spare. "Ms. Rosa Diaz and Mr. Paul Grant" is 32 characters and fits; if a pair runs past 40, drop the titles first. The address form has a name line but no company line, so keep "Lakeview Dental" in your letter's inside address. To see the whole process from file to mailbox, read how to upload a letter and mail it without a printer.

Questions about addressing a letter to two people#

How do you address a letter to two people with different last names?#

Write both full names on one line, joined by "and": "Ms. Ana Johnson and Mr. Tom Kelly". The salutation names each person: "Dear Ms. Johnson and Mr. Kelly:". Skip forms like "Mr. and Ms. Tom Kelly", which fold one person's name into the other's.

Which name goes first?#

The more senior person. Between equals, go alphabetical by last name. For a couple, order doesn't matter unless one outranks the other. Keep the same order in the inside address, the salutation and the cc line.

Should I send one letter or two?#

One letter when both people share an address and will read the same copy. Two letters when they live or work at different addresses: each gets an original with their own name on it and a cc line naming the other.

Is "Messrs." or "Gentlemen" still used?#

HUD's correspondence handbook still lists "Dear Messrs. (Last Name) and (Last Name):" and "Gentlemen:". Canada.ca advises against gendered group greetings such as "Ladies and Gentlemen". For two people, use both names; for a group, "Dear Members of the Board:".