Are you trying to find the best ways to apologize to someone in an email?
Perhaps you’re worried that please accept my apology is unprofessional or impolite.
Well, you’ve come to the right place to learn more about it.
This article will teach you how to ask please accept my apology in an email.
6 Alternative Ways to Say “Please Accept My Apology”
You can review these 6 alternatives to learn how to say please accept my apology professionally:
- I apologize for any inconvenience caused
- Please forgive my oversight
- I’m sorry for any misunderstanding
- I regret any trouble this may have caused
- Please accept my sincere apologies
- I want to express my regret for the inconvenience
1. I Apologize for Any Inconvenience Caused
Another way to say please accept my apology is I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
It’s formal and polite, which goes a long way in emails. So, you can use it when owning a mistake and letting someone know that you’re truly sorry for causing any problems.
This works well when sending a message to a customer. They might have come to you for help after an issue with a product, and this is a great way to say sorry before helping them.
You can also review the following email sample to learn more about it:
Dear Ms. White,
I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this product.
Rest assured, we will do what we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Yours,
George Martin
2. Please Forgive My Oversight
Next, you can write please forgive my oversight. This is an honest and professional way to own a mistake and let someone know you’re working to fix it.
You can use it when emailing your boss. It will allow you to apologize to your boss when they’ve called you out for a mistake you’ve made in the workplace.
Generally, the easier you find it to own a mistake, the more impressed your boss will be. That’s why it’s always worth using a phrase like this to show you have a situation under control.
It’s formal and confident above all else. No matter what mistake you’ve made, this will help you to correct it.
So, you can check out this sample email to learn more about how it works:
Dear Mr. Mirror,
Please forgive my oversight when handing this in.
I’ll continue to work on it and correct all of the issues you’ve highlighted to me.
Best regards,
Danny Smith
3. I’m Sorry for Any Misunderstanding
If you’re wondering how to apologize to someone directly, you can say I’m sorry for any misunderstanding.
It’s honest and professional, which shows that you realize a mistake was made.
However, any misunderstanding technically doesn’t claim responsibility for any issues as your own mistakes. Therefore, it’s good to use when communicating with clients.
It’s a way to remove blame from every party and simply show that you’re doing your best to correct any issues. Clients will be happy to receive communication like this as long as they trust you to help them.
You can also check out this example to learn more about how it works:
Dear Dr. Browne,
I’m sorry for any misunderstanding caused by this.
Of course, I will do everything in my power to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Yours,
Sarah Clarke
4. I Regret Any Trouble This May Have Caused
Feel free to write I regret any trouble this may have caused instead of please accept my apology.
This formal synonym shows that you regret a mistake. It’s also a good way to be empathetic and show someone that you realize a mistake you’ve made has caused them issues.
You can use it when empathizing with a customer. It’s a good choice because it shows that you’ve noticed a mistake and will do what you can to fix it for them.
Feel free to review the following email sample to learn more about how to use it:
Dear Ms. Smythe,
I regret any trouble this may have caused and will do what I can to help you.
Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.
Yours,
Tony Marsh
5. Please Accept My Sincere Apologies
Another great synonym to include in your writing is please accept my sincere apologies.
It’s polite and formal, which goes a long way in emails. After all, it’s a good way to be honest with someone and show that you own your mistake and offer them help.
Try using it when emailing your boss. It’s useful because it shows that you’ve realized the error in your work and will do what you can to correct it.
So, you can check out this sample email to learn more about it:
Dear Mr. Crystal,
Please accept my sincere apologies for this mistake.
I’ll do what I can to correct it as quickly as possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
All the best,
Terrianne Shaw
6. I Want to Express My Regret for the Inconvenience
Finally, it’s worth writing I want to express my regret for the inconvenience instead of please accept my apology.
This phrase is professional and genuine. So it will make the recipient feel a lot better. After all, it’s a good way to show that you genuinely regret a decision you’ve made.
Try using it when contacting a client. It shows that you’ve done something to inconvenience them, and you want to reach out to let them know it wasn’t your intention.
You can also review this sample email to learn a bit more about it:
Dear Mrs. Anthony,
I want to express my regret for the inconvenience caused.
I’ll be sure to keep you as a number-one priority while I figure out the next steps.
Regards,
Jack Kerr
Is It Correct to Say “Please Accept My Apology”?
Please accept my apology is correct to say in formal situations.
Overall, it’s very polite. It’s a great way to own your mistake and let someone know that you’d appreciate it if they could accept your apology.
Generally, this works best when emailing a customer. It shows you care about them and didn’t mean to mess something up, so you’d like to formally apologize.
This email sample should help you to understand more about it:
Dear Mr. Jensen,
Please accept my apology for the inconvenience.
Of course, we are working on a solution and should have it ready by Friday.
All the best,
Maxine Bradshaw
It’s also common to use this phrase when you’ve accidentally delayed someone. For instance, you can use it when apologizing to your boss for not handing a project in on time.
This email example should help you to understand it a bit better:
Dear Ms. Smythe,
Please accept my apology for the delay.
I got caught up with a few other issues that I needed to sort out first.
Yours,
Brian Richardson
It’s also common to use the plural of apology. This is a great way to show that you want to apologize for multiple issues and hopefully cover all the problems you’re apologizing for.
Variation: Using apology instead of apologies
- Correct: Please accept my apology.
- Correct: Please accept my apologies.
So, it’s clear that please accept my apology is correct to use in formal writing. But that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to it as your only alternative.
You can refer to our synonyms to learn how to apologize in a business email.
