You want to let someone at work know that you have received something they’ve sent or understood something they’ve said. But is it correct to say got it, thanks in a professional email?
We’ll discuss the appropriateness of this phrase below. Moreover, we’ll look at 9 useful alternative phrases that you can use in your professional email exchanges.
9 Alternative Ways to Say “Got It, Thanks”
Below, you’ll find 9 other ways to say got it, thanks in your work correspondence:
- Received with thanks
- Thank you, I have received it
- Duly noted
- I understand
- Understood
- I see
- Will do
- Okay, thanks
- Message received
1. Received With Thanks
Received with thanks is a more formal synonym for got it, thanks. Therefore, you can use it in an email to a coworker or a fellow professional from another company.
This phrase is slightly less versatile than the original phrase. After all, you wouldn’t say received with thanks to mean that you’ve understood an instruction.
However, it works well if you work in a formal industry, such as law or finance, and want to keep a professional register in your work emails.
See how we’ve used this phrase in an email sample:
Dear Danielle,
Your report has been received with thanks.
Regards,
Adrian Blight
2. Thank You, I Have Received It
The phrase thank you, I have received it is essentially just a less stiff variation of the phrase above. It is still fairly formal, but it comes across as a touch more personable and polite.
You can use this phrase when a client has sent over some helpful information or some documentation that you’ve requested.
It’s always good etiquette to confirm receipt of these things, and it never hurts to add a “thank you” before or after!
Have a look at the following sample email:
Dear Mr. Flinn,
Thank you, I have received it.
Kind regards,
Trisha Sethi
3. Duly Noted
You can say duly noted as a formal alternative to got it, thanks when your boss or any other superior has issued an instruction or explained some important information.
Duly noted essentially means that you have formally taken note of something.
Therefore, this phrase will show your employer that you are actively listening to their guidance and proactively noting down the information they provide. This is a great quality in an employee!
In addition, this phrase is very tonally neutral. Therefore, it’s a safe option for most occasions, especially if you have a very distant relationship with the other person.
For example:
Dear Ms. Holm,
Duly noted; I will instruct our IT team to investigate the issue immediately.
Regards,
Alyssa Kim
4. I Understand
If you’ve received a complaint from a client or customer, it’s important to make them feel heard and understood.
Therefore, you can respond with the phrase I understand before offering a solution.
This phrase is neither particularly formal nor informal. It uses plain and comprehensible words, which is ideal since you probably won’t know the complaining customer personally.
See the email example below:
Dear Mr. Wesley,
I understand your concerns, and I will be sure to investigate this issue promptly.
Thank you for your patience.
Regards,
Patrick Fleet
5. Understood
Understood is essentially a shortened version of the phrase above. However, this alternative comes across as a tad more professional and can even sound terse if you aren’t careful.
Nevertheless, if you work in a fast-paced corporate environment, it is good to be short and to the point in your work correspondence.
Therefore, you can use this phrase as a quick response to your boss when they’ve issued an instruction.
Let’s see an email sample that includes this term:
Dear Miss Jackson,
Understood. I will contact the client’s representatives immediately.
Regards,
Heather Fute
6. I See
A different way to say got it, thanks is I see. In particular, you can use this phrase when a client or customer has made a complaint or a detailed request.
This is just another way to say that you understand what the receiver has said. In other words, you can see their point of view.
This phrase is very straightforward and tonally neutral. Therefore, it’s a safe choice if you work in customer service or hospitality and are responding to a fairly frantic or irritated customer.
To see what we mean, check out the example below:
Dear Mr. Ryan,
I see.
Please allow me a moment to speak to the chef and see if there’s any way to resolve this issue.
Regards,
Therese Borne
7. Will Do
The phrase will do makes it clear that you have understood a request or instruction and will carry it out.
This phrase may come across as a bit too terse for an email to a client or a superior.
However, it’s a good, quick response to an email from a coworker, especially if you prefer to be as prompt and to the point as possible in your inter-office communications.
In addition, this phrase is by no means informal, so you can use it with a coworker that you aren’t particularly close to.
Have a look at the following sample email:
Dear Roger,
Will do.
Regards,
Bonnie
8. Okay, Thanks
You can respond with okay, thanks when you’re speaking to a colleague with whom you have a friendly relationship.
This casual alternative to got it, thanks is most suited for when a coworker has provided a helpful explanation or has promised to assist you with something.
Saying “okay” lets the receiver know that you have understood their message, and the addition of “thanks” adds a touch of politeness.
That being said, we would recommend that you avoid using this phrase when speaking to a client or superior. It will come across as too abrupt and even rude in the wrong contexts.
Let’s see an email example with this phrase in tow:
Hi Jen,
Okay, thanks for letting me know.
Best,
Kiera
9. Message Received
Another way to say got it, thanks in an email to a coworker is message received.
This phrase appears fairly robotic and stilted, so it is usually used exclusively in a tongue-in-cheek way between coworkers who have a friendly dynamic.
It would appear strange in an email to a client or superior, so use it with caution in general.
However, message received is a fairly useful phrase since it can mean that you have received something and can be used to mean that you have understood something the other person has said.
In this way, it is as versatile as the original phrase and, frankly, it’s a bit fun to say.
Therefore, let’s see this phrase in our final email sample:
Dear Osei,
Message received; I’ll get that memo to you this afternoon.
All the best,
Kaitlyn
Is It Correct to Say “Got It, Thanks”?
It is perfectly correct to say got it, thanks to confirm that you have received something. Moreover, you can use this phrase to confirm that you have understood an instruction or explanation.
This phrase is informal, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to include it in an email to your boss or a client.
However, you could use this phrase in an email to a colleague, especially if you tend to keep your inter-office emails more casual at your workplace.
Let’s see two email examples showing how you can use this phrase in practice.
First, we’ll look at an example where you are confirming receipt of something:
Hi Paul,
Got it, thanks.
All the best,
Lisa
Next, let’s see an example where a colleague has explained something to you in a previous email and you want to confirm that you understand.
Note that you can also make this phrase a touch more formal by writing out thank you instead of thanks:
Hi Gina,
Got it, thank you for the clarification.
Best,
Carlos
Finally, let’s see a common variation of this phrase and discuss its correctness:
Variation: I’ve got it vs. got it
- Correct: I’ve got it, thanks.
- Correct: Got it, thanks.
It makes no difference to add “I’ve” to the phrase got it, thanks. Essentially, the original phrase is just a shortened version of I have got it. Therefore, you can use either one of these variations interchangeably.
Although it is correct to say got it, thanks in an email to your colleagues, this phrase is too informal for most professional correspondence. It is also considered a tad standardized.
Therefore, if you want to mix up your phrasing or use a more formal synonym for got it, thanks, you can try one or more of the synonyms from our list.
