26 Best Replies To “Thank You” (Formal & Informal)

It is nice to be thanked. It is nice to know that whatever it is you do is appreciated by the people around you. Hearing thank you is just a nice and pleasant thing. However, the problem is, what are you supposed to say back? How do you respond?

What is the best reply to “Thank you”?

It is hard to know what response to go with when someone says thank you. But, you know you have to say something. But what? It all depends on you and the situation. When someone says “thank you”, you have a choice to be either formal or informal.

Formal responses are better for when in the company of people you want to impress. Such as bosses, future bosses, hopeful romantic partners, future in-laws, or sometimes random people on the street. A formal response shows that you are a kind person who is respectful of your superiors.

Informal responses are better suited for more casual scenarios like a conversation with friends, classmates, co-workers, or immediate family members. The informal response can still be polite without being as formal as a formal response.

It is all about reading a room and assessing a situation and who you are talking to when you have to decide between a formal and informal response.

Best Replies in Formal Situations:

When someone who you want to impress says “thank you” or is in earshot when someone else says “thank you” or if you are just in general in a formal situation, these are some responses that would work best to make you seem polite.

1. Thank you

This response works well in formal situations, especially in job interviews. When someone says to you “thank you for coming” It is a very polite and formal response to say “thank you for having me/inviting me/ etc.”

2. You’re Welcome

This response is the stereotypical response because it is often the best response. There is hardly a scenario were responding to “thank you” with “you’re welcome” would be considered anything but polite.

3. You’re Very Welcome

This response is pretty similar to the one above but the addition of “very” ups the intensity of the response and makes it seem like you put more thought into your response than if you had simply just said, “you’re welcome”.

4. My Pleasure

This response works in a formal setting because it implies that whatever you did for the other person is something you didn’t mind doing and would be willing to do again. This will make you look like a good employee, future-in-law, citizen, etc.

5. Always a Pleasure to Help

This response is good in a formal setting for the same reason as the above response. It makes it seem like whatever you did was not a huge problem and you’d be willing to do it again, making you look like a good person.

Best Replies in Informal Situations:

If one of your friends or peers or family members say “thank you” you will still want to reply to seem polite but you can use one of these informal responses.

6. You’re Welcome

You’re welcome works perfectly in both formal and informal situations. It really is the best response to give. There is hardly a scenario where it is not welcome as a response to “thank you”.

7. No problem.

This response works well, it is pretty informal but does a good job at setting the other person’s mind at ease by saying that whatever you did for them was no problem and not a hassle.

8. Don’t worry about it.

This response works well, it is pretty informal but does a good job at setting the other person’s mind at ease by saying that whatever you did for them was nothing to worry about and you don’t need to be thanked.

9. I got you.

This response works well in informal situations, especially around friends. The response says that you “got” the person, meaning that you were happy to help them and you will always help them.

10. Don’t mention it.

This informal response works well, it does a good job at letting the other person know that you don’t need to be thanked, it was something you were fine with doing it, so it does not need to be mentioned.

11. A pleasure.

This is a great informal response to “thank you”. It not only acknowledges the “thank you” but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them because you were happy to do it. It was a pleasure to help and you’d do it again.

12. Anytime.

Sometimes it is best to keep it simple. Short and sweet. This is a great informal response that does exactly that with a single word. Letting the other person know that not only were you happy to help but you would not only help them again but you’d be happy to help again at any time.

13. Happy to help.

This is a great informal response to “thank you”. Not only does it only acknowledges the “thank you” you received but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them. You were happy to have the opportunity to help them and you’d do it again.

14. *polite nod*.

Sometimes you don’t even need to say anything at all. This one works best when maybe you are in a quiet place and aren’t allowed to talk or if you have food in your mouth or even if you held a door open for someone and they say “thank you”. A quiet and polite nod is sometimes a perfectly fine response. It’s better to have a response, even a quiet one, than to not respond at all and potentially come across as rude.

15. No big deal.

This is a good informal response that works well, it does a good job at letting the other person know that you don’t need to be thanked, what you did for them wasn’t anything big and it was something you were fine with doing it. It was no big deal!

16. Of course.

This is a great informal response to “thank you”. Not only does it acknowledges the “thank you” you received but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them. Of course, you were going to help them, it was never even a question.

17. Anything for you.

This is a great informal response to “thank you”. It not only acknowledges the “thank you” but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them because you were happy to do it. You care about them and would do anything to help them out in any way.

18. Sure!

Sometimes you got to have to keep your response short, sweet, and simple. This is a perfectly acceptable informal response that does exactly that with a single word. It not only acknowledges the “thank you” but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them.

19. That’s alright.

This response works well, it is pretty informal but does a good job at setting the other person’s mind at ease by saying that whatever you did for them was no problem and not a hassle. It does the two things that any response needs to do, it acknowledges the “thank you” and makes the other person not feel bad for asking you to do whatever it was that you did for them.

20. *laughing* You owe me one.

This is a nice and fun informal response that works best when said to either good friends or siblings. It’s sarcastic, you don’t actually expect them to pay you back with a favor for whatever it was you did, but it has that nice fun energy of teasing that makes sure that the other person knows that what they asked you to do wasn’t that big of a deal. Because if it was, you probably would not be joking around.

21. Think nothing of it.

This is a good informal response that is really common and popular to say in the United Kingdom. It’s similar to when Americans will say “don’t worry about it.” This response works well because it does a good job at setting the other person’s mind at ease by saying that whatever you did for them was nothing to worry about and you don’t need to be thanked.

22. Merci beaucoup

In French, this translates to “thank you very much” and is a standard French phrase. It works well in informal settings because anyone with a high school level of French would understand what it means and it creates a nice change of pace of everyone always saying “you’re welcome”.

23. De nada

In Spanish, this translates to “no problem” and is a standard Spanish phrase. It works well in informal settings because anyone with a high school level of Spanish would understand what it means and it creates a nice change of pace of everyone always saying “you’re welcome”.

24. That’s OK

This is a great informal response to “thank you”. It succeeds because it acknowledges the “thank you” you received but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them. You were happy to help them, it was not a big deal to you. They try to thank you but you let them know that it was OK.

25. Sure thing

This is a good informal response to “thank you”. Not only does it acknowledges the “thank you” you received but it also tells the other person that they do not need to worry or feel bad for asking you to help them. Of course, you were going to help them, it was never even a question. It was a sure thing that you would do whatever it was they needed of you.

26. No thanks necessary.

This informal response was made popular in cowboy movies and other similar stories where the hero would save the day and when someone would try and thank them they’d say “no thanks necessary.” Now, you can use it too in an informal setting. This response works well because it reassures the other person that what you did for them was not a big deal and a “thank you” is not needed.

These are of course not all of the acceptable responses, but they are some great ones and will give you an idea of what is acceptable.

Frequently Asked Questions:

If you still have some questions, that is completely OK and understandable. And, don’t worry! You are not the only one, below are some frequently asked questions that will hopefully answer any further questions you have.

What is the best response to a thank you from your boss?

The best response to a thank you from your boss is “you’re welcome”. It is the standard response because it’s the best one. If your boss was thanking you for doing your job, they probably aren’t expecting more from you than a “you’re welcome” before continuing on with your job.

Is it a good idea to reply to a thank you email?

It is a good idea! Responding to a thank you email will only strengthen your connection with the recipient. It will also keep you at the forefront of their mind for a little longer, which can be helpful. Just be sure to keep the email brief.

Would it be considered rude if I answered a thank you with “You’re welcome”?

No! Not usually. Usually, “you’re welcome” is a very polite response. The only time that it might be considered rude is if someone said “thank you” to you in a sarcastic tone after you made a mistake. Only then, or similar rare situations would it be considered rude.